For two straight seasons, the Rebels had ended the Panthers' season and were their arch enemies. In the second round of the Class 2A playoffs, the Panthers' worst enemy was their very best friend.

Seven McKenzie turnovers and nine penalties for 94 yards spelled doom here Friday night as Lewis County captured a 24-7 victory.
The Panthers, 12-0, host Huntingdon this week in the state 2A quarterfinals while McKenzie ends its season at 9-3. It was the Rebels' earliest playoff departure since the 1999 season.

"Lewis County played hard and got after us," said McKenzie coach Wade Comer. "We couldn't execute; we kept shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers."

The Rebels appeared to be on the fast track to their third straight semifinal appearance. On their first possession, sophomore quarterback Drew Hayes looped a screen pass to senior fullback Brad Campbell that reached the Panther 19. But a clipping call followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty cost MHS 30 yards. But there was some controversy as to where to spot the yardage markers.

The referees bounced off each other like keystone cops, huddling at midfield, then going from sideline to sideline to confer with coaches. After a 14-minute discussion, play resumed and the Rebs faced a first and 27.

"Anytime you have a stoppage and before it seemed everything was going your way, it can hurt you," said Comer. "That's not the reason we lost, though; we just didn't play well for whatever reason."

Four plays after the delay, Hayes found senior receiver Daniel Duncan in the right back corner of the end zone for a 39-yard TD hookup. John Kermit Laughery added the PAT boot and the Rebels led 7-0 with 5:49 to play.

Early in the second frame, the Panthers started a nine-play, 90-yard drive, ending in a 1-yard TD plunge by Lewis County's Marcus Booker. Brazilian import Carlos Juvera added the PAT kick to knot the score at the 5:25 mark. Lewis County had stopped the Rebels twice already and started to feel good about itself. The Panthers were about to capitalize on another MHS turnover.

A Rebel fumble almost immediately after the Lewis County score popped into the hands of Dustin Skelton, who returned it to the MHS 16. Two plays later, Skelton scored from the 1 with 2:17 to play in the half.

McKenzie appeared to be headed for the equalizer and drove all the way down to the Lewis County 27 when an interception ended the drive.

As the third frame started, McKenzie rolled the dice with a fourth-and-1 play from its own 32. The attempt was stuffed and Lewis County scored on the next play. Panther senior quarterback David Sharp scooted 31 yards for a back-breaking TD with 10:00 to play in the third. The Panthers led 21-7.

Though McKenzie prolonged a drive with a fake punt on the next possession, LC took over again following an interception. That led directly to a 21-yard field goal by Juvera with 8:12 to play in the game. The cake had been iced; the kick was simply the lit candle for a 24-7 lead.

The Rebels were victimized twice more by turnovers before the game ended.

"It was just one of those nights," said Comer. "We didn't play well."

Duncan had eight catches for 119 yards while Lacey had 10 grabs for 94. Hayes was 25-48 for 297 yards, a TD and three interceptions.

Sharp had 12 carries for 97 yards for Lewis County. Wesley Cramer had seven carries for 62 yards.

The Rebels say farewell to 11 seniors: Stephen Brown, Kent Ozment, Brad Campbell, Andrew Cross, Daniel Duncan, Kris Sydnor, John Craig Howell, Clint Manns, Jake Smith, Daniel Hollowell and Justin Taylor.

"This is a good bunch of seniors and we're going to miss them," said Comer. "They've had a good run for four years."

M L
Final Score 7 24
First downs 17 10
Yds. Rushing 80 210
Yds. Passing 297 0
Total Yds. 377 210
Comp.-att.-int. 25-48-3 0-3-0
Fumbles-lost 4-4 2-0
Third down 5-14 3-8
Fourth down 4-6 1-1
Red zone-chances 0-2 3-3
Possession 25:23 22:37
Punts-avg. 2-20 5-34
Penalties 9-94 5-35

M 7 0 0 0 7
L 0 13 8 3 24
FIRST QUARTER
M -5:49 Daniel Duncan 39 pass from Drew Hayes, John Kermit Laughery kick. 7 plays, 71 yards, 4:22.
SECOND QUARTER
L - 5:25 Marcus Booker 1 run, Carlos Juvera kick. 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:39.
L - 2:17 Justin Skelton 1 run, kick blocked. 2 plays, 16 yards, :48.
THIRD QUARTER
L - 10:10 David Sharp 31 run, Jay Gardner pass from Sharp. 1 play, 31 yards, :10.
FOURTH QUARTER
L - 8:12 Juvera 21 field goal. 12 plays, 55 yards, 5:37.

The Stangs were dominant throughout the night scoring at will and capitalizing on each of the Eagles turnovers. Terrance Bell was able to score the first six touchdowns of the night and rushed for almost 300 yards for the night.

The Stangs received the opening kickoff of the night with Kenneth Porter returning the ball to the 29. Bell took the ball on the first play from scrimmage and rushed 71 yards to the end zone. With only 22 seconds off the first quarter clock, the Stangs led 7-0 after Mark Newsome nailed the PAT.

The Eagles began their first possession on the kickoff which was returned to their own 21. The stop was made by Luvanda Williams and Hunter Hastings. Kenneth Hillsman held the advance to a single yard and on second and nine, the ball was fumbled and recovered by Huntingdon’s Brian Nellett at the Chester County 31.

