BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
LOACHAPOKA — Loachapoka High School head coach Branden Hall walked off the field Friday night wearing a damp pullover and a smile after his team defeated Meek High School 55-14.
The win advanced the Indians (9-2) to the second round of the Class 1A playoffs, but this one meant a little more in front of the home crowd. It was Loachapoka’s first home playoff victory under Hall, who is in his third season leading the program.
Loachapoka earned its first playoff win under Hall last season on the road before falling in overtime in the second round to finish 8-4. The Indians made up for it Friday night with a commanding victory in Hall’s fourth playoff game in three seasons.
His players made sure the milestone was celebrated.
“This is our first home playoff win since I’ve been here, so that’s probably why they gave me this water bath,” Hall said. “It’s exciting, man. These guys are out here having fun, just playing with relentless effort.”
The Indians dominated on both sides of the ball, ending the season for the Tigers (7-4). Loachapoka ran the ball at will for most of the night on its way to 484 yards of offense. Defensively, the Indians lived in Meek’s backfield, recording 12 tackles for loss and allowing just seven first downs the entire game.
Lareaco Echols ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. Hayden Lipscomb added 100 yards and two TDs on seven carries and completed 3 of 7 passes for 11 yards and a TD, and Aubrey Byrd ran for 77 yards on four carries.
Ryquan Butler led the defense with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Travis Andrews added six tackles and three tackles for loss, and Peter Chenier, Qua’Shaun Satterwhite, Echols and Kameron White each recorded a sack. Rodney Doolittle recovered a fumble.
Lipscomb helped Loachapoka get off to a scorching start, hitting Jaden Mabson on a 4-yard rollout pass for a TD with 8:28 left in the first quarter before intercepting a pass on defense. Echols quickly capitalized on the turnover with a 57-yard TD run, his first of three long-distance scores on the night, to give the Indians a 14-0 lead.
After Loachapoka forced Meek to turn the ball over on downs to begin the second quarter, Echols made it count again with a 45-yard TD run. The score stood at 21-0 at halftime.
The Tigers opened the second half with a scoring drive, as their passer scrambled downfield to set up a short TD run. However, Meek never got closer than 21-6.
Loachapoka responded with four consecutive TDs. Lipscomb started the run with a pair of TD scampers before Echols broke loose for a 68-yard TD run.
Leading 41-6, the Indians turned to Cruz Hall, who threw a 36-yard TD pass on third-and-11 that deflected off a Meek defender into the hands of Zemarion Hughley. That extended the lead to 48-6.
With Loachapoka’s reserves in on defense, the Tigers found some open field for a 48-yard score. With 2:05 remaining, the Indians struck once more on the longest play of the night — a 70-yard run by Byrd to seal the 41-point victory.
Axel Gutierrez made all seven of his extra-point kicks. Loachapoka’s lone missed PAT came on a dropped snap.
“Offensively and defensively, we were clicking on all cylinders up front,” Branden Hall said. “We did a great job of opening up pathways for guys like [Lipscomb] and [Echols]. Those guys are very athletic players, and having them in the backfield makes it hard for defenses to figure out what’s going on. I’m just excited about the way they performed. They executed well.”
While Loachapoka enjoyed the momentous win, the Indians must quickly reset their sights on their first second-round playoff win in more than a decade.
Loachapoka will travel 182 miles north Friday, Nov. 13, to face Woodville High School (10-1) in the second round. The Panthers advanced with a 76-36 victory over Berry High School (4-7) in the first round. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face the winner of the Wadley-Hubbertville matchup.
“Hopefully, this win gives us some confidence and shows our players that we can play with anybody if we prepare well, play hard and execute our game plan,” Branden Hall said. “They’ll take this win and enjoy it for tonight, tomorrow, maybe even Sunday. But we have to get back to work Monday to try to see if we can go get another one.”
