By By Robbie Robertson/special to The Star
August 23, 2003
DECATUR Led by a relentless rushing attack and an opportunistic
defense, the Leake Academy Rebels ran away from the Newton County Academy Generals by the score of 41-13 Friday night before an overflow crowd.
The Generals fall to 0-1 on the season and will travel to Calhoun Academy next week while the Rebels are 1-0 and will host Indianola Academy.
For the two squads, the game was one of two halves, the first half which was evenly played and the second half in which Leake dominated.
Leading only 14-13 at the half, Leake reeled off 27 unanswered second-half points and took advantage of four NCA turnovers. On the night, Leake rolled up 378 yards of total offense, including 354 on the ground, while holding Newton to 135 total yards. Leake had 20 first downs on the night, compared to seven for the Generals.
we couldn't stop the run. But we'll come back next week and work on the things we didn't do so well tonight."
Leake took the opening kickoff of the game and set the tone for the night with a punishing six-play, 62-yard drive. Leake fullback Justin
Sturdivant got the Rebels going up the middle and Rebel wingback Jeffery Chancellor put the Rebels on the board at the 9:15 mark in the first quarter with a 38-yard run. The PAT failed and Leake led 6-0.
The Generals struck back when junior Lee Blackburn took the ensuing kickoff and raced 81 yards to paydirt with 9:02 left in the first. Tyler
Harris' PAT was good for a 7-6 General lead.
That lead didn't last long as the Leake rushing attack got cranked up.
The Rebels again marched down the field on a seven-play, 77-yard drive that was culminated by a Cory Burns 3-yard quarterback keeper with 5:39 left in the first quarter. Burns then hit Sturdivant on the two-point conversion for a 14-7 Leake lead.
After an NCA punt, Sam Thames put the Generals in prime field position when he picked off a Burns pass at the Leake 30.
After Newton's Dustin McGowin ripped off a 20-yard run, quarterback John Shellenback hit Lee Blackburn on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 9:35 left in the half. The PAT was blocked and Leake led 14-13 at the half.
thought we did some good things, but we've got to get better."
The Generals got the ball to start the second half, but fumbled on the second play of the drive to give Leake the ball at the NCA 45, the first of four second-half turnovers for the Generals.
Chancellor, who finished with 175 yards on 14 carries, carried three times on the drive for gains of 7, 16 and a touchdown run of 21 with 9:45 left in the half as the Rebels took a 20-13 lead.
From there, the Rebels began to pile it on as they went up 28-13 on a Burns' 5-yard run with 6:34 in the third.
The Rebels added a pair of fourth-quarter scores by Sturdivant on runs
of 3 and 9 yards for the final margin of victory. Sturdivant ended the night
with 126 yards on 20 carries.