Rebels open season with Winston win
Leake Academy football coach Brian Pickens says the goal of every football team is to win the first game of the season.
The Rebels accomplished their goal as they scored 28 unanswered points to take a 35-7 win over homesteading Winston Academy on Friday night.
Leake improves to 1-0 on the season and will host Jackson Academy on Friday night.
Pickens said he was pleased with the effort on both sides of the football as the Rebels opened the season with a win.
“The first game of the season is so important to get your season off and going on the right foot,” Pickens said. “To start off with a win, it just builds momentum and makes all the hard work in the offseason pay off. There are going to be mistakes.
“We looked good on defense and drove it right down the field on offense. I thought the offensive line did an outstanding job and opened up holes. Canon (Parkes) had a big night and ran for over 200 yards and when you can rush for 461 yards, that’s impressive,” Pickens said.
The first half was tight as the Patriots used a pair of turnovers to keep the Rebels out of the end zone.
Leake got on the board first with 4:48 left in the first quarter as Parkes scored on a six-yard run. Cole Arthur booted the PAT and Leake held a 7-0 lead.
The score stayed 7-0 until midway through the second quarter. Leake was driving in for a score when Parkes fumbled at the goal line and Winston came up with the football. The Patriots then tied the game as they got loose on a 94-yard touchdown run with 6:53 left in the half. The PAT was good and Winston tied the game at 7-7.
The Rebels answered with a methodical drive down the field. Whitt Welch scored on a one-yard run with 3:41 left in the half. Arthur booted the PAT and Leake took a 14-7 lead into the half.
The Rebels used a stiff defense and relentless offense in the second half and gradually pulled away from the Patriots. The Rebels extended the lead with 5:17 left in the third when Rhett Atkinson scored on a 23-yard run. Arthur booted the PAT and Leake led 21-7.
The Rebels got the ball right back as they recovered a Winston fumble. Atkinson then found the end zone again as he scored on a 16-yard run. Arthur’s kick gave Leake a 28-7 lead.
After a Winston punt, Leake moved down the field quickly again. This time, Riley Myers found the end zone on a 28-yard run with 11:53 left in the game. Arthur’s PAT gave Leake the final score of 35-7 as the Rebels were able to run out the last eight minutes of the clock.
Leake limited Winston to 231 yards of total offense.
Leake had 530 yards of total offense while Winston had 231 yards. Parkes had a career night with 252 yards on 36 carries, averaging 7.2 yards a carry. Atkinson had 98 yards on nine carries and was 3-of-5 passing for 69 yards. Myers had 52 yards on four carries while Aiden Watkins had two catches for 34 yards.
Bryce Watkins led the Leake defense with 5.5 tackles while Ethan Dunn had five tackles and Welch had 4.5 tackles.
This week’s game
The Rebels will be at home this week as they host Jackson Academy for the second straight season.
The Raiders opened the season with a 37-0 win over Starkville Academy.
“It’s going to be an extremely tough game,” Pickens said. “They have a great football program and a great staff. After we beat them last year, they got a lot better and ended up playing for the state championship last year. And I think they will be right in it this year as well. It will be a great test for us. I know they are going to come out and be physical with that big running back. It will be a physical game for us.”
Last season, the Rebels posted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, rallying from a 31-7 deficit to take a 47-37 win over the Raiders.