Injured were tailback Orey Willis, who left the game early in the first quarter and quickly received stitches inside his mouth for a severe cut. Michael Hargrove was on crutches with an ankle injury while Chaz Barmore had a knee injury during first half action. Others were banged up and limped noticeably after the tough loss.

The Mustangs used their quickness and speed to control the first half action against their cross county foe and needed few plays to take 33-0 advantage into intermission.

The Tigers gained the first offensive opportunity with senior quarterback Hunter Stepp as the field leader and had a tough beginning. Willis took the opening kickoff to the 12 yard line where he was stopped by Phillip Weathers. Stepp was then stopped by Brian Nellett for a slight loss. Ryan McMackin took the ball up the middle on second down and with some good blocking seemed to be on is way to gaining a first down, but the ball was stripped from his grasp and Weathers recovered for the Stangs at the Central 20-yard line.

Huntingdon needed only three plays to reach the end zone. Terrance Bell took the ball to the right for a gain of six before he was stopped by Zack Davis, Lucas Young and Jeremy Lowe. Bell then reached the eight yard line before Albiro King and Young combined for the tackle. On first down, Desmond Townes quickly up the middle for the touchdown at the 10:03 mark. Mark Newsome never got the chance to kick the PAT as the ball was not set, leaving the Stangs with a 6-0 lead.

The kick by Newsome went into the end zone, leaving the Tigers with a touchback and junior quarterback Nick Eason at the Tiger helm. The Stangs were penalized for motion leaving the Tigers needing only five yards. McMackin moved up the middle and was stopped after a gain of three by Hunter Hastings, Cliff Bush and Townes. Willis then took the ball to the right and picked up a first down at the Tiger 39 before he was stopped by several defenders. That would be the last effective gained however. McMackin was held for no gain by Stephen Wright. Eason attempted to move left and was stopped by Townes for a loss of three and then Eason connected with Matt Davis on a pass for a gain of six. However with the Tigers facing a fourth and seven, Young punted the ball out at the Huntingdon 42 yard line and Huntingdon took over with 6:59 remaining in the first quarter. Quarterback Andrew Maddox pitched the ball to Weathers who moved left behind a couple of good blocks and he rushed 58 yards, scoring the second Stangs touchdown at the 6:46 mark. Bell took the ball in for the two-point conversion and Huntingdon now held a 14-0 advantage.

Stepp returned at quarterback after another touchback. Joe Wortham came in at tailback and moved left on first down for a yard before he was brought down by Townes. Wortham then moved up the middle for another yard, with Townes again on the tackle. A pass to Matt Davis was good for a first down at the 31-yard line with Kenny Rich on the tackle. McMackin moved left for a gain of two with Maddox on the tackle while Wortham gained five yards before he was brought down by Townes. McMackin then moved up the middle with Townes and Nellett on the stop, but after a measurement, the Tigers had another first down at their own 42-yard line. Wortham gained eight with Maddox on the tackle and McMackin was stopped by Townes, but had yet another first down for the Tigers at Huntingdon’s 45-yard line. At this point the Stangs held with Wortham attempting to run the ball three times and Nellett, Hastings, Kenneth Hillsman and Wright on the tackles. Kenneth Porter received Young’s punt and was stopped at the Mustang 42 by Josh Irwin with 17.6 seconds remaining in the first quarter of action.

Following a single play, Bell picking up six yards, the first quarter concluded with the Stangs on their own 48-yard line. Matt Davis, Zack Davis and Young made the tackle. As the second quarter began, the Tigers made the next score more difficult. Hillsman rushed for a gain of three and then quarterback Adam Parish held for the first down at the Tiger 45. Michael Hargrove, Z. Davis, Scott Maness and Young combined for the defensive effort. Parish then threw a pass to Will White, who rushed into the end zone, but the score was negated on a penalty for blocking in the back. Z. Davis was shaken on that play. With first down at the Tiger 25, the Stangs needed four plays to reach pay dirt. Bell was tripped by M. Davis and gained eight. Hillsman moved up the middle for the first down at the seven and was stopped by Lowe. Bell then moved left within two yards of the end zone but was stopped by King and Hillsman scored at the 9:58 mark. The PAT was wide to the right and the Stangs now led 20-0.

With Eason at quarterback, the Tigers were limited to only four yards after taking over at their own 20-yard line. McMackin moved to the right, but a motion penalty moved the ball back five yards. McMackin then picked up three while Wortham gained two more. McMackin gained four on third down, but Young was left punting. The defensive effort was led by Newsome, Porter, and Nathan Wallace. Rich received the punt and took the ball quickly into the end zone. With 5:15 remaining in the first half, Chris Donald attempted the two-point conversion, but was stopped by Z. Davis, leaving the Stangs with a 26-0 lead.

