Newton County Academy’s Lincoln Jordan is hauled down by Leake Academy’s Shawn Myers Friday night in Decatur.

At 5-foot-7, 156 pounds, Leake Academy running back Sam Wilder doesn’t exactly jump out as the most athletic player on the field.

Looks, however, are deceiving, and Newton County Academy found that to be true. 

Wilder rushed for a game-high 122 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 65-yard punt return to power the Rebels to a 35-8 win against the Generals Friday night at Bill and Louise Bailey Field in Decatur.

Wilder scored on runs of 60 and 3 yards in the first half to give Leake Academy a 35-0 halftime lead it wouldn’t surrender. 

“It’s my dream to play college football, and that’s what I want to do, and that’s why I come out here and play my hardest every game,” Wilder said.

Rebels quarterback Will-Lawson Harkins went 4 of 4 for 58 yards and a touchdown and tallied another 51 rushing yards. Tight end Matt Clair pulled in a 20-yard touchdown reception, and running back Shawn Myers scored on a 15-yard run. Defense back Will Swinney added an interception.

“Coach Roberts and his staff do a heck of a job, and they’ve built a heck of a program down here; so hats off to them,” Leake Academy coach Brian Pickens said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in. We still have a fairly young group — a lot of sophomores and juniors playing on this team. We’ve been building and building, and kept getting better every week. We want to build on this and go from here.”

Newton County Academy running back Gunnar Bounds scored the Generals’ lone touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Logan Tadlock added the two-point conversion. The Generals never led in the contest. 

“We practiced bad all week, and you play like you practice,” Newton County Academy coach Robert Roberts said. “I told them all week this was going to happen, so we will not play in practice anymore.”

Generals running back Braxton Rose tallied a team-high 45 rushing yards, and quarterback Logan Little threw for 64 yards. Defensively, Rose tallied eight tackles, and Little intercepted Leake Academy quarterback Ryan Atkinson. 

Before kickoff, Newton County Academy coaches and players held hands and prayed at midfield where a No. 10 and the letters J and H were painted to honor 1997 Newton County Academy graduate Jamie Hollingsworth, who was killed in a car crash earlier this week. Hollingsworth, who was remembered with a moment of silence Friday night, has three children who are students at Newton County Academy.

“Jamie Hollingsworth went to school here all his life, his wife went to school here, and he has three of the best kids you’ll ever want to meet — two girls and a boy,” Roberts said. “They’re a great family, and it was a tragic accident.” 

Up next: Newton County Academy (3-2) travels to Tri-County Academy, and Leake Academy (3-2) hosts Canton Academy next Friday.