Leake Academy football kicks off Friday

After a tough outing against Hartfield Academy in a preseason scrimmage, the Leake Academy Rebels bounced back last week in the Tri-County jamboree on Thursday.

Leake took a pair of wins last week, beating Riverfield Academy 12-0 and Natchez Cathedral 13-0 in a pair of 20-minute contests.

“We played a lot better than we did the week before,” Coach Brian Pickens said. “We were better up front and were able to run the ball more effectively. I thought the backs did a good job of hitting the holes and running hard. The defense played well in both games. The defensive line and linebackers were very active and everybody ran to the football. Now we have to get ready for Winston this week and get ready for a four-quarter game.”

Against Riverfield, the Rebels used a punishing rushing attack and a quick strike offense to take the win. The first score came on a 65-yard throw from senior quarterback Rhett Atkinson to junior wide receiver Charlie Brantley. 

The second score came after the Rebels went 61 yards in six plays, scoring on a 1-yard plunge from senior running back Whitt Welch. Leake missed both PATs for the final score of 12-0.

Against Cathedral, Leake got the ball first and went 70 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a 3-yard run by senior running back Riley Myers. Matthew Nowell hit the PAT and Leake led 7-0 with 14:16 left in the period.

After turning Cathedral over on downs, Leake took advantage of the short field and went 38 yards in five plays. After a pair of big runs by Welch, Leake scored on a 10-yard run by Myers to cap off the drive. The PAT failed and Leake led 13-0.

Leake will kick off the regular season this week as they host Winston Academy on Friday night in a 7 p.m. contest. Last year, Leake beat Winston 35-7, scoring 21 second-half points to pull away and take the win.