Reeltown defense stifles Bulldogs
BY ROB DAVIS
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Scoring early and often, the Reeltown Rebels used a high-powered offense and a relentless defense to shut out LaFayette 48-0 Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.
The Rebels got all the points they would need just two minutes into the first quarter when Traylen Roberts took the ball 35 yards for the game’s first score. Tyler Mathis kicked the extra point, and Reeltown was off to the races.
After an Alijah Love interception, Reeltown extended its lead when Alijah Woods broke through the left side of the Bulldog defense and raced 55 yards for a touchdown. Mathis added the extra point to put Reeltown up 14-0 with 3:29 remaining in the first quarter
“Coming into the game we felt like we could run on them,” Woods said. “Our line was opening up holes all night, and I just had to follow their blocks.”
With their running game going nowhere, LaFayette tried moving the ball through the air, but Rebel defensive back Reed Wood jumped in front of the receiver for an interception at the Bulldog 34-yard line. Reeltown would record five interceptions on the night. Two plays later, Woods once again found a seam on the left side of the line and scampered 34 yards for the score.
LaFayette went to the air again on its next drive with similar results, as Woods picked off another Bulldog pass and returned it to the 10-yard line. Woods then switched to the offensive side of the ball and ran for a touchdown as time expired in the first quarter. Mathis added the extra point and was nearly perfect on the night, connecting on six of seven kicks.
On the following kickoff, Reeltown forced a fumble and took over at the LaFayette 29-yard line. On the next play, Roberts took it to the house for his second touchdown of the game.
Turnovers plagued the Bulldogs all night. With 9:37 left in the first half, Love snagged his second interception of the game. Four plays later, the Rebels scored on a burst up the middle by Roberts. Tre Smith added a touchdown run to put an exclamation point on the first half as Reeltown went to the locker room with a 48-0 lead.
“With a young team our depth is not where I would like it to be, so we are maturing as we go,” Lafayette head coach Juan Williams said. “When you play a top level team like Reeltown, not having depth can really hurt you.”
The Rebels kept things conservative in the second half, eating away at the clock while giving their starters a rest. Williams explained that substituting players is a luxury the Bulldogs don’t have this season.
“We have about 14 or 15 players that we play every game,” he said. “They’re playing both sides of the ball and doing the best that they can. We just have to put this game behind us and focus on the next game against Coosa. Thankfully we didn’t have any injuries tonight, so we’ll be ready to go next week.”
With the win Reeltown improved to 6-2 while Lafayette dropped to 2-5 on the season.