Bell was held for a loss of one, a penalty moved the Stangs back five yards and on second and 16, Phillip Weathers moved left for a gain of nine. On third down, Bell took the ball and moved into the end zone at the 9:03 mark. Newsome’s PAT was good and the Stangs now led 14-0.

The next return was stopped by Jorge Perez at the Eagles 25. On first down the Stangs held for a loss of four. On second down, Hastings and Stephen Wright held for a loss of one more. A third down pass was good for a gain of six before Weathers and Scott Hampton made the tackle. The punt dropped at the Chester County 35.

On first down, Chris Donald picked up two yards while Weathers was held for a loss of four. A pass to Weathers good for a gain of six and a fourth down pass to Hampton was incomplete. The Eagles took over at their own 32.

Hillsman, Hampton and Nellett held the gain for one. Nellett held for no gain and Desmond Townes held for a loss of five. The punt was downed at the Huntingdon 47.

On the first play from scrimmage, Bell was in good form and moved the ball into Eagle Territory. However the ball was stripped and recovered by the Eagles at their own 36.

Adam Carter held after a gain of three and Newsome caught the runner at the Huntingdon 35. Townes held after a one-yard gain and Hillsman after a gain of two. A pass was completed with the stop by Hastings and Hillsman as the third quarter ended.

After the punt, the Stangs took over at their own 17. Bell took the ball on first, second and third downs, with the final run good for the touchdown at the 10:29 mark. The PAT was also good and the Stangs led 21-0.

The Eagles fumbled the kickoff return and Hastings recovered for the Stangs and took the ball to the one-yard line. After a ten-yard penalty, Bell took the ball right for a gain of eight and then into the end zone. At the 9:20 mark, Bell scored again and Newsome’s kick was also good to give Huntingdon a 28-0 lead.

Will White and Kory Geans held the return at the Eagle 17-yard line. Townes sacked the quarterback and Wright and Hillsman held the advance to a single yard. Hampton and Geans held after a gain of three and the ball was punted dead at the Huntingdon 46. Donald moved up the middle for a gain of six and then three. With a first down at the 43, the Stangs were momentarily stymied and punted. However the ball was fumbled by the receiver and recovered by Newsome at the Eagle 15. Donald moved the ball to the four for a first down and was then held for no gain. Bell came in to take the ball into the end zone for his fifth touchdown of the night. The PAT was ruled incomplete and the Stangs now led 34-0.

Williams and Geans held the advance on the kickoff return and after an Eagle penalty, Chester County took over at their own 23. A pass was incomplete with Andrew Maddox on the coverage. A motion penalty was assessed the Stangs and a pitch was good for a gain of three before Townes made the tackle. The Eagles needed only two yards for the first down, but Nellett stopped the advance with a loss of two, leaving Chester County punting on fourth and four.

The Stangs took over at their own 34 with 58.9 seconds remaining in the half. Newsome moved right and out of bounds for a loss of nine. Bell picked up a first down on a run to the Eagles 31. A pass to Newsome was incomplete and quarterback Adam Parish took a knee to end the half.
With intermittent rain throughout the first half, neither band performed at intermission.

The second half began with the Eagles taking the ball to their own 40 where Newsome made the stop. Cale Belew and Geans held for a loss of 11. Hastings, Hillsman and Belew held for a loss of five more. Hillsman, Townes and Geans held after a gain of four and a punt landed at the Huntingdon 32.

Weathers moved the ball left for a gain of seven while Donald picked up a first down at the Chester County 41. Bell then took over once again as he moved to the right on a block by Donald and moved into the end zone at the 8:04 mark. The PAT was good and the Stangs now led 41-0.

Perez, Weathers, Eric Woods and Josh Noles held the Eagles at their own 24 where they began their next possession. Hampton held the advance to two while a pass was high and incomplete. A motion call gave the Eagles third and 13. A pass was good for four yards with Maddox on the stop. The Eagles punted on fourth and nine and the Stangs took over at their own 35 with the second team in on offense.

Noles took the ball up the middle for a gain of one, five and three. Nellett punted to the Eagle 43, the ball was fumbled and Kenny Rich recovered for the Stangs.

Noles picked up one while Geans gained five and then Noles gained one. Newsome entered to attempt a 22-yard field goal, but a motion call against the Eagles gave Huntingdon a first down as the third quarter concluded. Noles moved the ball for one and Geans scored at the 11:11 mark. The PAT was wide and the Stangs now led 47-0.

Chester County received the ball and Williams was one of many defenders who moved against Clark to push him out of bounds. The hit caused Clark to snap his neck and a lengthy time-out ensued. Although he appeared to be doing fine, as a precautionary measure, he was transported to Baptist Hospital for observation and the coaches mutually agreed to end the game as Huntingdon won 47-0.

This week, the Mustangs will travel to Lewis County for round three. The winner will most likely meet Milan in week four of the playoffs. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

• Bethel Women's Soccer Advances to Nationals
• Wildcat Rally Falls Short in Football Finale
• Mustangs prepare for Lewis County
• Rebels prepare for 2004