M. Davis received the kickoff and was stopped at the Tiger 10 by Luvanda Williams and Kory Geans. Stepp returned at quarterback and handed the ball to Wortham for a gain of two. A pass to Irwin was long and incomplete, but a holding penalty on the Stangs gave the Tigers a first down on penalty at the 22-yard line. McMackin gained a yard before he was tripped by Wright, but the next two plays by Wortham resulted in a gain of one and then a loss of seven with Wallace responsible for the huge deficit. Young punted the ball to Porter, who seemed to be caught, but instead he zigzagged his way around all Tiger defenders and reached the end zone at the 3:10 mark. Newsome’s kick was good and the Stangs now led 33-0.
M. Davis received the kickoff and shook several Mustang defenders as he reached the Huntingdon 49-yard line on the return. Eason came in at quarterback and on the first handoff; the ball was fumbled, with M. Davis on the recovery, but for a huge loss. McMackin was held by a host of Stangs and a pass to King was incomplete. Young ultimately punted the ball to DeAngelo Sherrill and the Stangs began their final possession at their own 46. Parish was held for a loss of two by Young, Lowe and Hargrove. Donald was able to pick up five yards before M. Davis and Z. Davis combined for the tackle, ending the first half’s action.

Tiger fans were entertained at intermission as both the Marching Mustangs and Marching Tigers presented their competitive shows for the first time this season.

It appeared the second half might be a repeat of the first half at times, but on the Mustangs first offensive position, the Tigers held and Nellett punted for the first time in the game. Donald was able to pick up a single first down before the Tiger defense, led by Z. Davis, King, Raynard Ambrew and M. Davis was able to cause the punt. A fumble was recovered by Scott Hampton early in the series.

The Tigers first series of the second half found Stepp at quarterback and the Tigers at their own 20-yard line. M. Davis was held for a loss of two by Geans. Stepp was able to gain three and then two with Hastings, Wright and Hillsman leading on defense. The punt was downed at the Stangs 45 and two plays later they were again in the end zone. Bell took the ball left and was stopped by M. Davis, Josh Oatsvall and Ambrew at the Tiger 40. Bell then moved up the middle and rushed the 40 yards needed to pay dirt at the 4:17 mark. The PAT by Newsome was good and the Stangs now held a 39-0 advantage.
With Eason at quarterback, the Tigers were again held by a strong defensive effort by the Stangs. Z. Davis and Eason both attempted to run the ball and a pass to King was low and incomplete. Young punted as the Tigers faced fourth and 22. The ball went into the hands of Bell who rushed again to pay dirt. The PAT was wide to the left and the Stangs had a 46-0 advantage with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter.

M. Davis received the ball and was stopped by White and Geans at the 25. Once again the Tigers had a sustained drive as the final period began. Stepp handed the ball to M. Davis who picked up three and then four. McMackin gained the first down at the Stangs 36. Z. Davis gained seven and McMackin another first down at the 49. Z. Davis moved right and was held for a slight loss. McMackin gained three and then Stepp, unable to find a receiver, moved left and out of bounds with a first down at the Stangs 41-yard line. Defensively, L. Williams, Jorge Perez, Maurice Williams, Josh Noles, Cody Baker, and Mark Bolen led the attack. The drive continued with Ambrew running the ball for a yard and McMackin gaining four. Ambrew gained the first down and three more with Cedric Harris, M. Williams and L. Williams on the tackles. McMackin gained a yard, Stepp picked up four and Ambrew was held just short of the first down as the Stangs took over at their own 21-yard line.

Noles took over as the running back and Cody Crocker at quarterback. The possession was short-lived as the ball was fumbled and Ambrew recovered for the Tigers at the 4:06 mark at the Stangs 10-yard line. This time the Tigers would not be denied the end zone. McMackin moved for four, Eason for two and Jeremy Irwin was held for no gain. But on fourth and four, Eason found Josh Irwin in the end zone and the Tigers Young came in to kick the PAT. Although it appeared it might be blocked with difficulty in placing the ball, Young’s kick went through the uprights and the Stangs now led 46-7.

The Tigers gained one more opportunity to move the ball after yet another fumble by the Stangs, but time ran out on the young Tigers and Huntingdon had their first win of the season.
This Friday night, the young and banged up Tigers will be traveling to Halls for a regional contest. The Stangs will open their home season with homecoming against the Adamsville Cardinals. 

