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The Rebel defense made a stand Friday night, actually a couple of them, as it held off a slashing Eagle squad. The victory improves MHS to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the region. It was senior night as well and McKenzie waved good-bye to 12 players who will don caps and gowns this spring.

A slow-starting MHS unit heated up as the game went along and absolutely shut the Eagles down in the final frame. Chester County was limited to nine total yards in the final 12 minutes and one first down. Meanwhile, McKenzie held the ball 9:21 of the fourth. The improved Wing-T attack of CCHS manageda mere 178 yards against the Rebels.

Furthermore, the Rebs held Chester County out of the end zone twice late in the game when the outcome was still in question. Late in the third frame, the Eagles marched to the MHS 3 only to lose two yards on third down. Rebel linebacker John Craig Howell introduced himself to Eagle halfback Myron Fulton on fourth down. Howell stuffed the run and enabled McKenzie to get the ball again.

Backed up against their own goal line, the Rebels coughed up the ball with an 18-7 lead. Chester County started the fourth frame on the MHS 6 and hadfour cracks at paydirt.

Senior defensive linemen Demerick Diggs and Ricky Mathis shut down Eagle quarterback Jake McKinnie's fourth-down scoring bid from the 1.

The Rebs answered the bell with a 13-play, 99-yard scoring drive that lasted 7:18, set up by sophomore tailback Cody Cook's 55-yard burst on the third play of the drive. Matt Merrick scored from the 1 with 3:50 to play and the deal was sealed.

"We put our defense in bad situations a lot, but our defense rose to the occasion," said McKenzie coach Wade Comer. "Our defense came up big; it bent but it didn't break and our goal is to not let them score. We did a good job of that tonight."

McKenzie opened with a long first-quarter march resulting in a 25-yard field goal by John Kermit Laughery. That lead didn't last long.

Chester County scored mid way in the second period when Fulton sprinted 15 yards for the score and the Eagles held a 7-3 lead. McKenzie was quick to respond.

On the ensuing possession, the Rebs answered with a 12-play, 62-yard scoring drive, ending in Cook's 2-yard run. Cook finished with 107 yards on 16 carries. Drew Hayes scrambled to find Jay Taylor in the end zone for a razzle-dazzle two-point conversion and the Rebs led at the half 11-7.

Early in the third, McKenzie senior Ryan Drewry picked off a pass and that set up Diggs' 61-yard TD rampage with 9:51 to play. Laughery added the kick and the Rebs led 18-7.

While the Rebs showed some potency in the second half, they looked flat offensively in the first half.

"I can't explain it. That's been that way for the last two years," said Comer. "I can't put my finger on why that is."

But the defense carried the load.

"Until we got the last score, it was nip and tuck," said Comer, who was pleased with the way his team responded to adversity.
Chester County scored and the Rebels responded, simple as that.
"That first score of theirs was a wake up call," Comer said. "We answered the bell."

Diggs had five carries for 69 yards. Merrick was 3-8 for 71 yards and an interception. He found Taylor wide open and all alone for a 48-yard completion which set up Laughery's field goal.

Fulton led Chester County with 15 carries for 68 yards.

Defensively, the Rebels were led by Howell with 19 total tackles. Ricky Mathis had nine stops. Daniel Duncan and Taylor each had six stops.

C 0 7 0 0 07
M 3 8 7 7 25

FIRST QUARTER
M - 8:36 John Kermit Laughery 25 field goal.
SECOND QUARTER
C - 7:18 Myron Fulton 15 run, Aaron Baker kick.
M - :55.8 Cody Cook 2 run, Jay Taylor pass from Drew Hayes.
THIRD QUARTER
M - 9:51 Demerick Diggs 61 run, Laughery kick.
FOURTH QUARTER
M - 3:50 Matt Merrick 1 run, Laughery kick.

                                    C            M
Final score                      7           25
First downs                   10           14
Plays- yds. rush       39-152     41-247
Yds. pass                      26           71
Att.-comp.-int         1-11-1       3-8-1
Fumbles-lost                1-0           3-1
Punts-avg.                 3-38         3-36
Penalties-yds.              1-5         5-40
Possession                24:51        23:09
Third down                 4-13           2-8
Fourth down                1-5           3-3
Red zone-scores           1-3           3-3

The Mustangs, 7-1 overall and 4-0 in regional action, dominated the Panthers as they ground out 330 yards rushing. Terrence Bell led all rushers with 146 yards. Kenneth Porter added 98 and Matt Lange netted 68 yards from his fullback position.

