SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) —
A matchup six years in the making — and one that was supposed to happen nearly a month ago — will finally take place Wednesday night when Leon and Rickards meet on the football field.
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After Hurricane Isaias forced the game to be postponed, the two schools, separated by just four miles, will finally face off. But the connection between the two men leading them goes back more than three decades.
Before Quintin Lewis was leading the Rickards Raiders, he was playing for the man he'll be coaching against Wednesday night: Leon head coach Ricky Bell.
"1993, I met him coaching football here at Rickards High School. Probably the single one most important person that really changed my life growing up. He gave me a chance to play football, got me into school, kind of made me who I am today... He's been like a father figure to me for real," Lewis said.
Bell, a Rickards graduate himself, spent six years coaching the Raiders, helping lead the program to its first playoff appearance. Lewis wasn't the only person on that sideline who learned from him.
"The head coach there, Quintin Lewis, I coached him. And plus several of the staff members on their staff, I coached them... And so it will be a good game, a friendly game, and I'm looking forward to seeing those guys," Bell said.
The game may be friendly, but both teams have plenty to play for. Leon enters at seven and two, while Rickards sits at four and five. Despite their different records, Bell knows his former player will have the Raiders ready.
"Well, I know they've got good athletes, you know, and they play hard, and they've got good coaches. So we're expecting a very tough game... Whoever makes the least mistakes will probably win the game," Bell said.
For Lewis, there's a little extra motivation when the man across the field is someone who helped make him the coach he is today.
"The head coach is my former head coach at high school, Ricky Bell. I've got to make sure I try to beat him the best I can... So I've got a little bit more extra incentive this week," Lewis said.
Six years since their last meeting and more than three decades of history separate these two coaches. Wednesday night, the former player and his mentor will finally find themselves on opposite sidelines at Gene Cox Stadium.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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