As the season opens for these two Carroll County teams, it is apparent that the Tigers have young, but talented players who need experience while the Mustangs have a core of talented and experienced veterans who could well be the team to advance deep into the post season this year. Both teams will certainly improve as the season progresses and Carroll County will be well represented by both.

The War Eagles won the toss and elected to take the first offensive opportunity. The kickoff went to Blake Abercrombie and he returned the ball six yards to West Carroll’s 29-yard line. Kevin Gentile got the first opportunity to move the ball and went four yards before he was brought down. Depriest took the ball to the 43 for the first down and was then held for no gain. Gentile however picked up 21 yards on second down. Depriest then gained four while Gentile was held for a one yard loss and no yardage. Depriest picked up six yards as the War Eagles turned the ball over on downs.

The Lions did not have possession for long as they fumbled on the first down play and Jeremiah Johnson recovered for West Carroll.

Back on offense, S. Depriest was caught behind the line of scrimmage for a two-yard deficit. Chancy Depriest then took the ball for a gain of five and Gentile tacked on two more. On fourth and five War Eagle quarterback Chris Cannon took the ball for a gain of two as again West Carroll turned the ball over on downs at the Lions 27-yard line with 5:24 remaining in first quarter action.

TCA took a timeout to assess the situation and then began their first assault of significance. After a gain of six, Jeremiah Johnson and Karl Erwin held the Lions Caleb Yates at the 38. Quarterback Andrew Simmons fumbled, but recovered the ball for a loss of one. S. Depriest and Jason Lott held the advance to six yards and then Simmons was stopped. An illegal procedure motion call against the Lions had them punting and the War Eagles took over at the Lions 47-yard line.

After a couple of motion penalties were assessed, Cannon was intercepted by Ross Palmer and he returned the ball to the War Eagle 38. On first down, Simmons passed the ball to Daniel Johnson who ran the 38 yards to pay dirt and Kevin Loyd made it 7-0 when his PAT split the uprights with 51 seconds remaining in the first period of action.

TCA kicked the ball to Gentile who took the ball to the War Eagle 22-yard line where they began their next possession. S. Depriest picked up five yards and then slipped down as he attempted to cut back for a one-yard gain. Depriest then picked up the first down while Gentile came in to gained three more. On a quick slant play from Cannon to C. Depriest, the War Eagles had another first down. Gentile took the ball for a gain of three and then five yards. Gentile was held and on fourth and seven, C. Depriest punted the ball to the Lions and they took over at their own 26-yard line.

The Lions started the possession as Simmons passed the ball to Johnson, but C. Depriest was there to bat it away and Lott was shaken up on the play. Palmer then got away and reached the War Eagle 10 before he was brought down by J. Johnson and on the first down play; Yates moved around the end and scored. With Loyd again splitting the uprights, the War Eagles trailed 14-0 at the 7:56 mark of the second period.

Abercrombie received the kickoff and returned the ball to the War Eagle 41. C. Depriest picked up seven yards and then a first down at the TCA 31. S. Depriest gained five and then took the ball into the red zone at the TCA five-yard line. On first down, S. Depriest picked up a yard while Cannon picked up three and was inches shy of the touchdown on the third down play. Facing fourth and inches, Cannon handed the ball to Depriest who scored at the 4:02 mark and with the PAT by Kelly Keen good, the Lions held a 14-7 advantage.

Kevin Taylor kicked the ball to Houston Wells and he returned it to the 24-yard line. On first down, B.J. Reyes held Palmer for a loss of one. Simmons completed a pass to Tom Harper for a first down, but a second pass to Johnson was broken up by C. Depriest. Facing second and 10, the Lions attempted to run the ball, but Reyes again made the tackle for a loss of two. Facing third and 12, the Lions took a time-out at the 2:04 mark. Simmons moved back to pass, but was unable to and ran the ball for a gain of 11 yards. On the quarterback keeper, Simmons gained a first down at the War Eagle 41. Simmons passed incomplete and then a second pass to Yates appeared to be caught and dropped. S. Depriest picked up the ball and ran it into the end zone, but it was ruled invalid due to an inadvertent whistle and the play ruled down before Depriest picked up the ball. With 38 seconds remaining in the first half, Simmons threw the ball away and then attempted a pass to Johnson. Again Depriest was there to break it up. On the final play of the half, Wells picked up six yards before he was stopped by S. Depriest. At intermission, the War Eagles trailed 14-7.

During the intermission, the Marching War Eagles paid their tribute to the Righteous Brothers as they entertained the home fans.

