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For the record, the 2002 meeting between these two went down this way: Lexington 3, McKenzie 2.

That's right, the Big Red Tigers edged the Rebels 3-2 in a pitchers' duel at Jim Stowe Field last Friday night. To say it was a defensive struggle is like saying Tennessee played poorly Saturday night.

The Rebels were denied access to the red zone while Lexington poked its head inside a scant two times, making good on a 37-yard field goal from Durrell Moody with :46 remaining in the first half.

McKenzie outgained Lexington, but served as its own worst enemy, giving away two fumbles and two interceptions.

"We stunk the place up, that's all there was to it," said a laconic Wade Comer, McKenzie coach. "We had our chances, but we killed ourselves by fumbling or with penalties."

The Rebs were flagged six times for 45 yards, but many of the whistles came at inopportune times.

"It's hard to overcome first and 20," Comer said. "They played hard and it wasn't a question of effort. It is just mental and we have to get those things corrected."

The Rebel defense was stifling, as it has been for most of the season. The lone Rebel score came late in the first quarter when junior linebacker John Craig Howell chased Lexington quarterback Mack Gardner into the end zone. Howell forced a hurried Gardner pass that found nothing but pasture. With 4:27 to play in the half, the Rebs were awarded a safety and an early 2-0 lead. But they couldn't capitalize on the momentum.

On the next series, a sack, a delay penalty and a lost fumble shackled McKenzie. Turnovers and penalties took their toll on the Rebs the next two series and Lexington was afforded a field goal chance, a chance on which it made good.

"Lexington didn't mount much of a scoring threat and they never really drove the ball on us," Comer said. "The defense put us in situations to win the game."

Now the Rebels find themselves in a must-win situation to have a chance to earn a homefield playoff spot.

"We are sitting at 6-3 and we are four plays away from being 9-0," Comer said. "But we still have a shot at this thing."

There was a silver lining. Sophomore Rebel running back Cody Cook had 19 carries for 58 yards and now has 1,167 for the season which sets the single-season school rushing record. He broke Jason Smith's mark of 1,112 set 10 years ago.

Demerick Diggs had 16 carries for 80 yards.

Defensively, Daniel Beal had seven tackles, Howell and Brad Campbell each had six to lead the Rebels.

McKenzie, 6-3, 3-1 in 6-2A, travels to archrival Huntingdon for a shot at defending the regional title. Kickoff is 7:30 at Paul Ward Stadium.

STRANGE SCORE: McKenzie coach Wade Comer said he's seen weird scores much like the 3-2 final he was involved in Friday night with Lexington. "I was a player (at Riverside) and we beat Hardin County 2-0. I remember Huntingdon beat Riverside 5-0 once," he said. It was the lowest-scoring McKenzie game since 1986 when Jason Baucum's field goal lifted the fifth-ranked Rebels past the ninth-ranked Dresden Lions 3-0. Dresden and McKenzie were both eliminated by Collinwood that season. One has to go back to the 1981 season for a lower score when McKenzie lost to Huntingdon 2-0. In 1963, the Rebels and Bulldogs of Gleason dueled to a scoreless draw.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Huntingdon has the inside track for the Region 6-2A title. All it has to do is beat McKenzie and it will be at home for at least the next two, perhaps three rounds of the playoffs. In order for the Rebels to repeat as regional champs, it must defeat Huntingdon and Riverside must lose to Adamsville. Even if McKenzie wins Friday, Riverside must lose. The Rebels can either finish first or third. If it finishes first, it will likely face Loretto at home in the first round. If it finishes third, the Rebs will likely hit the road to Williamson County for a battle with the Fairview Yellow Jackets. Riverside is likely to be without two of its top running backs for its Friday game with improved Adamsville.

HEADHUNTERS: Top Rebel defensive players this week, earning "Headhunter" points, were Daniel Beal (26 points), John Craig Howell (22), Brad Campbell (11), Ricky Mathis and Jake Smith (10 each).
 
SUMMARY
 
M    2   0   0  0        2
L     0   3   0  0        3
 
FIRST QUARTER
M - Safety John Craig Howell forces grounding call in the end zone.
SECOND QUARTER
L - Durrell Moody 37 field goal.
 
