Likewise, McKenzie coach Wade Comer isn't responsible for painting the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. And Friday night's game was far from a work of art.

But it still was a convincing 35-7 victory over visiting Dyer County.

"We didn't play well," said Comer, "But we still won the game and I was pleased with that."

Players and coaches conceded that practice last week wasn't very brisk and it showed somewhat in the Rebels' performance. Yet, McKenzie was a dominant force on both sides of the ball, compiling 354 total yards; 179 on the ground and 175 through the air. Defensively, McKenzie essentially shut down the Choctaws. They had eight first downs, 27 yards rushing and 58 passing.

The Rebels endured a scare, as well. Sophomore quarterback Drew Hayes left the game with an injury with 9:12 to play in the game, but the injury was determined to be a mild hamstring strain and he will be ready to go against Adamsville this Friday night.

"We came out all right, but we just didn't play as well as I wanted us to," said Comer of the performance. "We have to practice better and it's my job that we practice well; I didn't do a good job of that this week.

"We didn't play bad," Comer said, "we just didn't play good."

The Rebels started out pretty well. Hayes threw 124 of his 164 yards in the first quarter as McKenzie forged a 14-0 lead. The Rebs clicked off 60 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a 32-yard TD aerial to Randy Lacey at the 6:50 mark. Lacey tied a record for TD receptions in a game with two.

Later in the first, the Rebels went 72 yards in six plays, ending in an 8-yard TD hook-up from Hayes to John Craig Howell. John Kermit Laughery nailed both PAT kicks and the Rebels led 14-0 after one.

Brad Campbell registered a big sack on the next DC drive, one of four MHS sacks on the night, and forced a Tribe punt. The Rebels went right back down the field. In fact, Hayes completed a 12-yard pass to Jake Smith in the corner of the end zone for an apparent TD, but it was wiped off by a bad call. The official said Smith was out of bounds. A 28-yard field goal attempt was blocked, giving the Choctaws a bit of momentum.

Two series later, DC got the ball back via the interception and took with it good field position.

Four plays and 24 yards later, DC quarterback Josh Ozment led receiver Brandon Baldwin perfectly for an 11-yard TD pass. Dylan Cupples added the PAT and the Choctaws were back in the game with :28 to play in the half.

"Our defense did an excellent job," said Comer. "I don't think they would have scored if not for the mishap on offense. We moved the ball well, we just didn't finish."

Much like last year, the Rebels answered quickly.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cody Cook raced 82 yards down the field with his return and the Rebels were on the 7. That's when Hayes hit Lacey for the record-tying TD. The PAT snap was mishandled and Hayes found Anderson in the corner of the end zone for the 22-7 advantage with :08 to play.

Smith picked off a Choctaw pass early in the third frame and returned it to the 1 where Cook scored at the 10:37 mark. Laughery added the PAT and the Rebels were up comfortably 29-7. On the night, Cook carried 11 times for 117 yards.

Late in the third, on a fourth-down play, Howell surged through the line and drilled Ozment for a 9-yard loss, which also caused a fumble. The Rebs got the ball back on their own 40 and began another march to the end zone.

With 9:12 to play in the fourth and the Rebels knocking on the door, Hayes attempted to pull a rabbit out of his hat as he'd done all night. His hook shot pass, while wreathed by three Choctaws, barely missed Anderson's reach. But Hayes twisted funny as he went down with what appeared to be knee injury. He suffered a slight hamstring strain and left the game, but was fine.

In his place came Lacey, who stepped up and promptly hit Anderson with an 11-yard scoring pass. The PAT missed, but it didn't matter, the Rebs were up 35-7 and that's how it ended.

Josh Lowe had a good night as the reserves got to play. He scampered for 51 yards on four carries and helped milk the clock as the game ended.

"I think this performance opened some people's eyes," Comer said. "We have to have better practice habits. I'm not disappointed with the effort, just with the way we prepared."

Howell had 10 tackles and two sacks. Andrew Cross and Kris Sydnor each had nine stops to lead MHS. Cross had a sack. Daniel Hollowell was in on five tackles. Campbell had four tackles and a sack.

Anderson had four catches for 49 yards while Lacey had four grabs for 47 yards and was 1-1 passing for 11 yards and a TD. Cook had one catch for 48 yards and had 247 all-purpose yards. Campbell had five rushes for 33 yards.

Andre Flowers was held to 10 yards on 15 carries. Ozment completed 4-10 passes for 58 yards to lead DC.

"We won 35-7 and we aren't happy," said Comer. "I guess that's a good way to be."

