As tradition would have it, when the Winston Patriots and the Leake Rebels square off on the gridiron, there are no hugs, kisses, and smiles. It's all hard hits and smack talk.
This was the case last Friday night at Patriot Field where the visiting Rebels defeated the Patriots in a non division game, 43-0.
With Leake receiving 150 yards in penalties to the Patriots 25, the officials were busy all night picking up the yellow hankies.
Leake took an early 14-0 lead on their first 2 possessions as Winston punted on their first 2 possessions to see the opening quarter end 14-0. Leake did not slow up their ground attack as they added 2 more touchdowns in the second quarter on two consecutive possession . The Patriots suffered an interception to give the Rebels ball ownership before half, but no additional scoring happened as the halftime saw the Rebels take a 28-0 lead.
With Leake rolling up 122 yards in offense the first half, the Patriots were able to earn only 29 yards in offense, of which 24 yards were on a pass play from Brylee Wall to Johnson Wells.
The second half started out with Leake receiving the kick, but both teams settled down and slugged it out as no scoring occurred to see the final quarter start with the Rebels leading 28-0.
Winston started the quarter with ownership but continued the punting show. Starting at the Winston 39 yard line, they added their 5th score of the night with 8:49 remaining in the game. Their PAT increased their lead to 35-0 to see the continuous running clock began.
Then on the following kickoff, the Rebels recovered an onside kick to get back to business at the Winston 37 yard line. After both teams exchanged punts, it was the Rebels that put the nail in the coffin after receiving a Winston punt and taking it 62 yards for the score. Their PAT kick exchange was mishandled and the Leake running back trotted into the end zone for the 2 points to end all scoring with a 43-0 win. With not much offense produced, the Patriots managed to earn only 6 yards rushing and 59 passing.
Johnson Wells was the leading rusher with 19 yards on 3 carries. Brylee Walls completed 5 passed for 59 yards while suffering 1 interception. His leading receiver was Johnson Wells with 32 yards on 3 catches, followed by Jackson Joiner with 25 yards. The defense charge was led by Tanner Boatner with 8 tackles, followed by Josh McGinnis and Michael Majors with 5 each. J.J. Beamon, Jody McCorkle, Logan Warner, and Johnson Wells each were credited with 4. So as the Patriots pick up and move on after the opening loss, they need to focus on the trip to Winona Christian next week as they pay a visit to former Winston coach, Junior Graham. Game time is set for 7:00 PM in Winona.
Patriots seeking improvement against WCS Friday
By Robbie Faulk
Winston County Journal
Winston Academy head football coach Pat Byrd said his Patriots learned a lot from their 43-0 loss to Leake Academy, as they head into this week’s road contest against Winona Christian School.
“We played hard, but we just didn’t execute,” Byrd said. “Field position killed us in the first half. A lot of it was either punts, kickoff returns or the offense inability to move the football. We were our own worst enemy. Part of it was it being the first game, the other part was just who we were playing.”
While the defense as obviously an issue having given up 43 points, it was a continuance of last season for WA on the offensive side of the ball. Byrd didn’t get to see his team dictate a whole lot on the offensive side but he was also starting a new quarterback in Brylee Wall who he expects to be much better as the year goes on.
“At times, offensively we made some plays. We couldn’t establish the run. We’ve got to be more consistent up front,” Byrd said. “Effort isn’t going to get it done against good teams. You’ve got to do it right. I thought Brylee did things well, but it was his first varsity football game. We’ve got to put ourselves in better position to make plays and then execute.
WA searches for more execution and a win this week as they travel to Winona Christian on Friday. The Stars are coached by legendary instate coach Junior Graham who spent a season at Winston a few years ago.
The Stars won their opening game of the season last week by defeating French Camp Academy 34-24. Byrd knows for sure that they’ll be ready and they’ll be well-prepared from Graham so his team has to be prepared to put it behind them.
“You’ve got to flush it. If we go out and execute like we were supposed to last week we’ll be beat,” Byrd said. “Winona Christian isn’t overly complicated in what they do, but what they do they do well. They have a freshman quarterback that can sling it and they can run the power downhill against you. You’ve got to be sound and go tackle.
“Defensively they’re going to try to take away your run and force you to throw. We’ve got to be as balanced as we can.”
