By Will Heath, For The Tribune
LEEDS — In its Week 0 trip to Mortimer Jordan, Leeds’ offense took nearly 2 quarters to make a first down.
They would need only one play to top that in Week 1.
Senior quarterback Jarod Latta found sophomore Conner Nelson for a 36-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage for the Green Wave. It would be the first of 4 touchdowns the sophomore would score — two receiving and two rushing — in a 38-10 victory over the Pell City Panthers.
“I’m not going to say too much, but I can run a little bit too,” Nelson said after the game. “I can throw and do pretty much whatever, I guess.”
The Green Wave (2-0) led 21-0 after the first play of the second quarter, and 24-7 at halftime. They finished with 167 yards of rushing offense, 160 of it belonging to Nelson and tailback Jeremiah Hunter.
“Jeremiah Hunter and Conner ran really tough tonight,” Leeds head coach Jerry Hood said. “Even when we had good blocking, and Pell City defenders would get on them, they still tried hard.
“I’m proud as heck of this football team right now.”
Leeds senior quarterback Jarod Latta helped account for all three Green Wave touchdowns in the first half, accumulating 151 yards passing before exiting the game with a foot injury before halftime. His second score, a 26-yard toss to Miles Jones on fourth down from the 26-yard line, capped a 98-yard drive in the first quarter that put Leeds in control.
One possession later, a swing pass from Latta to Nelson turned into a 39-yard TD as Nelson bulled his way through multiple Panther defenders.
“We all run the ball pretty hard,” Nelson said.
The Panthers (0-2) scored right before half on a 26-yard pass from Caleb Groce to Colin Smith, then controlled the ball for most of the third quarter, ending in a 31-yard field goal to narrow the margin to 24-10.
“Right now we’re just not playing very hard,” Pell City head coach Steve Mask said. “We can blame it on a lot of excuses, but the bottom line is I’ve got to do a better job coaching and find a way to instill some heart in them. I’ve got to find a way to instill some pride in them. Right now those two things are missing.”
The Green Wave, however, dominated the fourth quarter. With Nelson lined up at quarterback, he and Hunter combined to drive the ball 69 yards in 9 plays, culminating in the sophomore sneaking in from 3 yards out.
Nelson added one more TD on the next possession, dashing around the left end on what appeared to be a botched handoff.
Leeds now prepares to open region play at home against Springville, while Pell City will travel to face Clay-Chalkville.
“Just a great total team win,” said Hood. “That’s what this team needs to do, is get better … each week. I’m proud of the kids.”