The Rebels, 3-0, host Adamsville for homecoming this Friday night at Rebel Field. Pre-game festivities begin at 7:10, including crowning of the homecoming queen. The gates will open at 5:30.

Dyer County, 0-3, takes on powerful Ripley this Friday night.

SUMMARY
D 0 7 0 0 7
M 14 8 7 6 35

FIRST QUARTER
M - 6:50 Randy Lacey 32 pass from Drew Hayes; John Kermit Laughery kick (10 plays, 60 yards, 5:10)
M - 3:30 John Craig Howell 8 pass from Hayes; Laughery kick (6 plays, 72 yards, 1:58).
SECOND QUARTER
D - :28 Brandon Baldwin 11 pass from Josh Ozment; Dylan Cupples kick (3 plays, 24 yards, :57)
M - :08 Lacey 7 pass from Hayes; Anderson pass from Hayes (1 play, 7 yards, :20).
THIRD QUARTER
M - 10:32 Cody Cook 1 run; Laughery kick ( 1 play, 1 yard, :05)
FOURTH QUARTER
M - 9:02 Anderson 11 pass from Lacey; kick failed (12 plays 60 yards, 4:39)

M D
First Downs 15 8
Yds. Rush 179 27
Yds. Pass 175 58
Total Yds. 354 85
Red zone-scores 4-5 1-2
Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1
Comp.-att.-int. 13-18-1 4-10-1
Third down 6-10 2-10
Fourth down 1-3 0-3
Punts-avg. 1-35 3-32
Penalties 6-65 3-20
Possession 24:37 23:23

The game began with the Mustangs on offense. Mark Newsome received the opening kickoff and returned the ball to the Stangs 44. Terrance Bell took the ball up the middle of the field for a single yard and then right to the Tigers 30 for a first down. Desmond Townes picked up three and then Bell scored on a 32-yard run to pay dirt at the 9:51 mark and Newsome’s PAT was good to put Huntingdon up 7-0.

Lexington received a touchback after Newsome’s kick went into the end zone. On first down, Townes held Cedric Fields to a gain of four. An off-sides play led to second and one and then quarterback Ty Evans took to the air into coverage by Rich who intercepted the pass and returned the ball 45 yards for the second touchdown in just over a minute. Again Newsome was perfect on the PAT as Huntingdon took a 14-0 advantage at the 8:42 mark.

Once again the Tigers took over at their own 20 after Newsome booted the ball into the end zone. Kavis Buckley got loose for a first down before Rich made the tackle. A motion call was against the Tigers and Fields was held by Townes after a gain of seven. A pass to Fields was held to a loss of one by Rich. On third and four, Kenneth Hillsman, Brian Nellett and Hunter Hastings held for no gain and Evans punted on fourth down. The ball was shanked into the visitor’s stands and the Stangs took over at the Lexington 44 with 5:56 remaining in the first period.

Nathan Wallace recovered a first down fumble for a loss of two. Bell zigzagged his way to the 38 and a pass to Phillip Weathers was good for all but a foot of needed ground. On fourth, quarterback Adam Parish held for the first down at the 34. Bell took the ball up the middle and was tripped at the nine for another first down. It took a pair of rushes, but Bell then entered the end zone for a second time at the 2:19 mark and with the PAT good, Huntingdon held a 21-0 advantage.
The ball was returned this time for limited yardage as Stephen Wright made the tackle. This time the Tigers would manage to sustain a drive and carry the ball into the end zone to get on the board. Despite the efforts of Hastings, Hillsman, Townes, Cale Belew, Andrew Maddox, Nellett, Kenneth Porter, and Drew Kelley, the 14-play drive with a combination of rushing and passing yardage brought the Tigers a touchdown at the 6:57 mark of the second period when Casey Wood crossed into the end zone on a one and one-half run. The PAT was good and Huntingdon now led 21-7.

Weathers received the kickoff and returned the ball to the Huntingdon 45. Bell reached the Tigers 45 on the first play and then rushed for another first down, but a holding penalty brought the ball back for first and 11. Porter took the ball up the middle and to the left for a first down at the 15. A block in the back penalty returned the ball to the 47, but Parish moved back to pass and finding no open receivers and a rush by Tiger defenders took off down the left sideline and reached the 26 for a first down. Hillsman was held and a pass to Hillsman was good for a first down at the 11. Bell moved up the middle for a yard, a motion penalty brought the ball back five yards and then Parish found Nellett in the end zone for the touchdown at the 3:38 mark. Nellett was penalized for spiking the ball and the ensuing PAT was off the mark, leaving Huntingdon with a 27-7 lead.