      L       M
Final score       3       2
First downs       7       11
Yds. rushing       144       145
Yds. passing       0       10
Total yards       144       155
Fumbles-lost       1-1       3-2
Comp.-att.-int.        0-9-0 1-3-2
Punts-avg.       4-23 3-41
Penalties       6-50      6-45
Third down       3-11       4-12
Fourth down       1-2       0-2
Red zone-scores       1-2       0-0
Possession          21:44 26:16

In Friday's game, Terrance Bell led the Mustangs with 115 yards on 14 carries. Both touchdowns came in the first half of the game with the Stangs taking a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on a 71-yard run by Bell and the PAT by Mark Newsome. Late in the half, Bell again ran the ball for 46 yards and Newsome's kick made it 14-0.

Both teams played good defensive ball down the stretch to keep additional scores off the board. 

This Friday night, Huntingdon will host the Rebels, who won last year's match and picked up their first regional AA title. This Friday night, the Mustangs hope to use their potent running game to reverse that outcome and claim the 6-AA title.  The game pits the running duo of Bell and Kenneth Porter against McKenzie's Cody Cook, who is also a leading rusher in Class AA. Both teams are strong defensively and with the long-time rivalry between the two schools, this Friday's game should be the one to watch in West Tennessee. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

West Carroll won the toss and elected to receive as rain fell intermittently. They made good use of the possession, driving 61 yards in five plays. Jeremiah Johnson received the opening kickoff at the 20 and returned the ball to the War Eagle 39. Shane Depriest then moved off tackle for a first down at the Halls 45. Depriest gained a yard and then Gentile took the ball to the six-yard line for the first down. Depriest picked up a yard before quarterback Chris Cannon took the ball around the end into the end zone for the touchdown at the 9:50 mark of the first quarter. The PAT kick by Kelly Keen looked good, but was ruled wide, leaving the War Eagles with a 6-0 lead.

Keen kicked the ball to the Halls 36-yard line where the Tigers took over. Chris Dennis picked up six with Chris Rimmer on the tackle and Terry Crihfield moved for the first down at the 47 before Jason Smith and Robert Smith made the tackle. At that point, the War Eagle defense stiffened their backs and held for no additional gain as Brooks Blackketter, J. Smith and Jason Lott held the runs by Dennis and Crihfield. A fourth down attempt by Crihfield was also stopped short and the War Eagles took over on downs.

On their second possession, which began at their own 44-yard line, Depriest moved the ball for a gain of two, Gentile picked up six and then Depriest picked up six yards for the first down. A ten-yard gain by Depriest moved the ball to the Halls 38 and a 15-yard gain moved it to the Halls 23. Depriest wasn't through however, moving again for a gain of four. With the ball at the Tiger 19, Gentile moved into the end zone at the 4:23 mark and the War Eagle attempt for a two-point conversion was held, giving them a 12-0 advantage.

West Carroll's defensive unit was still prepared to hold and after seven plays and one first down, the War Eagles again took over on downs. Blackketter, J. Smith, Keen and Johnson led the defensive attack, which ended with R. Smith breaking up a fourth down pass attempt.

West Carroll managed a pair of plays before the end of the first quarter with Depriest running both, first for a gain of 22 yards and then for a gain of four. The second period began with Gentile gaining a yard and Depriest being held for no gain. For the first time in the game, Keen came in to punt the ball, which was downed at the Halls 15-yard line.

Lott, Blackketter, and J. Smith led the defensive unit as they held Halls to only four yards. This time the Tigers punted the ball and Johnson received. He was stopped at the Halls 48-yard line where Gentile quickly picked up 12 yards. Depriest picked up two, Gentile was held for no gain and Johnson ran for 33-yards, to the Halls one-yard line. Cannon held and moved into the end zone at the 7:03 mark of the second period. A pass from Cannon to Johnson was good for two and the War Eagles now led 20-0.

Keen kicked the ball out of bounds, giving Halls the ball at their own 35-yard line. On the first down play, quarterback Kyle Blackwood fumbled and Wesley Arnold recovered for the War Eagles.

