Rebels get forfeit win, face Heritage next

The Leake Academy Rebels didn’t get to enjoy Senior Night last week when Friday night’s game was canceled late Thursday night.

The Rebels were scheduled to play East Rankin Academy on Friday night. But the Patriots canceled on Thursday night, giving Leake an 18-0 forfeit win.

“It was out of our hands,” Leake coach Brian Pickens said. “They called at the last minute and said they were going to forfeit. I hate it for the seniors that didn’t get to have a Senior Night. And I hate it for those kids that were probably going to get to play a good bit. They work hard and deserved the chance to play. But it wasn’t our decision.”

The Rebels improve to 7-1 on the season and with the forfeit win secure the District 2-5A championship. The Rebels will get a stern test this week as they travel to Columbus to take on undefeated Heritage. The Patriots are 8-0 on the season and are currently the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A playoffs. A win by Leake would catapult the Rebels to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. A loss would send the Rebels to either the No. 2 or No. 3 seeds in the playoffs.

“They are really good,” Pickens said of Heritage. “They have a really good quarterback who has Division I offers. He can really sling it and they have some receivers that can catch. They are really good on defense as well. They haven’t given up a lot of points and their linebackers flow to the football. They like to throw the football and it will be a good test for our secondary. There are a lot of playoff implications so its’s another big game for us.”

Heritage has wins over Lamar (42-16), Jackson Prep (39-21), East Union (41-15), Washington (18-0), Starkville (30-0), Bayou (42-14), Wayne (42-16) and Magnolia Heights (35-9).