The ensuing kickoff only added to the Tigers troubles. Johnathan Deberry took the ball and began to run up the middle where a host of Mustangs defenders hit him hard, the ball came loose and Eric Woods recovered for Huntingdon at the Lexington 26. Bell quickly picked up four and one yards. A pass to Townes was incomplete and on fourth and five, Newsome kicked a 35-yard field goal at the 1:19 mark to put the Stangs up 30-7.

After taking over at their own 46 yard line, Evans passed incomplete and a second was almost intercepted by Newsome. Adam Carter, Matt Spellings and Nellett held for a loss of one and with 6.0 seconds remaining, the Tigers were penalized for delay of game. The half concluded with Huntingdon in command.

During intermission, the home fans were treated to performances by the Marching Mustangs and the Marching Tigers.

The Tigers received the opening kickoff of the second half with Chris Donald hitting receiver Deberry. Once again the Tigers sustained a lengthy drive to pay dirt. Hastings, Porter, Hillsman, Townes, Newsome, Porter, Nellett and Rich made the task more difficult. Ultimately the 12-play drive ended with a pass from Evans to Buckley for the 17-yard touchdown at the 4:18 mark. The PAT was off the mark as Huntingdon maintained a 30-13 advantage. At that point, the clock ceased to work and the officials kept the time on the field.

The Stangs took over at their own 35 after the kick was out of bounds. Donald picked up a yard and Bell ran behind Townes for a first down at the 50. Bell moved up the middle for one while Weathers gained first down at the 28. Donald was held for a loss of one and Bell moved left for a first down at the eight. Townes was able to gain five, Bell one and Hillsman gained two as the third quarter ended. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Parish held for the touchdown and Huntingdon led 37-13 after the PAT by Newsome was on the mark.

Deberry was again the receiver on the kickoff and once again, Donald was able to make the stop at the Lexington 31. However, the Stangs were unable to hold the Tigers for long. This time Lexington made a score in only six plays with two completed passes and one personal foul penalty on the Stangs assisting the effort. Ultimately quarterback Evans moved around left end and scored from eight yards out as Lexington narrowed the margin to 37-19. The PAT was again off the mark.

Rich received the onsides kick and Donald picked up four yards and then a first down from the 48. Donald was held for a loss of one and then gained two. Weathers picked up six and on fourth and three, Bell reentered and zigzagged his way to the six. Bell was held for a loss of four and Donald for a loss of five. A holding penalty was assessed on the Stangs and declined. On a fourth and 15, a 32-yard field goal was off the mark.

Lexington took over at their own 20 with a pass to Dustin Overman and the stop by Maddox after a gain of six. An incomplete pass was followed by a pass to Fields with Hastings and Rich on the tackle with first down at the 35. An incomplete pass was followed by a penalty against the Tigers. Three more incomplete passes led to a punt attempt which was blocked by Maddox. Huntingdon took over at the Lexington 18-yard line.

Bell went in to rush for three and then 15 yards for the final score of the game. With the PAT off to the left, Huntingdon completed their scoring efforts with a 43-19 lead. Lexington had time for three additional plays before time expired.

Huntingdon improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in regional action with the victory. This week they will travel to Chester County for another regional effort. In Region 6-AA, both teams, as well as McKenzie’s Rebels are undefeated thus far. At least one of these teams will have their first loss next Friday night as Huntingdon moves for another regional title.

The Cardinals have gotten off to a slow start, but MHS coach Wade Comer insists that his team will have to be ready or it will be a quiet post-game shindig.

"Look who they played," said Comer. "They played Huntingdon, McNairy Central and Trenton. They are looking a lot better."

The have a converted tailback in T.J. Robertson at quarterback and he likes to toss it around.

"Adamsville likes to spread it out and throw it around some," said the coach. "Robertson is going to try to run the quarterback draw and things of that nature."

The Cardinals have a new coaching staff and basically a whole new team from the squad the shocked its way into the playoffs a year ago.

"They graduated a ton of kids last year," Comer said. "They may be better than their 0-3 record. They are getting better."

Meanwhile, the Rebels are 3-0 heading into the game and could sew up a playoff spot with a victory. A win over the Cards would give MHS a 2-0 mark in Region 6-2A, which would clinch no worse than fourth place and a playoff slot. But McKenzie must do a better job on itself.

