Colonels top Leake in 25-24 thriller

By Watson Cook

For the first time in school history, the Indianola Colonels have won consecutive playoff games at home. The Colonels, who trailed the Leake Academy Rebels 24-18 with 5:12 to play on Friday night, used a 14-play, 69-yard drive to set up the game-winning score a week after sneaking past Winona Christian in overtime. With the win, IA will take to the road to face #1 seed Simpson Academy on November 15.

A capacity crowd at Legion Field watched the Colonels build an early 12-0 lead. IA took the opening kickoff and started their first drive of the night from the Rebel 45. Ashton Knight capped the drive six plays later with a 2-yard rumble to put the Colonels up 6-0 (missed PAT) with 9:44 to play in the opening quarter.

Five plays into the Rebels’ first drive of the night, which started at their own 25, Tristan Knight recovered a fumble at the Leake 43 to give the Colonels another short field. The offense took advantage. Seven plays later, Jonathan Holland’s 1-yard quarterback keeper extended the Colonel lead to 12-0 (missed PAT) with 5:15 to play in the quarter. From that point, Leake took over the remainder of the half.

The Rebels responded on their second possession, going 75 yards on 10 plays. Taking advantage of a pass interference call on 3^rd and 1 from the IA 15, Taylor Nazary scored on the next play with a 7-yard touchdown run. John Forrest Sisson’s PAT cut the IA lead to 12-7 with 1:14 to play in the quarter.

A fumble by Hunter Vance on the following IA drive was the first of three straight turnovers for the Colonel offense. After the fumble, the Rebels took over at the IA 35. Eight plays later, Alex Shepard connected with Thomas Nazary from 4 yards out to give the Rebels their first lead of the night. Sisson’s PAT made it 14-12 with 8:40 to play in the half.

The Colonels began their next drive at their own 20. Three plays later, a Wheeler Timbs halfback pass was intercepted at the Leake 39. The Rebels though, were forced into a three-and-out and the Colonels got the ball back after the punt at their own 28. After driving to the Leake 37, Holland was picked off on 4^thand 8, giving the Rebels one more shot to extend their lead before halftime.

As the saying goes, the Colonel defense bent but did not break. After driving 76 yards to the IA 6, the Rebels were held out of the endzone as Chris Harris sacked Shepard on 2^nd goal with 0:05 left on the clock. Harris, a sophomore linebacker, was only getting started as he would come up big for the Colonel defense again in the second half. Leake though, out of timeouts, took a 14-12 lead into halftime.

IA regained the lead on its first drive of the second half. After the defense forced a Rebel punt to open the third quarter, the Colonels took over at their own 12. On the first play of the series, Timbs ripped off a 58-yard run down to the Leake 30. Eight plays later, Knight punched it in from 1 yard out to give the Colonels an 18-14 lead (2-point try unsuccessful) with 5:11 to play in the quarter.

Leake immediately answered. The Rebels drove 70 yards on only 5 plays and took the lead on Shepard’s 24-yard pass to William Johnston. Sisson’s PAT made it 21-18 with 2:51 to play in the third. Sisson then added to the Rebels’ lead with a 25-yard field goal that put Leake up 24-18 with 5:19 to play in the game, setting the stage for one of the most memorable comebacks in recent Colonel history.

Following the kickoff, the Colonels started at their own 31. Using smash-mouth football, the Colonels drove straight down the field using 6 runs apiece from Knight and Timbs. After driving down to the 7, IA faced 4^th and 3 with just under a minute to play. Coming out of a timeout, Coach Nester dialed up the option, which Holland kept around the right side, picking up a 1st down by half of a football. On the very next play Timbs (pictured below) brought the house down with a 3-yard run up the middle to tie the game at 24-24 with 0:45 to play. Will Lang, who had missed his previous PAT attempt, split the uprights with plenty of distance to give the Colonels a 25-24 lead.

The Rebels had little time to work with, starting from their 33. After incomplete passes on 1^st and 2^nd down, Shepard was sacked by Chandler Danna and Ryan Eldridge for a 5-yard loss back to the 28, bringing up 4^th and 15. Harris, who brought down Shepard to end the first half, exploded into the backfield on 4^th down and sent Shepard to the ground before he could get a pass off. The Colonels took over on downs and Holland’s kneel with 0:10 left set off an explosive celebration, both on the field and amongst the hundreds of Colonel fans at Legion Field.

IA, the #4 seed, will travel to Mendenhall Friday night looking to pull the upset of #1 seed Simpson Academy with a spot in the AA state championship on the line. Kickoff is set for 7:00. Look for a preview of the semifinal matchup on Wednesday, November 13.