Colonels Notch Homecoming Win

By Watson Cook

The Indianola Colonels hosted Manchester Academy Friday night for homecoming. However, the guests were not given a warm welcome. The Colonels celebrated the big night with a 40-21 win.

The Indianola defense got off to a good start on the Mavericks’ opening possession, forcing and recovering a fumble six plays into the drive. Wheeler Timbs fell on the loose ball at the IA 34 yard line and the Colonel offense went to work from there. A 9-play, 66-yard drive was highlighted by Jonathan Holland’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Trey Roberson. It was the Colonels’ first touchdown through the air of the season. The 2-point try failed but IA had the early 6-0 lead. The Colonel defense forced a three and out on the ensuing Maverick drive and Roberson electrified the homecoming crowd with a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown. Holland completed the 2-point pass to Hunter Vance to put IA up 14-0 with 3:40 to play in the first quarter. Manchester quickly answered with an impressive drive, going 66 yards on 4 plays to close the gap to 14-7. Neither team threatened again until late in the second quarter. The Mavericks attempted a 37-yard field goal with just under 1:00 to play. The kick however, was short and landed at the 6 yard line where Roberson picked it up and ran 94 yards untouched for the touchdown. The 2-point run was unsuccessful, leaving the Colonels with a 20-7 lead going into halftime.

The second half was a seesaw affair. IA took the kick and drove 59 yards on 7 plays. Dalton Sykes punched it in from 4 yards out to extend the lead to 26-7 (2-point try unsuccessful). The Mavericks answered again with 3:29 to play in the third on a questionable QB sneak. The touchdown was allowed and Manchester made it a 26-14 game following the PAT. The seesaw continued on the following IA drive as the Colonels marched 61 yards on 13 plays. Ashton Knight provided the points with a 3-yard touchdown run to pad the lead. The 2-point try was again unsuccessful to leave the score 32-14 with 10:48 to play in the game. The Mavericks turned the ball over on downs on their next possession. The Colonels took over at their own 42 and would find the endzone again courtesy of a Tristan Tackett 17-yard scamper. Charles Downs added the 2-point run to make it 40-14. Manchester managed a late touchdown with under 1:00 to play but it was too little, too late. The Colonels were able to take a knee to run out the final seconds and claim a 40-21 homecoming win.

With the win, the Colonels improved to 3-4 on the year. With a bye week ahead, IA will have two weeks to prepare for the stretch run which begins October 12 at Kirk Academy.