By Jim Steele steele@mckenziebanner.com

ADAMSVILLE - After sputtering for the first 10 minutes or so in its Region 6-2A game at Adamsville Friday night, McKenzie decided it was time to turn on the jets.
The Rebels trailed 14-0 going into the second frame, but put together one of its finest efforts of the season with a crucial 35-14 victory.
The Rebels improve to 3-1 and 1-1 in Region 6-2A thanks to the triumph.
Sure, the offense churned out some rather bulky numbers: Drew Hayes had 304 yards passing, the Rebels cranked 423 total yards and 35 unanswered points. Lost in the shuffle was the effort of the defense, which had been somewhat maligned after the first three weeks.
Need evidence? Well, Adamsville scored MHS for 192 yards in the first half. It managed but 26 yards the rest of the way. The Cardinal offense managed 14 plays in the second half and held the ball only 4:51 in the final 24 minutes.
This was a total team effort after the Rebels got rolling.
"We finally got it headed in the right direction," said McKenzie coach Wade Comer. "The defense up and started playing and I was pleased with that."
The Rebels found Adamsville running back T.J. Robinson to be quite slippery in the first quarter. The speedy tailback had 15 carries for 120 yards in the first half and marched the Cards to the end zone in their first series. Adamsville vaulted into the lead with 7:59 to play in the first when he scored from the 1 after a 93-yard drive. He was instrumental in setting up the play-action TD pass from quarterback Tyler Mitchell to Will Browder that covered 16 yards with 10:18 to play in the second frame.
That's when McKenzie took care of business. Robinson managed just a yard after half time while the Rebels torched the Cardinals for 35 points.
But McKenzie's ascension wasn't without drama. The Rebels got on the board with 8:18 to play in the half when Hayes found Randy Lacey for a 28-yard TD hookup. Hayes ran in the PAT on the swinging-gate play and the Rebels trailed 14-8.
After being so effective on the ground, Adamsville went airborne without any success. The Rebs took over on their own 29 and marched 71 yards to paydirt. But they needed a bit of heart-stopping help. On a fourth-and-six play, Hayes found a racing Greg Pruitt down the right sideline for a 32-yard gain and a first down. That enabled sophomore Bryson Lewis to dive into the end zone from the 1 for his first career score. John Kermit Laughrey booted the PAT and the Rebels led 15-14. It was never a game after that.
"We're beat up right now, but the offense played really well," said Comer. "We have some young kids filling holes right now and really stepping up."
McKenzie needed only 61 seconds in the third quarter to take control of the game. Hayes led a darting Lacey down the middle of the field for a 57-yard TD pass. Laughrey's kicks lifted MHS to a 22-14 lead.
Three plays and a punt later, McKenzie took over on it's own 33 and kept the ball for 5:27 when Hayes hit Lewis for a 17-yard TD pass. The PAT was blocked, but the Rebels led 28-14.
The Rebels delivered the knockout punch when Hayes hit Pruitt for an 11-yard TD strike with 6:30 to play in the game. Laughrey's kick gave McKenzie its final margin.
Comer had been looking for this type of effort all season.
"It's never been a question of effort," said the coach. "We just have to play smarter. We made some adjustments and the kids picked up on it."
Robinson was a problem early, but the Rebel defense kept Adamsville off the field and the MHS offense did the rest.
"Robinson is a heck of a running back," Comer said. "They are a lot different team when he's in there. They are much improved when he's in there."
The Rebels were smarter. They had no turnovers and few penalties, and a couple they did have were suspect calls.
Hayes was solid again, completing 17 of 30 passes for 304 yards and three TDs. He did not have an interception. Lewis led the Rebs in rushing with 59 yards on 22 carries. He also had a catch for 17 yards. Lacey had five catches for 126 yards while Pruitt had seven receptions for 113 yards. Clint Anderson had three grabs for 47 yards.
Mitchell was 5-18 for 81 yards and a touchdown to lead Adamsville. Robinson had 18 carries for 121 yards.
Lacey had nine tackles to lead the McKenzie defense. Cody Cook had four stops and a sack for a 13-yard loss. Anderson had four stops as well. Pruitt and Shawn Luna each had three tackles.
"We had to have this win," Comer said. "This win was big; it gets us on the board in the region."
Next week, the Rebels will step outside the region when Trenton-Peabody visits Rebel Field. Kickoff is 7:30 Friday night.

