A program accustomed to success in November had no problem continuing that tradition Friday night.
Reynolds High vanquished a familiar postseason foe at Dalton Stadium, getting 509 yards of offense from Levi Ledford and Jave Jones in a 63-35 rout of of Alexander Central in a first-round 4-A playoff game.
Ledford completed 11-of-14 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 19 yards and two scores.
Jones ran 20 times for 261 yards and three first-half touchdown runs to pace the Rockets' offense.
"That's how well we can produce when we execute," Ledford said.
The fourth-seeded Rockets (9-2) converted three turnovers into 21 points in a 74-second third-quarter flurry to knock No. 10 seed Alexander Central out of the playoffs for the third time since 2006.
The Cougars (5-7) lost their fourth straight game, a stretch in which it allowed 200 points.
Reynolds, winning at least nine games for the 14th time in the past 17 seasons, will play at No. 3 Porter Ridge (10-1) in second-round play next week. Porter Ridge demolished Watauga, 69-0, in the first round.
"Our offense obviously played very well tonight. I was pleased with how they came out and played hard," Reynolds coach Shane Laws said.
The Rockets improved their postseason record to 29-9 in their last 12 appearances dating to the 1999 state championship, the first of three 4-A titles the program won in an 11-year span (Reynolds also won crowns in 2002 and '09).
Trailing 28-19 at halftime, the Cougars drove inside the Reynolds' 10 on their first possession of the second half before Rockets' linebacker Justin St. Onge forced a fumble.
The Rockets turned that miscue into a 71-yard touchdown pass from Ledford to Kirby Lytle. Reynolds scored again a minute later on Ledford's 6-yard run after recovering another fumble.
Just 13 seconds later, the Rockets increased their lead to 49-19 when Caelon Rhinehardt-Walker sprinted into the end zone from 45 yards out on an interception return.
Jones established a big-play tone on the first play from scrimmage with a 65-yard run, setting up his first score two plays later on an 8-yard run. The 5-9, 180-pound sophomore also had touchdown sprints of 54 and 5 yards in the first half.
Casey Anderson rushed for five touchdowns for the Cougars, who are 1-10 all-time against Reynolds.
