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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Mustangs of Isabella High School were beaten on the road 24-14 at Sulligent High School on Sept. 6 where the difference in the region game was coming out of the halftime break.

The game stood at 8-6 as the No. 9 ranked team in Class 2A football in the Alabama Sports Writers Association rankings Sulligent led at halftime as both teams battled the weather and tough field conditions throughout the first half. Jedaiah Works took in the first half score for the Mustangs from two yards out. Works ran for a team-high 139 yards on 21 carries and accounted for a large portion of Isabella’s 241 total yards. Kaden Tuttle carried the ball seven times for 31 yards and pulled in all 41 of the receiving yards for the Mustangs in the game on three catches. Tuttle also led the Isabella defense with 20 tackles, followed by Lane Mims with 11 and Colten Leonard with 10.

It was the hosting Blue Devils who powered their way into the second half with two rushing touchdowns and two-point conversions to stretch their lead quickly to 24-6 in the third quarter. Isabella showed fight well into the fourth quarter getting on the board on Works’ second touchdown of the game, this one from 27 yards out to cut the lead to 24-14. The Mustangs had to ball down the stretch after a big stand from their defense, but the drive was halted by a fumble recovery by Sulligent to take the win.

Isabella had three fumbles in the game. One happened as Works ripped off a lengthy run and was poised for the end zone when Sulligent stripped the ball out at the one-yard line and it bounced through the back of the end zone for a touchback.

“It was not really the rain, they were just punching the ball out,” Isabella head coach Tate Leonard said. “Jedaiah broke a huge, long run and he ran his butt off. They stripped it out right at the last second, and just some rough luck.”

Things are just not falling the Mustangs’ way right now in a number of different ways — turnovers, injuries to key players and a tough early-season schedule. However, Leonard said he still has confidence in his team and is proud of how they have battled early on this season.

“I am super proud of this team, and I am not worried at all about this group,” Leonard said. “We knew before the season started that our schedule was loaded, our region was tough and we were playing a bunch of ranked teams. When you add injuries and adversity we had to outcome, I feel like we got better this week. Our kids are stepping up, they played their hearts out and that is all I can ask.”

Isabella (1-2) returns home for its next game on Sept. 13 hosting Tuscaloosa Academy in Class 2A Region 5 play. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.