SUMMARY

M 0 15 13 7 36
A 7 7 0 0 14

FIRST QUARTER
A - 7:59 T.J. Robinson 1 run, Christopher Kimmons kick. 10 plays, 93 yards, 4:01.
SECOND QUARTER
A - 10:18 Will Browder 3 pass from Tyler Mitchell, Kimmons kick. 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:18.
M - 8:18 Randy Lacey 28 pass from Drew Hayes, Hayes run. 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:00.
M - 3:28 Bryson Lewis 1 run, John Kermit Laughrey kick. 10 plays, 71 yards, 2:55.
THIRD QUARTER
M - 10:59 Lacey 57 pass from Hayes. Laughrey kick. 2 plays, 63 yards, 1:01.
M - 3:47 Lewis 17 pass from Hayes, kick blocked. 13 plays, 67 yards, 5:27.
FOURTH QUARTER
M - 6:30 Pruitt 11 pass from Hayes, Laughrey kick. 10 plays, 67 yards, 5:13.

M A
Final score 35 14
First downs 15 11
Yds. rushing 30-119 27-137
Yds. passing 304 81
Comp.-att.-int. 17-30-0 5-18-0
No. of plays 60 45
Total yds. 423 218
Third down 7-13 2-7
Fourth down 3-4 0-1
Red zone 3-3 2-2
Fumbles 1-0 1-0
Punts-avg. 2-33 5-25
Penalties 6-70 6-32
Possession 28:45 19:15