After physical battles in the first three weeks of the season, the Rebels have taken a beating. Quarterback Drew Hayes chilled MHS fans when he left the Dyer County game with a leg injury, but he is fine and will be ready to go Friday. Center Ben Boyd, who suffered a knee strain at Camden, could be back in time. Junior tackle Paul Edwards had some knee pain after the DC game, but will be fine for Adamsville.

Some of the best news of all is that senior receiver/defensive back Daniel Duncan could be back in the lineup this season. It was feared that he might be lost for the year with a back ailment, but his prognosis has improved.

"A few weeks ago, there was no hope that we'd ever get him back this year and now there is," said Comer. "That's something to hang your hat on. I hope we get him back for his sake. He's worked so hard and I'd hate to see him not get the benefits of his hard work."

Comer said, upon reviewing the film from last Friday night, that his team played better than he thought, perhaps.

"The Dyer County film wasn't terrible," said Comer. "But we do have to correct some things and we learned a lot about ourselves."

So the Rebels press on.

"We just have to keep getting better; that's what it's all about," Comer said. "We won 35-7 and the kids are upset. That's a good thing."

HUNTINGDON GETS CHESTER TEST: The Mustangs were looking for a decent measuring stick and got one at Lexington last Friday night.

And when Huntingdon looked at the dipstick, it registered a 43-19 victory on the Big Red Tigers' stomping grounds.

"This was a big win for us," said Huntingdon coach Mike Mansfield. "They are an old rival and we've had a lot of big games with them. They are much improved and played hard; it was a hard-fought game."

Mansfield said he was pleased with how his team played against the Tigers.

"This was a good test that we needed," said Mansfield. "We needed to bear down for four quarters and we gave a good effort, but we still have a lot of things to correct."

The Mustangs will get another test when they play a much-improved Chester County team in Henderson.

"They have a lot of kids back and a lot of skilled players back from last year," Mansfield said. "Last year, you could see their improvement and you knew they were going to have success down the road. They weren't winning a lot of games, but you could tell they were maturing and getting some confidence."
Mansfield maintains that this game will be a big challenge for the Eagles.

"This will be a big test for them and they are shooting at us," the coach said. "They are no longer trying to be competitive; they are trying to win it all."

Which means Huntingdon is going to have to be ready for a tough battle.

"We are not going to overlook anybody and we will have to play our best game to beat them," he said. "But it's a challenge and we look forward to those types of games."

Mansfield said complacency is a pretty tough opponent itself.

"We don't want another game like we had against Fairview," said the coach. "This is a region game and as long as we realize that we can get better, we'll be all right. We just have to play hard every week."

WAR EAGLES CELEBRATE HOMECOMING: And Gleason will be the featured attraction. West Carroll hopes to improve its regional standing with a victory over the Bulldogs and the War Eagles are looking pretty good after a convincing victory at Memphis-Catholic.

It was a strange afternoon affair in Memphis and West Carroll coach Chris Rich was pleased that his team responded.

"It almost had a scrimmage atmosphere," said the coach. "It was at a small stadium and the stands were on the home side."

The Eagles and Catholic were locked up in a 7-7 tie at the half when West Carroll unleashed a 34-point barrage.

"We got it rolling," he said. "Catholic had 12 seniors and most of them were pretty good players."

The Bulldogs are better than their 0-4 mark and Rich says their grind-it-out attack can sting if his team isn't careful.

"They get in that I formation and they don't do a lot of razzle dazzle," Rich said. "We'll have to try to control the line scrimmage. That will be our focus."

The coach says West Carroll still has areas where it could improve.

"We are doing some good things, but we could be better in others," said Rich. "It's mostly things we can control that are hurting us, like turnovers, penalties, missed blocking assignments. We're having to many of them at this point in the season."

TIGERS HOPE TO SPOIL THE FUN: Hollow Rock-Bruceton Central travels to South Fulton in hopes of being an unruly homecoming guest. The Tigers have suffered three straight losses, but could salvage a pretty good season with a victory over the Red Devils Friday night.

The Tigers are showing signs of improvement, but the Red Devils are flying high and averaging 41 points per game.

"South Fulton is pretty balanced," said Central coach Rod Sturdivant. "They throw it well and have quick running backs."

Despite last week's loss to USJ, the Tiger coach says his team made some forward progress.

"At times, I thought we dominated up front, especially in the first half," he said. "In the third quarter, they dominated us a little bit."

But the coach maintains that the Tigers are a work in progress.
"We have a lot of sophomores in the offensive line who are just going to get better every week," he said. "Our schedule is top heavy and we're going to get there. I think we gained confidence, but we just need to get one under our belts."

