BY SAMUEL JONES
FOR THE OBSERVER
LOACHAPOKA — After successful seasons a year ago, Loachapoka High School and Lanett High School opened their 2026 seasons on Aug. 21 with another chapter in their rivalry.
The rivalry may have looked slightly different this season with the Indians (1-0) moving down to Class 1A, but the intensity remained as Loachapoka relied on hard running, turnovers and special teams to pull away from the Panthers (0-1) 40-20 at Jones-Tate Stadium.
University of Alabama commit Ryquan Butler showed why he’s committed to one of the nation’s most storied college football programs. The junior linebacker rushed for a TD, recorded 16 total tackles and had three tackles for loss for the Indians.
Lareaco Echols carried the ball 15 times for 86 yards and two TDs, Jaiden Harvey notched a pick-six and a TD catch and Kameron White recorded 12 tackles and five tackles for loss.
P.J. Stiggers tallied 10 carries for 62 yards and two TDs, Damein Hurston had 13 tackles and Braylon Chambers finished with nine tackles and four tackles for loss for Lanett.
The win gave Loachapoka an early victory over one of its biggest rivals as it begins its first season in a new classification.
Last season, the Indians fell to Lanett 41-7 in a game that seemed to spark the Panthers’ run to the Class 2A state championship game.
This year, Loachapoka was on the right side of the scoreline, and Indians head coach Branden Hall said he thought the win would help his team build confidence early on.
“I’m just happy to have an opportunity to get a win early in the season against a good football team,” Hall said. “The foundation they [Lanett] have is a great tradition. And I’m just happy our guys were able to come out on top tonight.”
Looking ahead, Hall said the Indians want to establish a physical identity that will carry them throughout the rest of the regular season and beyond.
“We just want to make sure that we play hard for 48 minutes,” Hall said. “That’s our goal: to give you everything we have for 48 minutes. We want to be physical, we want to be fast and we want to be smart.”
After Derrion Calloway helped force a fumble on Lanett’s opening drive, Loachapoka turned the turnover into a 4-yard rushing TD by Echols to take a 7-0 lead five minutes into the game.
The Indians’ defense came up with another big play on Lanett’s next possession. Harvey intercepted a pass and returned it 64 yards for a TD, giving Loachapoka a 13-0 lead after the missed extra point.
Lanett responded in the second quarter, turning the momentum in its favor. The Panthers cut the deficit to 13-7 after the Indians were forced to punt from inside their own end zone, setting up the Panthers with good field position inside the Loachapoka 20 yard line.
Stiggers took four straight carries before reaching the end zone on a 1-yard rush for the Panthers’ first points of the night at the 9:02 mark of the second quarter.
Lanett followed with another defensive play on the next Loachapoka possession when R.J. Tucker intercepted a pass and returned it inside the Loachapoka 5 yard line. Stiggers finished the drive with a 3-yard TD run, giving the Panthers a 14-13 lead with 7:55 left in the first half.
After each team’s next drive was halted by penalties, Loachapoka answered with its biggest offensive play of the night. With 2:33 left before halftime, Harvey hauled in a 56-yard TD catch from Cruz Hall to give Loachapoka a 19-14 lead heading into the break.
The second half then belonged to the Indians’ special teams and rushing attack.
A muffed Lanett punt gave Loachapoka possession at the Panthers’ 32 yard line early in the second half. The Indians took advantage of the short field and extended their lead to 26-14 with a 5-yard TD run by Echols.
Loachapoka’s special teams created another scoring opportunity later in the half when Travis Andrews returned a Lanett punt 40 yards, setting up the offense inside the Panthers’ 5 yard line.
Butler then finished the drive off with a 4-yard quarterback keeper, pushing Loachapoka’s lead to 33-14 with 1:21 left in the third quarter.
Despite the deficit, Lanett continued battling. The Panthers converted a fourth-and-six late in the game before Tucker broke off an 18-yard TD run with 5:40 remaining, cutting the deficit to 33-20.
However, Loachapoka quickly answered. A 37-yard run by Echols moved the Indians to the Lanett 7 yard line before Jaden Mabson finished the drive with a TD run, giving Loachapoka its final score of the night.
Lanett head coach R.J. McDonald attributed the performance to early-season mistakes by younger players, and praised his team’s effort even when they were down by multiple scores.
“We just made a lot of young mistakes. When you look up and you’ve got 10 or 12 seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders out there, it makes a big difference,” McDonald said. “But that’s not an excuse, and we’ve got to continue coaching those guys hard. They’re taking coaching and applying it, and you can see the growth in those guys every day.”
Loachapoka will look to keep things rolling when it hosts Lee-Scott Academy on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. The Warriors are coming off a 7-0 home loss to Glenwood School in a game that was called midway through the first quarter due to inclement weather.
Lanett will return to Morgan-Washburn Stadium for its first home game against Valley High School on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. for the anticipated return of the “Battle of Highway 29.” The Rams defeated Handley High School 14-0 at home on Aug. 21 in a modified jamboree game that did not count toward either team’s official record.
