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Terrence Bell led the Mustangs in rushing with 208 yards, scoring twice. Kenneth Porter rushed for 123 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively Robert Weathers had two interceptions for the Mustangs.

The game was called with just over three minutes remaining to play because of an injury to an Adamsville player.

First Quarter
Adamsville received the opening kickoff returning it to midfield before being stopped by the Mustangs. They continued to move the ball well on their opening drive with runs by Todd Hockaday and Jake Gilchrist and scored on the drive on a pass from Gilchrist to Hockaday. Steven Wright blocked the PAT as the Cardinals went up 6-0. The ensuing kickoff resulted in an onside kick that was recovered by the Cardinals at the Mustang 47 yard line.

Adamsville continued to move the ball with a 15-yard pass completion from Gilchrist to Jenkins and runs by Hockaday. Third and fourth down pass attempts fell incomplete ending the drive at the Huntingdon 22 yard line where the Mustangs took over for their first offensive series.

Bell received the handoff from Justin Truett on first down and took the ball to the Cardinal 25 yard line before being chased out of bounds by Gilchrist. Matt Lange carried the ball for Huntingdon on the next three plays scoring from three yards out with 3:46 remaining in the first period. Mark Newsome's PAT went wide right as the Mustangs tied the score, 6-6.

Adamsville next drive ended with a third down interception by Robert Weathers at the Cardinal 40 yard line. Porter picked up seven yards on first down and a second down pass completion to Brian Nellett from Truett moved the Mustangs to the three-yard line. Weathers received the handoff scoring from three yards out. A pass attempt on the two-point conversion fell incomplete as the Mustangs took a 12-6 lead with under a minute remaining in the quarter.

Second Quarter
Following a good kickoff return by Gilchrist for the Cardinals, their drive stalled and they were forced to punt. The punt was good for 37 yards going out of bounds at the Mustang 22 yard line. After a gain of three by Bell, Lange broke open for a 20-yard run that was called back for an illegal procedure penalty against the Mustangs. Bell picked up a first down on the next play breaking open to the 37 before being brought down. Following a short gain by Lange, Porter moved the ball into Cardinal territory but his effort was brought back due to a holding penalty. Bell then scored his first touchdown of the game on a 57 yard run. Porter got the carry for the two-point conversion, which was good to give the Mustangs a 20-6 lead.

The Cardinals continued to struggle on offense after a good kickoff return by Gilchrist. Huntingdon's ensuing series resulted in their punting on fourth down. Nellett's punt went out of bounds at the Cardinal 10 yard line. Tackles by Kenneth Hillsman, Andrew Maddox, Nathan Wallace, Wright and Matt Spellings left the Cardinals facing fourth and long and they opted to punt. Adam Parish fielded the punt for a short return. Porter then received the handoff scoring his second touchdown of the game on a 40-yard run with 2:00 minutes remaining in the half. Newsome's PAT was good to give the Mustangs a 27-6 lead.

After good kickoff returns all night, Gilchrist broke open for an 80 yard TD run on the ensuing kickoff to narrow the Mustang lead. A two point conversion attempt was good with a pass completion from Gilchrist to R. Jenkins making the score 27-14. The Mustangs added another touchdown before the half after a 65-yard kickoff by Porter on the ensuing kickoff. Porter then received the handoff on the next two plays scoring on his second attempt from seven yards out. A two-point conversion run by Porter was good to give Huntingdon a 35-14 halftime lead.

Third Quarter
Huntingdon's first drive of the third period resulted in a fourth down punt by Nellett that was good for 45 yards. After a drive that picked up a couple of first downs, the Cardinals were forced to punt backing the Mustangs up within their own 10-yard line. Huntingdon's ensuing drive was plagued by penalties and both teams went scoreless as they each had another possession in the third that resulted in punts on fourth down.

Fourth Quarter
Huntingdon continued to hurt themselves with penalties as their opening drive of the final period had another first down run called back due to a holding penalty. The drive ended with a second and 20 pass attempt by Truett being intercepted by Adamsville's Luke Hall. Robert Weathers returned the favor on the Cardinal's first play as he got his second pick of the night on a pass attempt by Gilchrist. Weathers took the interception all the way into the end zone but his touchdown run was negated due to a clipping penalty. After a short gain by Lange, Bell scored from 35 yards out. Newsome's PAT was good to give the Mustangs a 42-14 lead.

Adamsville ensuing drive ended with the Cardinals punting, but the punt was bobbled and the Cardinals recovered the fumble. A first down pass from Gilchrist to L. Hall moved the Cardinals to the Mustang 12 and Hockaday scored on the next play. With 5:20 remaining in the game the Cardinals failed on the two-point conversion, but cut the Mustang lead with the score 42-20.
An Adamsville player was injured on the Mustangs next drive and with just over three minutes remaining the game was called due to the seriousness of the injury.

