McKenzie Mauls Lewis County, 42-14

With a combined 24 wins, the Rebels and Panthers were the marquee game for the Middle Tennessee area. Coach Bobby Sharp's troop featured a big, strong quarterback that had thrown for over 1,000 yards to date. Lewis County had a 215-pound running back in Kip Kelsey, who had over 1,000 yards rushing to date. With a defense that averaged over 275 pounds per man up front, the black and gold fielded one of the state's stingiest defenses.
On the other side of the field was a Rebel squad that boasted great diversity. McKenzie entered the contest with four backs each with at least 770 yards rushing. The Big Red defense has limited its opposition to just over 100 yards rushing. McKenzie's defense has yielded only 13.0 points per game.

Lewis County's number one ranking fell dramatically when McKenzie forced a couple of early turnovers and capitalized on the Panther's misfortune enroute to a 28-point first half tally. The state's number four Rebels used their speed to dominate the state's number one Panthers 42-14.

McKenzie's game captains were Mitchell Hall, Josh Stenberg, Taylor Holland and Chris Wall. The Rebels won the toss and elected to defer its selection until the second half.
Howard Nolen kicked the ball deep and Nathan Young made the stop at the Panther 26-yard line. Brett Hinson carried on first down for no gain. Eric McKnight carried on second down for four yards with Justin Adkisson on the stop. On third down, quarterback David Sharp was hit and brought to the turf for a three-yard loss. Sharp was dislodged from the football and the Rebels recovered at the Panther's 24-yard line.

On first down, Brannon Milton tried the middle of the line for only two yards. A motion penalty against McKenzie left the Rebels facing second and 13. Quarterback Taylor Holland then connected with David Duncan for a twenty-four yard pass. Brad Kellogg appeared to intercept the Holland aerial, but Duncan pulled the ball away from the defensive back to give the Rebels a first down at the three-yard line. On first down, Stenberg ran behind Jonathan Gaskins and Ricky Mathis for a three-yard touchdown. With 9:15 remaining in the first quarter, the Rebels had struck first. Stenberg missed the PAT kick.

First Quarter
McKenzie 6-Lewis County 0
McKenzie kicked the ball deep and Lewis County began from its own 23-yard line. On first down, Kelsey was slammed down for no gain by defensive tackle Mathis. On second down, Hall and a host of Rebel defenders swarmed McKnight after a one yard gain. On third down, quarterback Sharp rolled out to the left and threw the ball to Daniel Hull. The pass was high and intercepted by the Rebel cornerback Shiron Perkins. A personal foul on the hosts gave McKenzie a great start at the Panther 14-yard line.

Stenberg found running room for eight yards, down to the Lewis County seven. A pitch from Holland to Duncan let the speedy senior find the corner and he went untouched for the seven-yard touchdown run. With 7:00 remaining in the first quarter, Stenberg was stopped just short on the two-point conversion attempt.

First Quarter
McKenzie 12-Lewis County 0
Late in the first quarter, McKenzie regained offensive possession after a long Panther punt at the Rebel 29-yard line. Holland ran for three consecutive downs and a total of twelve yards. An option pitch to Duncan produced a thirty-yard first down gain. Two plays later, Perkins took a pitch and rambled 15 yards down to the Leis County 12-yard line. Milton got the call for five yards. Duncan was held to no gain on second down. Perkins then cut and hit the sideline for six yards and a first down at the Panther one-yard line. Milton then lowered his head and pushed the pile deep into the end zone for a Rebel touchdown. With 7:02 remaining in the half, Coach Wade Comer decided to use the two-point attempt. This time, Stenberg rammed past the goal line for two points.

Second Quarter
McKenzie 20-Lewis County 0
The gray clad Rebels defense stole the show in the first half. The Panthers back, Kelsey, was forced to leave the game late in the second quarter due to an injury. McKenzie's hard-charging defense had held him to only six yards on seven carries for the night.

Late in the second quarter, McKenzie took over from its own 36-yard line after a Lewis County punt. With 2:35 remaining before intermission, McKenzie elected to increase the margin over Lewis County. Holland fired across the field to Chris Wall, who was hugging the sideline and pulled in the football at the Lewis County 25 and then went the distance for a 64-yard score. With 2:26 remaining in the half, Stenberg walked into the end zone virtually untouched behind excellent line blocking, for the two-point conversion.

Second Quarter
McKenzie 28-Lewis County 0
With just under two minutes before intermission, Lewis County desperately tried to get on the scoreboard. A Sharp to Kellogg pass put the ball near mid-field. Sophomore running back Clint Stewart hit the Rebel defense for a thirteen yard gain. As the clock quickly ticked off the final seconds, Sharp fired deep down the field to Miles Staggs, who had a step on the Rebel safety and caught the big thirty-yard touchdown pass with only 33 seconds before intermission. Sharp kicked the PAT good and the Panthers had narrowed the lead by seven.

Second Quarter
McKenzie 28-Lewis County 7
At intermission, not only did the visiting Rebels have a commanding points lead, but statistically McKenzie had 123 yards on 20 carries to the Panthers 72 yards on 21 carries. The Rebels also had 88 passing yards to Lewis County's 41 yards with one interception. Total yards at the half found McKenzie with 211 and Lewis County with 116.