By Pat Cole pcole@mckenziebanner.com

The Huntingdon Mustangs were on a rampage Friday night when the Chester County Eagle came to visit. Although the Stangs were celebrating homecoming and had a week of the usual homecoming activities, once the game began, they were as focused as they were the night they won the state championship. The Stangs struck quickly and often in their 59-7 victory. They scored 27 first quarter points, added 13 in the second, seven in the third and another 12 in the fourth. Phillip “Boo” Weathers (seven carries for 240 yards and six touchdowns) and Scott Hampton (two receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns) led the offensive attack while Cody Baker and Jorge Perez seemed to be everywhere defensively.
The game began literally with a bang as the Stangs had the opening offensive opportunity and quickly reached pay dirt. After the kick went out at the 35, the Stangs took over and despite a five yard penalty for motion, they were on their way. Chris Donald led off with a one-yard gain and then sophomore quarterback Cody Crocker moved back to pass, gained the time he needed and threw the ball to Hampton who reached the end zone at the 11:14 mark. Hampton then moved out to kick the PAT (five for the night) good and the Stangs held a 7-0 advantage.
Melvin Armstrong took the kick from Hunter Hastings and was stopped at the Eagles 24 by Tony Nellett and Baker. Jake McKinnie moved right to the 45 before he was stopped by Weathers, but that was about all they would be able to gain. After another four-yard gain, the Eagles punted the ball out and Huntingdon took over at their own 20. Weathers got the ball, got some superb blocking and with a little jigging and jagging reached the end zone at the 8:50 mark. Hampton’s PAT was again good, leaving the Stangs with a 14-0 lead.
Hastings next kick was short and taken by the Eagles at their own 43. Cale Belew, Perez and Baker led the defensive charge and after a gain of only four yards, the Eagles punted again. The Stangs were penalized on the return and took over at their own eight-yard line.
Donald quickly moved the ball to the Eagle 38. Crocker connected with Hampton for a four-yard pass. Donald gained two, Weathers one and then Donald moved left to the 24 for first down. Weathers then moved the ball into the end zone at the 4:09 mark and after Hampton made it three in a row, the Stangs led 21-0.
The Eagles took over at their own 25 on their next possession. Brandon Snyder, Perez, Belew, Weathers, and Hampton held the advance to a mere five and received the punt at the 1:25 mark.
Donald began the possession with a gain of first down, but a flag moved the ball back 10 yards and they faced second and two. A complete pass was good for a first down at the Eagle 27, Donald moved up the middle to the 16 and then Weathers took the ball into the end zone at the 27.3 mark. The PAT never left the ground and Huntingdon led 27-0.
Baker halted the kickoff return at the 25 and Perez made the stop after a gain of four as the first quarter came to an end. The Eagles managed to gain a first down at the Stangs 44 on a run by Armstrong, who was hit hard by Baker and he left the game for the night. Brandon Cooper fumbled the ball and Hastings recovered for the Stangs. A pass to Baker was good for a first down at the Eagle 46 and then Weathers again took the ball the remainder of the way, scoring at the 10:54 mark. Hampton again kicked a good PAT and the Stangs lead improved to 34-0.
The ball was returned to the 34 where Josh Noles and Jason Norman made the tackle. Drew Smith and Maurice Williams held the advance to a loss of three. Marcus Beal and Donald held the advance to seven and after a pass brought no gain, the Eagles again punted the ball out at the Huntingdon 33.
Crocker passed incomplete to Hampton and then threw to J.P. Powell for a gain of one. A pass to Bell however drew the first down at the Eagle 44. A pass to E.J. Mann was good for a first down at the 30. and Kegan Ball reached the 13 on another run. Hampton took the ball up the middle at the 6:25 mark and although the kick by Adam Tucker was off the mark, the Stangs led 40-0.
Perez, Hampton, and Hastings led the attack and after a gain of only one first down, the Eagles punted the ball. Noles picked up nine yards and Ball the first down at the 49. Ball ran for gains of six and 16. The Stangs got the ball to the two-yard line as time expired for the first half.
At intermission, the Marching Mustangs presented part of their show, followed by the crowning of the homecoming queen Lindsay Pierce and the presentation of her court and all the escorts. The Marching Mustangs then presented the remainder of their show in preparation for their first competitive effort at Milan on Saturday.
The Eagles returned to the field with determination and managed to pick up a single first down, but the defensive efforts of Jorge, Baker, and Beal left them punting poorly. A penalty on the Stangs gave them a brief reprieve, but only two more yards and they punted the ball out at the 27.
Weathers had two more carries, one for a loss of one and the second for a touchdown at the 5:36 mark. Hampton’s kick was good and Huntingdon now led 47-0.
Substitutions began to move onto the field on both sides of the ball for the Stangs. Brent Taylor became a force in the second half on defense with the assistance of Snyder, Nellett, Powell, and Norman. On their next offensive opportunity, the Eagles finally made it to the end zone. An 11 play drive which culminated early in the fourth period found Lance Wallace scoring for the Eagles at the 10:41 mark and his kick for one more was also good as the score was narrowed to 47-7.
The Stangs were not to be outdone. Weathers took the kickoff and moved the ball the 85 yards to pay dirt as he dodged and eluded defender after defender. At the 10:20 mark, the Stangs PAT was no good, but they held a 53-7 advantage.
After holding the Eagles to a single play when Taylor recovered a fumble, the Stangs began their next possession at their own 37 and four plays later, Noles reached the end zone on a nine-yard run at the 8:16 mark. The snap for the PAT was bad and Tucker covered the ball. Huntingdon now led 59-7.
With Baker making the calls on offense and Jerry McClerkin, Noles, Nellett, Brandon McCormick and Ethan Parham making the stops on defense, the game ultimately wound down as Huntingdon won the game and improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in regional action. This Friday night the Stangs travel to Martin Westview for a non-regional contest.

