Success along line of scrimmage helped Isabella take care of business with a 35-6 region win over Loachapoka at home on Oct. 6.

The Mustangs continually collapsed the pocket and made things uncomfortable for the opposing quarterback with six sacks and several other quarterback hurries.

Senior Jordan Campbell accounted for two of those sacks.

“I like d-line, because I feel like I can do whatever I want out there,” Campbell said.

Defense has been a trademark of Isabella’s team throughout the 2017 season and that was no different against Loachapoka.

“All season long they have been stepping up,” Isabella head coach Tate Leonard said. “That was a very good team that they went against today and we didn’t give them much.”

Offensively, it was Isabella’s youthful offensive line that created holes for the running game and pushed around the Loachapoka front seven.

As a result, the Mustangs stuck to the ground game and gained 366 rushing yards on the night.

“We’ve got three freshman starting on our offensive line and they’re getting better every week,” Leonard said. “You can win games with defense and offensive line play, so I’m very happy with our performance.”

Jaqarise Stacy led the way from his quarterback position with a team-high 122 rushing yards, while Campbell added on to his big night by toting the ball for a 100-yard performance.

“It all depends on the o-line blocking,” Campbell said.

Stacy and Campbell each ran for touchdowns to open the scoring and give Isabella a 14-0 first quarter lead.

After Loachapoka completed a touchdown pass on fourth down to cut the lead to one possession, Isabella responded with the Stacy’s finding each other, as Jaqarise Stacy threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Stacy.

Isabella led 21-6 at halftime and that was as close as the game would get the rest of the way.

Jaqarise Stacy found the end zone four times in the game, three on the ground and once through the air. Two of those rushing scores came in the second half.

Now all the attention will quickly shift to a big showdown next week, as the Mustangs travel to take on Maplesville in a top 10 matchup in Class 1A.

“It should be a great environment and we’re looking forward to the opportunity,” Leonard said.