During intermission, the visiting Marching Rebel band as well as the Marching Panthers entertained the home crowd.

The black and gold Panthers had a half-time meeting that changed their viewpoint considerably. Coach Sharp's crew came back into the game with a great deal of energy and took the fight to McKenzie for most of the third quarter.

McKenzie began the third quarter with a short kickoff return to its own 36-yard line. A Holland to Perkins pitch was nailed for a three-yard loss. A Holland run behind the Rebel guards was stopped for no gain. On third and 13, Holland found a little running room for a five-yard gain. A hard hit, but fired up Panther defense caused the ball to be fumbled. The ball lay loose at the Rebel 37-yard line. Alert right tackle Bruce Anderson pounced on the fumbled ball to retain possession for the Rebels. On fourth down, Hall booted the football 40 yards.

Lewis County took over at its own 28-yard line. Brett Hinson found running room for six yards on first down. Clint Stewart, a sophomore fullback rammed the middle of the Rebel defense for eight yards. Staggs caught a big 35-yard pass at the McKenzie 19-yard line. Stewart against indicated new life as the sophomore ran into the secondary for ten yards. Quarterback Sharp capped off the eight-play drive with a ten-yard run with little resistance from the Rebel defense as he scored at the 5:47 mark of the third quarter. Sharpe then kicked the PAT good.

Third Quarter
McKenzie 28-Lewis County 14
McKenzie's next possession began at its own 27-yard line. Milton found good running room for a 12-yard first down. Perkins was hit for a big nine-yard loss on second down. A second down draw play was fumbled as Holland handed the ball to Stenberg.

Lewis County took over in great field position at the Rebel 22-yard line. Coach Comer's crew also indicated why they were 12-0. McKenzie hit McKnight for no gain on first down and Hall and a host of Rebels blasted Sharp for a loss as he rolled out to pass on second down. On third down, Chris Stephens sacked the Lewis County Quarterback for an eight-yard loss. A certain touchdown was stopped as Lewis County punted on fourth and thirty-five.

McKenzie took over at its own fifteen-yard line. With just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter, McKenzie set said on a five-play scoring drive. On first down, Holland squeezed out one yard. Perkins was hit for a four-yard loss. On third down, Stenberg hit the secondary on a misdirection play for a sixteen-yard first down. As the fourth quarter got underway, Duncan took the pitch from Holland and used his sprinter speed to find the sideline. The Rebel senior outran the entire Panther defense for a game-clinching 66-yard touchdown run. With 11:09 remaining in the game, Stenberg kicked the PAT good.

Fourth Quarter
McKenzie 35-Lewis County 14
The Rebels final possession of the ballgame began in Rebel territory at the 47-yard line. Stenberg's second down run of 16 yards took McKenzie deep into Panther territory. Perkins ran for 10 yards down to the 17-yard line. Brad Campbell ran for a yard on first down, Perkins managed two on second down and another five on third down. On fourth and two, Stenberg capped off the scoring drive with an impressive nine-yard bolt behind Stevia Harris into the end zone. With 5:11 remaining in the game, Stenberg kicked the PAT good.

Fourth Quarter
McKenzie 42-Lewis County 14
The game ended with Lewis County's offense on the field. Both coaching staffs let some of their younger players get valuable playing time. Lewis County was stopped short of the goal line by a host of charged up Rebels.

This 42-14 victory at Lewis County was the Rebels biggest to date. This victory has put the 13-0 Rebels into the semi-final round of the 2001 TSSAA Playoffs. For the first time in school history, the Rebels are only one game away from a trip to Murfreesboro and the state championship.

McKenzie's opponent this Friday night will be from Region 7-AA, the Westview Chargers. Martin is averaging an incredible 42.6 points per game. They have great size, which is only one of the Chargers championship qualities. Coach Don Coady has four players that tip the scales at nearly 300 pounds. They also have excellent speed in 4.4 speedster Rafael Hill, who has rushed for 1,300 yards and scored 23 touchdowns for the season. Gant Rooks is also a good running back with over 800 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Senior quarterback P. R. Wilson ahs tossed the ball for over 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns. Westview comes into the game with a 12-1 record, their only loss to Class AAAA Jackson Northside, 34-27.

This will be the Rebel coaching staff's biggest challenge in recent years. Through thirteen games, McKenzie has met each challenge head on and the 2001 Rebels will certainly be focused in on week fourteen.

With this the only game in area football remaining, football fans from neighboring towns will be arriving early for the 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Rebel fans should arrive early and cheer for the team this Friday night.

McKenzie-Lewis County Series Record
1 win/1 loss

Coach Wade Comer's Record
24 wins/2 losses

McKenzie's overall record, 1940-present:
307 wins, 324 losses, 14 ties

Individual Games Statistics:
REBEL RUSHING:
David Duncan: 4 carries, 103 yards, 2 TD's
Josh Stenberg: 15 carries, 54 yards, 2 TD's
Taylor Holland: 9 carries, 46 yards
Shiron Perkins: 10 carries, 27 yards
Brannon Milton: 5 carries, 20 yards, 1 TD
Brad Campbell: 1 carry, 1 yard.
  
REBEL RECEIVING:
Chris Wall: 1 reception, 64 yards, 1 TD
David Duncan: 1 reception, 24 yards