Huntingdon will host the Lexington Tigers at Paul Ward Stadium this Friday night in a non-regional contest. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

Last Friday night's visit from Camden was just what the doctor ordered.

The McKenzie Rebels sprinted to a 28-10 halftime lead and held on for a 28-17 Region 6-2A football victory over the Lions. It was a stellar night for the Rebel offense, which churned up 303 total offensive yards. Sophomore running back Cody Cook rambled for 131 yards on 17 carries and had 222 all-purpose yardage, real estate that included a 38-yard touchdown run and a 91-yard kickoff return for score.

In sum, it was a great first half and a good way to get back in the win column.

"We did a lot better tonight; you could see improvement from the last game," said McKenzie coach Wade Comer. "We have a long way to go, but we're getting there. I felt like we built a little confidence."

Last week, the Rebs were in the hunt at Obion Central deep into the game. They held Central to a late field goal and had the ball for a potential game-winning drive, yet suffered a 24-14 loss.
This week, the Rebels were able to close the deal.

"We worked on getting better at practice and our game plan focused on trying to do what we do best to get some confidence," Comer said.

Mission accomplished.

One of the benefactors of this newfound confidence was senior quarterback Matt Merrick, who threw the first TD pass of his career, a 6-yard aerial to Jay Taylor with 6:03 to play in the first quarter.

"I thought Matt showed the most improvement of all," said Comer. "He did a lot better job and he's only going to get better and better as he gets more experience."

The Rebels came out pounding in the first quarter and forced the issue almost immediately. McKenzie scored on its first three possessions and knocked Camden back on its heels in the early going. With 8:41 to play in the first, Cook got the first three looks and took the last one 38 yards for a score. The conversion pass failed, but McKenzie led 6-0.

Camden countered with a good drive that ended in a 31-yard field goal from Clay Carruth just under four minutes later.

That's when the Rebels began another scoring march. Eight plays and 51 yards later, Brad Campbell enabled McKenzie to make use of the scoreboard again. He galloped 41 yards for a TD with :21 to play in the first. Cook added the two-point run and the Rebs were solidly in front 14-3.

McKenzie took huge steps in confidence's direction during its third series. Merrick went to work on the Lions during the drive. He completed a 13-yard pass to convert a third down then, on a fourth-down play at the Camden 6, he found Taylor for the score. MHS led 21-3.

Camden answered with a gutsy drive of its own, marching 69 yards in 12 plays. Lion quarterback Ben Tinkle broke the plane from the 3, Carruth added the point and Camden was within 11, 21-10.

Cook had a speedy response to the Lion score. He broke 91 yards down the right sideline for the score with 23.7 seconds left in the half. John Kermit Laughery added the kick and the Rebels were in command.

"In the first half, we played excellent and executed well," Comer said. "They had just scored and gotten back in the game a little bit, but Cook just ran back the kickoff. That was key."

Cook's return was a big key. The Lions tacked on a 46-yard TD run from freshman halfback Josh Boyd, who compiled 121 yard on 12 carries himself. Carruth's kick made it somewhat of a game again. The Lions had crept back and trailed 28-17. While the Rebel offense sputtered, the Rebel defense began to bang away.
Just ask Tinkle, who was hammered by Daniel Beal early in the fourth frame. That play sort of set the tone for the Rebels defense the rest of the way.

"The defense played a lot better," said Comer. "We were getting to spots, but we weren't making tackles. We were still on our heels a bit, but we picked it up as the game went along."
Amen.

Perhaps after reviewing last week's film between McKenzie and the pass-happy Central team, Camden felt like it might be able to throw on McKenzie. Better secondary play quashed that notion.
"The secondary played a lot better this week," Comer said. "We showed some improvement."

The Rebels now at least share a part of the lead for the 6-2A title, which pleases the coach.

"We set a goal to try to repeat as regional champs, so we have to win regional games," Comer said. "Every region game is a big game and every regional win is a huge win."

Trenton will come to Rebel Field next week and present another tough test for McKenzie. Kickoff is 7:30.

SUMMARY

C   3 -  7 - 7 - 0 - 17
M 14 - 14 - 0 - 0 - 28

FIRST QUARTER
M - Cody Cook 38 run, pass failed.
C- Clay Carruth 31 field goal.
M - Brad Campbell 41 run, Cook run.

SECOND QUARTER
M - Jay Taylor 6 pass from Matt Merrick, John Kermit Laughery kick.
C - Ben Tinkle 3 run, Carruth kick.
M - Cook 91 kickoff return, Laughery kick.

THIRD QUARTER
C - Josh Boyd 42 run, Carruth kick.

                   C            M
First downs   12           13
Yds. rush    155            275
Yds. pass     71            28
Total yds.   226            303
Third down  4-9            4-11
Fourth down 2-3           3-4
Fumbles-lost 2-0           2-0
Comp.-att.-int. 3-10-1   4-5-1
Punt-avg.    3-30           2-36
Penalties 1-15               9-55
Possession 19:56          28:04

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