Quarterback Justin Truett scored three touchdowns and Mark Newsome was five for five on PAT's. Defensively, Huntingdon held the Panthers to 117 yards on the ground and 112 passing.

First Quarter
Huntingdon received the opening kickoff and began its first drive from the 34-yard line. The Stangs set the tone on their opening drive, going 66 yards on 13 plays. Bell, Porter, Lange and Desmond Townes pounded out 65 yards before the drive was capped with Truett's quarterback one-yard sneak for the score. Newsome added the point to give the Mustangs a 7-0 advantage with 5:47 remaining in the opening period.

The Panthers ensuing drive was stopped quickly by the Mustang defense as they went three and out after tackles by Hunter Hastings, Kurt Butler, Kenneth Hillsman and Andrew Maddox left them facing fourth and one and they opted to punt.

Robert Weathers fielded the punt and returned it for eight yards where the Stangs began their second drive from their own 48-yard line. Again, Porter, Bell, Lange and Townes carried the ball for the Mustangs. The first quarter ended with Townes picking up a first down for Huntingdon.

Second Quarter
Porter and Lange moved the ball to the Panther 16-yard line and Bell picked up 13 yards on the next play and moved the ball to the three-yard line. Townes received the handoff on first and goal and was stopped just short of the end zone. Truett scored his second touchdown of the game on second and goal, taking it in from one yard out. Newsome added the PAT to give the Mustangs a 14-0 advantage with 9:49 remaining in the half.

The Panthers began their second offensive drive from their own 25 following a five-yard penalty on their first down attempt. Riverside's Jerry Golder picked up three yards on first down as Matt Spellings and Hillsman made the tackle. Golder received the handoff on second down, broke three tackles and picked up 17 yards for the first down before Maddox stopped him. Riverside gained seven on its next attempt, moving the ball into Mustang territory for the first time. Weathers and Maddox combined on the stop. Townes stopped a pitch out to Golder for no gain, but he picked up another first down before Nathan Wallace stopped him at the 37. The Panthers continued to move the ball, picking up nine yards on their next two attempts with Hillsman and Hastings on the tackles. A third and one attempt resulted in a missed snap for a fumble, which was recovered by the Mustangs Butler at the Stangs 27-yard line.

The Mustangs continued to move the ball on the ground, but a holding penalty and fumble recovery left them facing third and long at midfield with just over 30 seconds remaining in the half. After being called for a delay of game, Brian Nellett punted the ball away with three seconds remaining. The 35-yard punt was fielded and fumbled and the Mustangs recovered, but time had run out with Huntingdon taking a 14-0 lead into intermission.

Third Quarter
The Panthers received the opening kickoff of the second half of action with Stephen Wright making the stop inside the 20 for the Stangs. Wright's quarterback sack on the Panthers' first down try netted them a four-yard loss and moved them back to their own 12-yard line. The Panthers then went with a new quarterback and a second down pass attempt fell incomplete. Josh McDonald caught Coleman's third down pass attempt and he turned up field and picked up a first down at the 32. Golder then made his most successful run of the night, picking up 44 yards before being chased down by Weathers at the Mustang 24. Wright stopped McDonald for no gain on the first down attempt. Tackles by Hastings and Maddox and an incomplete pass left the Panthers facing fourth and five at the Mustang 19. Coleman completed a screen pass to P.R. Morris on fourth down that was good for 19 yards and a touchdown as Riverside fought back. Lee Villaflor was good on the PAT cutting the Mustang lead to seven, 14-7 with 8:27 remaining in the third quarter. Huntingdon continued their ground attack with Porter, Truett and Bell moving the ball to the 35. On third and six, Porter broke away, crossed midfield, and made his way inside the Panther 25 before being brought down. Lange, Townes, Porter and Bell then moved the ball to the one. Facing fourth and one, Hastings got the call and scored. Newsome added his third PAT as the Mustangs took a 21-7 advantage.

