Reeltown gears up for trip to Washington Co.

Published Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The top-ranked Reeltown Rebels have hung a pair of 30-plus-point victories on the board in the first two rounds of the AHSAA football playoffs, and Jackie O’Neal’s team aims to return the state semifinals for the second straight year when it travels to face Washington County tonight in Chatom.

Reeltown blistered St. Jude 45-6 last week with another huge offensive showing and stifling effort from the defense. St. Jude scored late in the fourth quarter for just the second touchdown in the last nine weeks that any team has scored against the Rebels. O’Neal said the defensive line, which had question marks entering the season after a couple of key losses, has paved the way for the rest of the unit to have success.

“Kenny Benson, Ardarius Kelly, Jamar Williams and Frank Kitt have rotated in on the front three and been difference makers,” said O’Neal, who his trying for his seventh trip to the fourth round. “As long as our DB’s can cover receivers for 3 or 4 seconds, they are able to get pressure and cause problems. They’ve opened it up for the linebackers to fly around and make plays. Since they learned how they fit together, they have been solid.”

Kitt led the way up front last week with 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Kelly and Benson each recorded a sack. Linebackers Shaquille Roberson and Devonta Canada combined for 22 stops.

The Bulldogs from Washington County are 10-2 on the season. They made it to tonight’s contest by virtue of wins against Houston County (49-7) and Elba (35-14). The two losses on the year came against Jackson, a 4A team with just one loss, and Leroy, a perennial 2A power.

WCHS knocked off Elba last week thanks in large part to running back Devonta Parker, who carried 38 times for 290 yards. O’Neal said the Bulldogs are as similar to his own team as any the Rebels have seen all year.

“They are a great ball club,” O’Neal said. “They run probably more than anybody we played except for Loachapoka. They use a traditional offense, like us, and won’t throw it more than 10 times if they can help it. They love to run, so I think it’s going to be one of those gut-wrenching slobberknockers.”

The winner of tonight’s game will be pitted against the winner of the Leroy-Pickens County match-up. A win for Reeltown would put the team back in position to get to the state championship, a place the Rebels came up just short of reaching last year.

“I think last year’s run is a big motivator for us,” O’Neal said. “The guys got to taste what it’s like and they want even more. The ultimate goal for everyone is to get to Tuscaloosa, and we’re in it to win it.”

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