A Cannon to Johnson pass was incomplete. Gentile picked up 26 yards, moving the ball to the Halls eight-yard line. A Cannon to J. Smith pass was incomplete in the end zone, Depriest picked up three and then West Carroll was flagged for holding. On third and goal from the 15-yard line, Cannon passed the ball to Johnson in the end zone for the 2-point conversion for the touchdown. Depriest swept around the end for the two-point conversion and the War Eagles held a 28-0 advantage at the 5:21 mark of the second period.

Keen's kick was again out of bounds, leaving the Tigers beginning their possession at their own 35-yard line. Ethan Thompson, Coleman, and Rimmer held the Tigers to a total of six yards and then an illegal motion penalty on the Tigers led to the punt with Johnson receiving on a fair catch.

Gentile moved five yards to the War Eagle 36. Depriest moved for 16 yards at the Halls 48. Gentile gained eight, a Cannon to Johnson pass was incomplete over the middle and on third and two, Depriest moved off right tackle and raced 40 yards into the end zone for the fifth score of the game. The PAT by Keen was no good leaving the War Eagles with a 34-0 lead at the 1:11 mark of the second quarter.

Halls answered the latest score with a score of their own as Keen kicked the ball into the hands of Josh Daniels. Daniels raced up the sideline and into the end zone for the touchdown. The two-point conversion was a quarterback sweep by Blackwood and the score was now 34-8, West Carroll.

Keen received the kickoff, which ended at the West Carroll 37. Depriest picked up two yards and on second and eight, a Cannon to Johnson pass over the middle of the line resulted in a 61-yard touchdown for the War Eagles. The PAT by Keen was good and with only nine seconds remaining in the half, West Carroll led 41-8.

Daniels, who was tripped by Blackketter to end the half, received keen's kick.
During intermission, the home crowd enjoyed the performance of their own band while the Marching War Eagles remained at home for an early Saturday morning trip to Riverdale High School for the Division I State Band Championship.

Keen kicked off on the opening play of the second half, the ball was fumbled and West Carroll recovered. Ethan Thompson moved for a gain of two yards and Johnson picked up 26 before the ball was again fumbled and Halls recovered.

Rimmer, Coleman, and R. Smith held the Tigers in check and Johnson received the punt.

Thompson moved for five, four and two yards on successive plays, gaining a War Eagle first down. Chancey Depriest moved for a yard, Thompson for another yard and then C. Depriest broke loose and gained 31 yards, down to Halls' 13-yard line. Thompson moved for six, three, two and two-yard gains before taking the ball the final yard into the end zone at the 2:34 mark of the third quarter. Keen's PAT was good and West Carroll now led 48-8.

Keen's ball was fumbled on the reception, but recovered by Halls at their own 39-yard line. The Tigers were not to be outdone this time and sustained a twelve-play drive, which ended in the end zone. Blackketter, Lott, Jeremy Sonnier, Johnson, Cody Cunningham, Rimmer and B.J. Reyes led the defensive attack.

Dennis scored for Halls on a nine-yard run at the 8:26 mark of the final quarter and also scored the two-point conversion to narrow the margin to 48-16, West Carroll.

After the Hall kick went out of bounds, the War Eagles began at their own 35-yard line with C. Depriest at quarterback. Thompson moved for a gain of 18 yards and then R. Smith picked up three. West Carroll recovered a fumble on the snap and then C. Depriest moved for nine yards and the first down at the Halls 18. R. Smith picked up three and five yards while Depriest held again for a two-yard gain. On fourth and short, R. Smith got the call and gained two for the first down. Smith then ran for three, one and one yards, into the end zone and West Carroll had their final touchdown of the night at the 1:15 mark. Keen's kick was again good as West Carroll took a 55-16 advantage.

The Tigers took over at their own 35 as Eric Long and Johnson were credited with the final tackles of the night.

This Friday night, the War Eagles will celebrate homecoming and play Greenfield. On the line is a second place finish for the winner and home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. At the present time, the second place team will most likely host Jackson Christian School in the first round, a game the War Eagles would love to have. The third place team will most likely be traveling to Fayette Academy for first round action.

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