Riverside could not repeat the success of their first drive of the third period as they went three and out with stops by Wright, Zach Davis, Weathers and Hastings, leaving them facing fourth and three. Good pressure on the punter resulted in a poor kick as the ball went off the side of his foot and then out of bounds at mid-field. Porter picked up eight yards to have the Stangs facing second and three as the third period ended with Huntingdon leading 21-7.

Fourth Quarter
Huntingdon wasted little time before scoring a fourth touchdown. Carries by Lange and Bell came up just short of the touchdown and on his second attempt; Truett scored his third touchdown of the night with 9:16 remaining in the game. Newsome remained perfect with the PAT and Huntingdon led 28-8.

Riverside rebounded and scored on their next drive on a five-yard pass from Coleman to McDonald with less than seven minutes remaining. The PAT failed as the Panthers now trailed 28-13.

Huntingdon recovered the ensuing onsides kick attempt at midfield. Four plays later Bell scored the touchdown and Newsome was good on the PAT to put the Mustangs up 35-13.

Riverside scored again on their next drive, aided by a pass interference call against Huntingdon, when Coleman connected with Michael Butler for 19-yards and the touchdown. A pass from Coleman to McDonald was good for the two-point conversion, making the final score 35-21.

Huntingdon will host Union City this Friday night in a non-regional contest. Union City, 5-3, defeated Westview 34-20 this past Friday night. Kickoff will be at 7:30 at Paul Ward Stadium.

The game began with the Bulldogs winning the toss and electing to receive the opening offensive possession. Alex Torres received the opening kickoff and was stopped at the Gleason 35. Matt McCollum ran for a yard with Chris Rimmer on the stop. Aaron Vaughn held for a seven-yard advance with Kelly Keen and Justin Smith on the tackle. Needing two yards, McCollum got the nod and rushed the ball to the 50-yard line with J. Smith and Jason Lott on the tackle. Cody Muzzall was stopped after a gain of two by Keen and Vaughn rushed to the War Eagle 37 before J. Smith brought him down. On first down, J. Smith held Muzzall for a loss of two while McCollum picked up three yards before Lott and Rick Coleman brought him down. Lott stopped Vaughn for a loss of two and although they needed 11 yards, the Bulldogs Jeffery Hames attempted to gain the yardage on a run to the left with Kee and Jeremiah Johnson on the tackle.

The War Eagles took over at their own 27-yard line with Shane Depriest taking the ball up the middle for four before Torres stopped him. A pass to Johnson was good for a first down with Bradley Maddox and Shawn Rennison on the tackle. S. Depriest then moved up the middle for the first down at the 48 with Vaughn and Muzzall on the tackle. Kevin Gentile picked up eight with Maddox and Vaughn on the tackle and S. Depriest gained the first down at the Bulldog 32-yard line before Muzzall stopped him. Gentile moved left with Matt Smith on the tackle while a penalty made the call second and 13. Johnson picked up eight of the needed yards and then Gentile gained all but inches. Quarterback Chris Cannon held and took the ball to the 29 for the first down as Muzzall, Torres, and Josh Verdell made the defensive moves. Verdell, Torres and McCollum held S. Depriest for no gain. Muzzall stopped gentile after a gain of four and then S. Depriest moved right for the first down at the nine with Maddox on the stop. Gentile was stopped by Torres after a gain of two and a pass to S. Depriest was incomplete. Gentile picked up four and then Depriest made the touchdown at the 1:02 mark of the first quarter. A bad snap led to no PAT attempt and the War Eagles had a 6-0 lead.

Maddox received the kickoff and was stopped by Cannon at the Bulldogs 38. On first down Lott stopped Muzzall and a personal foul penalty moved the ball back ten yards. The first quarter concluded with a pass to Hames and J. Smith made the stop. The second quarter began with a pass intercepted by J. Smith who was then stopped by Hames at the 50.

Once again the War Eagles were on the move and quickly picked up another touchdown as Chancy Depriest took the ball left to the six-yard line before Rennison and Michael Bell brought him down. S. Depriest then moved up the middle for a touchdown at the 11:11 mark. West Carroll led 12-0.

Muzzall took the kickoff and was stopped by a host of War Eagles. The possession was short-lived with an overall loss of one-yard line and then Johnson signaled for a fair catch at the War Eagle 39.

The War Eagles also had a short possession when after gaining a first down at the Gleason 49; the ball was fumbled on second down and recovered by Gleason's Torres at the Gleason 40-yard line.