Sophomore quarterback Drew Hayes, in an attempt to avoid a sack and make a spectacular play, went down awkwardly after almost throwing a circus pass to Clint Anderson. It appeared that Hayes had a serious knee injury. But the record-setting quarterback walked off the field largely under his own power and was diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain.

He will be ready to play Friday night when Adamsville comes to town.

"I don't know what happened," said Hayes of the injury. "I sort of blacked out at first and when I came to, I knew something was bad wrong."

When Hayes left the field, junior receiver Randy Lacey, who had never played quarterback in a game, calmly took the reins. Lacey took the snap out of the shotgun and found Anderson wide open in the back of the end zone for the score.

It was routine for Lacey, who became the backup quarterback when senior Daniel Duncan was unable to start the season with a back injury. In a pre-season scrimmage against Henry County, Lacey completed two passes and guided the Rebels 70 yards for a TD, which he ran in on a bootleg himself.

That little time at QB paid dividends.

"Petey (Lacey) is trying to take me out of my job," said Hayes with a laugh. "He's 1 of 1 with a touchdown."

Lacey said he wasn't intimidated by the prospect of filling in at such a vital position. And he showed calm and poise in the pocket when he looked up Anderson for the score.

"I was prepared," he said. "And I was looking at Clint the whole time. He was open and usually catches that pass."

Anderson said it wasn't a complex scheme.

"It was a basic play; Petey dropped back threw it and made a good read for the touchdown," Anderson said. "He has to read the backers and I got open and he threw me the ball.

"I had total confidence in Randy; he threw me the ball as good as Drew would throw it," said Anderson.

"Petey did a good job," said MHS coach Wade Comer. "He stepped in there and is 100 percent passing with a TD."

Hayes was checked out Saturday and was deemed okay for Friday night's game with visiting Adamsville. But if he couldn't go, Lacey said he could answer the bell.

"If Drew can't go, I'm going to have to be ready," he said. "I already know all the plays and how to do everything, but I've never played quarterback in my life."

RECORD NIGHT PAST AND PRESENT: Lacey's two TD catches tied a Rebel record for scoring receptions in a game, shared by 13 other former MHS receivers, including Randy Franks, whose brother, Kenny, a 1979 MHS grad, was at Friday night's game.

Speaking of 1979 grads, Ricky Eaton, then a junior, kicked 41-yard field goal against Dyer County in 1977. It set the record for longest field goal MHS history, but the Rebels lost the game 21-3.

FAIR AND BALANCED: The Rebels have the reputation of being a pass-oriented team. On the surface, there may be that appearance. But in fact, the Rebels have run the ball 83 times and thrown it 76.

The numbers break down like this: 508 yards rushing, 637 yards passing.

"We take what the other team gives us," said Comer. "If they put nine men in the box, we could run it and go three yards and a cloud of dust, but we're going to throw it. If they put eight men back, we're going to run it. And nothing's going to happen if the line doesn't do its job. It all works hand in hand."

Cody Cook had 117 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Rebs' win over Dyer County. He had 248 all-purpose yards, which included an 82-yard kick return and a 48-yard reception. Still, Cook wasn't satisfied with his effort.

"It could have been better and we could have done better," he said. "But the line did awesome."

Mitch Haynes filled in at center for Ben Boyd, who strained his medial collateral ligament at Camden. Boyd should be back for the Adamsville game.

"This was all new; I haven't run offense on Friday night before," he said. "I had to get used to the plays and stuff, but I think I got more confident as the night went on. I blocked better and sucked it up."

"Mitch did a great job stepping up," said Cook. "The line did awesome."

DEFENSE LOCKS DOWN AGAIN: In three games, McKenzie has given up a scant 14 points, and a paltry 178 yards per game. The Rebel defense has risen to the challenge this year and become very physical.

"Oh yeah, we were fired up," said senior linebacker/fullback Brad Campbell, who registered a jarring sack against Dyer Co. "We wanted to go after them and make them mess up. We didn't want them to have time to think."

Senior all-stater John Craig Howell, who had two sacks and 10 big hits, also had a big offensive night, catching a TD pass.

"We came out to make a statement; we wanted a little respect," Howell said. "And the touchdown is nice. It gets you fired up for defense."

Howell's big sack of DC quarterback Josh Ozment to end their final series was rather significant. Howell flattenend him, then casually walked off the field as if it was business as usual.

"I just didn't want him to make the yardage," said Howell.

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• West Carroll Middle School Defeats McKenzie
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• Trophy Case Presented
• Central Middle School Celebrates Homecoming