The second half began with the War Eagles Taylor kicking to Eric Munn. The ball was fumbled and then recovered by West Carroll’s Jeremy Sonnier at the TCA 49. Gentile was held for no gain and a pass to C. Depriest was incomplete. J. Johnson punted on fourth and 10 to the TCA 25. 

Gentile held Palmer to a gain of eight and then a touchdown by Yates was called back for blocking in the back. Palmer was held by Bradley Coleman after a gain of two and Ethan Thompson held Yates to four. Needing one yard, the Lions took a time out and then Simmons held for the first down at the 39. Sonnier held for no gain and a pass was incomplete. On third and 10, Simmons threw to Palmer and the War Eagles were penalized for interference. S. Depriest held the gain to four and Simmons pass the ball for a completion which was followed by a fumble and TCA recovery at the West Carroll four-yard line. S. Depriest held Palmer for no gain, but Yates managed to run off tackle for the touchdown at the 5:21 mark of the third quarter and with the PAT by Loyd good, the Lions now led 21-7.

C. Depriest received the kickoff and returned the ball seven yards to the West Carroll 20. On first down, S. Depriest appeared to be down after moving the ball up the middle of the line, but a fumble was ruled with TCA recovering. Simmons attempted an incomplete pass to Johnson and then completed one for the touchdown at the 4:44 mark. Loyd was perfect for the night with the PAT on his fourth attempt to give TCA a 28-7 advantage.

C. Depriest received the kickoff and returned the ball to the War Eagle 37. Gentile moved the ball up the middle for a gain of six while S. Depriest picked up three and another first down. TCA was ruled off sides and on first and five, S. Depriest was held for a gain of two. Cannon moved the ball four yards, to the 38, on a quarterback sweep. S. Depriest moved the ball to the 25 and another first down. C. Depriest moved the ball on a sweep, fumbled in the backfield, but recovered for a loss of two. On second down, C. Depriest moved the ball for a gain of six and J. Johnson took the ball for a first down at the 10. Johnson then moved the ball for six yards and on second and four, S. Depriest missed the handoff and TCA recovered as the third quarter concluded.

The War Eagle defense held the Lions to four downs and even though West Carroll was penalized for being off sides, the Lions needed a yard on fourth down and punted. The ball rolled to the West Carroll 48 where the War Eagles began their successful march to the end zone.

Cannon completed a pass to C. Depriest for a gain of 12. S. Depriest then ran for five yards, three yards and 28 yards to pay dirt at the 8:39 mark. Cannon held on the two-point conversion and the Lions held a 28-15 advantage.

After receiving the kickoff, the War Eagles recovered a first down fumble. C. Depriest was held to minus two yards, Cannon rushed for 18 yards and a first down and then passed unsuccessfully to J. Johnson. Gentile took the ball for 15 yards and was then held for no gain. C. Depriest was also held for no gain before S. Depriest took ball for a gain of five. On fourth and five, Gentile was held short and the Lions took over on downs.
TCA then took some time off the clock in four plays and punted. However, the War Eagles were ruled to have lined up in the neutral zone and needing only a yard, Simmons held and got the first down at the 14. On second and eight, Palmer took the ball for a gain of two and then for a gain of six. Thompson and Sonnier made the two tackles. On their second fourth down opportunity, the Lions punted the ball and J. Johnson signaled for affair catch at the War Eagle 44 with 38 seconds remaining in the game. 

Cannon took to the air, the ball was tipped and Palmer intercepted for TCA as they ran out the clock with Simmons taking a knee.

This week, the War Eagles will begin regional action as they host the Lake County Falcons. The two teams have a common loss. Lake County lost to TCA in Week 0, 35-6. This will be a test for the War Eagles as they begin their regional schedule.

McKenzie was about to unveil its new vertical attack, an offense designed to score points and move the ball down the field.
Obion Central was bringing to town returning 3A Mr. Football finalist Wes Moore, a 2,000-yard passer, as well as his favorite target, all-state wide receiver Brian Kissell.

An overflow crowd at Rebel Field might have expected 80 points total on the scoreboard. Instead, there were just 22, all McKenzie's, as the host Rebels topped Obion 22-0 in a warm and muggy defensive battle.

Oh, there was plenty of offense. McKenzie churned up 300 yards total, 151 on the ground and 149 through the air. Likewise, Central managed 178 yards through the air and 83 on the ground. Points came at a premium, however.

"I thought we'd execute a little better than we did, but this new offense is going to take a little time," said MHS coach Wade Comer. "We got after it on defense. They played exceptionally well. It was a strong point for us."