Muzzall and McCollum moved the ball for a first down with Johnson and J. Smith on the tackles. Brooks Blackketter hit Vaughn after a gain of one and J. Smith and Johnson stopped Muzzall at the 36 with a first down. The Bulldogs drive stalled with good defensive play by Ethan Thompson, Robert Smith, and Wesley Arnold. The drive ended on an incomplete pass, intended for Bell.

The War Eagles took over at their own 36 with 4:42 remaining in the first half and had a short possession with six yards gained and then five yards in penalty. The ball was punted to Vaughn who was stopped by C. Depriest.

The Bulldogs were four and out as Keen, R. Smith, and Arnold led the defensive attack. Johnson received the punt and returned the ball to the Gleason 30 with A. Torres and Ricky Torres on the tackle.

Cannon passed the ball to C. Depriest for a first down at the 10 with McCollum on the stop. Cannon held and picked up six yards before Muzzall made the tackle. Gentile moved right for two and then Cannon held and moved up the middle for the touchdown at the 32-second mark, but it was negated on a penalty. Facing third and 10, S. Depriest crossed into the end zone with no time remaining and the two-point conversion attempt by Gentile was stopped. West Carroll led 18-0 at intermission.

During intermission, the Marching War Eagle performed their award winning show for an appreciative Bulldog audience.

The second half began with the War Eagles Johnson receiving the ball and returning it to his own 32-yard line before Muzzall and A. Torres hit him. Gentile was held for no gain by Verdell and then picked up six before McCollum stopped him. C. Depriest gained a yard, but a motion penalty on fourth and three led to the punt. The ball bounced to the Gleason 34.

The Bulldogs went four and out with the punt out at the Gleason 42-yard line. Depriest moved for a first down at the 26 with Rennison on the stop. Gentile picked up another first down at the 15 with Muzzall, McCollum, Nick Little and Vaughn on the tackle. S. Depriest moved up the middle for four and a pass to 20 brought a first down at the one-yard line with Little on the tackle. S. Depriest was held inches short on the first down run, but Cannon moved inside for the touchdown at the 4:51 mark and a pass to Johnson was good for two as West Carroll took a 26-0 lead over the Bulldogs.

Maddox received the kickoff and was stopped by Cannon, Johnson, Keen and R. Smith. On first down, Vaughn moved the ball to the West Carroll 40 before J. Smith made the tackle. Muzzall picked up one and Vaughn was held for a loss of seven. Hames picked up a yard while Vaughn moved right for a first down at the 27 before Blackketter stopped him. Hames picked up a yard while Vaughn moved for seven more. Hames then moved the ball to the 16-yard line for the first down. Lott, Keen, Arnold, J. Smith, S. Depriest and Thompson led the defensive attack. A pass was incomplete to Vaughn, and on second down, Vaughn moved right for a loss of one as the third quarter ended, with R. Smith on the tackle. As the fourth quarter began, Vaughn moved up the middle for a first down at the four and then Vaughn again got the nod to take the ball into the end zone at the 11:22 mark of the final period. Vaughn also scored the two-point conversion as the score was narrowed to 26-8.

J. Smith at the War Eagles 22 recovered an onsides kick. Cannon gained a yard while Johnson picked up one more. A pass was almost intercepted and on fourth down, after the punt, Gleason was penalized which moved the ball back further.

Vaughn moved left for nine while Muzzall gained first down at the 40. Vaughn moved for three, six and nine yard gains. After gaining a first down at the 11 and moving the ball to the seven, Vaughn moved left and scored, narrowing the lead to 26-14 at the 4:33 mark. The ball was fumbled on the PAT attempt to end the scoring drive.

The War Eagles were not finished however with an eight-play drive over a 3 minute, eight second period to score once again. S. Depriest and Jeremiah Johnson combined to get the ball to the two foot line and with the ball moved half the distance twice on off sides penalties, Cannon moved in for the touchdown at the 1:25 mark to improve the War Eagles led to 32-14. S. Depriest scored the two-point conversion and the War Eagles now led 34-14.

The Bulldogs managed to get another six plays in the time remaining and picked up a first down before the game ended.
The War Eagles (4-4, 3-1) will travel to Halls this Friday night for a regional game while the Bulldogs (1-7, 1-4) will host non-regional foe Elliston Baptist.

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