ACA falls to Reeltown in 2nd Round

James Sandlin Takes Reeltown QB for Sack

From staff reports
Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 12:13 a.m.

REELTOWN | Willie McKenzie ran for two touchdowns on Friday as Reeltown defeated American Christian Academy 27-10 in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

American Christian Academy’s Matt Sandlin completed 22 of 35 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown. Parker Barrineau posted season highs with 9 catches for 149 yards.

American Christian Academy finished the season with a 10-2 record.

“We were young, but we had a strong group of seniors again this year,” said ACA coach Stephen Hooks. “They’ve kind of been in the shadow of the group that graduated last year.

“I was very proud of them. They were a lot of fun to coach. I felt like they overachieved all year long. With a perfect game we could have won tonight, and then there’s no telling what this team could have accomplished.”

Reeltown (11-1) got its first touchdown in the second quarter on a 35-yard interception return by Josh Newman.

ACA answered with a 30-yard field goal by Blake Brenton. McKenzie scored on a 1-yard run with 21 seconds left before halftime as Reeltown boosted its lead to 13-3.

Reeltown added a touchdown in the third quarter on a 37-yard pass from Anarious White to Calan Waver. White ran for a two-point conversion.

Barrineau caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Sandlin in the fourth quarter. Brenton added the extra point to cut the deficit to 21-10.

McKenzie scored his second touchdown on a 24-yard run with 1:11 left to play.

Ryan Swanger had 15 tackles for the ACA defense. Matt Leddo had 13 tackles, and Connor McKenna had 10. James Sandlin finished with 12 solo tackles.

“I was very satisfied with their work ethic and level of effort all year long,” Hooks said. “It’s a great group of kids.

“They could have talked about how many players we lost from last year and decided we weren’t going to be any good. Their response was the opposite. It’s not about who we lost. It’s about who we are. This group is going to work to get better.”