The MHS defense forced eight Obion fumbles. The visiting Rebels lost four of them as well as an interception. Three of the five Central cough-ups led directly to all three McKenzie scores. Penalties also damaged Obion's chances.

Brad Campbell scored twice for the Rebs, the first of his two TDs coming late in the first quarter. McKenzie had Central backed up on its own 19 facing a fourth down. Moore took the snap as the up back on a fake punt attempt and hit Kissell for the essential first-down yardage. But Obion was guilty of motion and backed up to its own 14. On the next play, the punt snap was muffed when Jake Smith and John Craig Howell lassoed him in the end zone. Campbell fell on the loose ball for the first score.

On the PAT, the Rebels sent its line wide left, leaving the snapper, kicker and holder all alone. It's a ploy to catch the defense napping. It worked. The snap went to holder Drew Hayes who underhanded it to Campbell, who then walked into the end zone largely untouched. The Rebs were on top 8-0 with 2:44 to play in the first.

As the second frame began, Obion Central began an 11-play, 93-yard march. Central reached the 4 when Campbell and Randy Lacey sacked Moore on third down for a three-yard loss. An illegal shift on fourth down negated a TD. From the 12, Central managed only an incompletion. McKenzie had thwarted the drive.

The Rebels punted the ball away during the series, but Central fumbled the return back to McKenzie. Five plays and a 24-yard aerial to Clint Anderson later and McKenzie found itself camped on the Central 1. Cook scored on the next play. With 3:54 to play in the half, John Kermit Laughery converted the first of his two PAT kicks and MHS held a 15-0 halftime advantage.

In the final frame, McKenzie's defense sprang to life, despite the warmth and humidity. Senior Andrew Cross leveled Moore early in the fourth, then Cook pounded him two plays later. Moore was under pressure and his haste paid off for the Rebs. Lacey picked off a pass with 9:23 to play in the game and the Rebels soon had the insurance they needed.

From the 20, Cook dashed 58 yards to the OC 22. From there, Campbell rambled for three, Lacey hauled in an 11-yard aerial, then Campbell tacked on the final five yards for the TD. His 2-yard plunge with 6:47 to play nailed it shut.

"We decided to get after him (Moore) this year," said Comer. "We can't let a guy like that stand back there and look around; we couldn't let him pick us apart, so we had to pick our poison."
The Rebs seemed to have the right antidote for that poison. Moore managed to complete 12 of 22 passes for 178 yards, but his team was held out of the end zone. Central was limited to a scant 83 yards on the ground.

"Coach (Brad) Chappell and Coach (David) Duncan prepared our defense well," Comer said. "They got after it."

Offensively, Hayes was 10-24 for 149 yards, but was victimized by at least four dropped passes, three of which were TD strikes. Hayes delivered two laser strikes to the end zone from nearly 50 yards away, both dropped.

"Concentration is the first thing to go when its hot and humid and you are dehydrated," said Comer. "This offense is going to take some getting used to. The mental things go when you are tired."

Cook had 101 yards on eight carries while Campbell had 60 yards on 14 carries. Anderson and Lacey each had three catches for 48 yards. Mark Ghyers had two grabs for 30. Smith had a 17-yard reception and Cook a 6-yard haul.

Defensively, Howell, the state's leading tackler last year, wrapped up nine stops. Daniel Hollowell had seven. Campbell racked up six.

The Rebels, 1-0, enter crucial Region 6-2A action when they travel to Camden. Obion Central is 0-1 and will travel to Ripley this Friday. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. for both games.

SUMMARY

O 0 0 0 0 0
M 8 7 0 7 22

FIRST QUARTER
M - 2:44 Brad Campbell fumble recovery in end zone, Campbell pass from Drew Hayes.

SECOND QUARTER
M - 3:54 Cody Cook 1 run, John Kermit Laughery kick (11 plays, 88 yards, 3:28)

FOURTH QUARTER
M - 6:47 Campbell 2 run, Laughery kick (6 plays, 80 yards, 2:36).

M O
First Downs 21 11
Yds. Rush 151 83
Yds. Pass 149 178
Total yds. 300 261
Att.-Comp.-Int.-TD. 10-24-2-0 12-22-1-0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 8-4
Punts-avg. 4-36 2-29
Penalties 2-15 6-50
Possession 24:10 23:50
Red zone-scores 4-2 2-0

• No. 22 Nicholls State Defeats Bethel
• MHS Softball Player Invited to Elite Tournament
• Huntingdon Topples McKenzie Middle School