By Pat Cole pcole@mckenziebanner.com

West Carroll’s War Eagles traveled to Gleason last Friday night for a big regional contest and returned home with a 40-16 victory over the Bulldogs.
West Carroll won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff of the game. War Eagle Jeremiah Johnson returned the ball to the 25 where he was tackled by Edward Torres. Ethan Thompson took the ball for a gain of four before he was stopped by Ryan Bennett, followed by an incomplete pass from Chris Cannon to Kevin Gentile. Gentile then took the ball off tackle and picked up a first down at the 40 before he was stopped by T.J. Wilson. Gentile gained another 20 yards before he was brought down by David Dycus and Brian Spain. The Dawgs were penalized for motion, Thompson took the ball; it was fumbled and recovered by Bradley Coleman. Cannon passed the ball to Brandon Carter; it was tipped and caught by Chancy DePriest. With the ball at the Gleason 15, the ball was again fumbled and recovered by the War Eagles for a two-yard gain. Gentile then took the ball off tackle and entered the end zone at the 8:53 mark for the touchdown. Thompson took the ball into the end zone for the two-point conversion to give the War Eagles an 8-0 lead.
DePriest kicked the ball to Dycus who returned the ball to the 40 before he was tackled by Lamarr Dixon. A pass from Adam Bennett to Jacob Howington was incomplete. Wilson took the ball for a gain of five before he was run out of bounds by Johnson. Alex Torres was held by Carter for no gain and Spain punted the ball which was downed at the War Eagle 34.
DePriest took the ball for a loss of two while Gentile picked up eight before the stop by R. Bennett. On third and four, Gentile ran off tackle and gained a first down at the 43 before he was stopped by Torres. Cannon fumbled and recovered for no gain. On second down, Gentile picked up another eight before the stop by Dycus and Jason Mathis. Thompson gained the first down before he was stopped by Mathis. A pass from Cannon to DePriest was good for six and Thompson picked up the first down at the 27 before he was stopped by Josh Verdell and Dycus. With the ball at the Gleason 27, Cannon passed the ball to DePriest in the end zone at the 3:00 mark and the War Eagles improved their margin to 14-0. The two-point conversion was no good.
Dycus received the kick and returned the ball seven yards before he was stopped by Joe Gentile. A procedure call penalized the Dawgs five yards. A. Bennett passed to Wilson for a first down before the stop by K. Gentile at the Gleason 34. Another procedure call against the Dawgs moved the ball back to the 29. Howington took the ball on the reverse and was stopped by Jason Lott for a loss of six. Kenney Brewer held Wilson to a gain of two and on third down, Bennett’s pass, intended for Howington was intercepted by DePriest who returned the ball to the Gleason 29.
Cannon’s pass was incomplete on first down, but on second down, DePriest picked up five yards as the first quarter came to an end. As the second quarter began, Gentile took the ball for first down at the one-foot line where he was stopped by Wilson, but the next play, Gentile entered the end zone at the 11:28 mark and DePriest scored two as the War Eagles took a 22-0 lead.
Gleason’s Trae Vaughn took the kick and returned it to the 43 where he was stopped by Karl Erwin. Vaughn was held for to a loss of one by Erwin and Lott. Facing second and 11, Torres picked up three yards. A penalty on the Dawgs moved the ball back to the 39 and Bennett attempted a pass to Howington which was incomplete. Spain punted the ball which was downed at the War Eagle 33.
Gentile picked up six yards before the stop by Torres. Thompson gained two more and DePriest the first down at the War Eagle 47 before he was stopped by Howington. Howington broke up a pass intended for Erwin. Gentile gained five before he was stopped by Torres and R. Bennett. A pass to Carter was incomplete and on fourth and five, Gentile moved the ball for the first down at the Gleason 40. Cannon completed a pass to Erwin for a first down at the 30 before he was stopped by Wilson and Dustin Farlow. Thompson moved the ball to the 20 with Howington on the stop and then Gentile moved into the end zone for the touchdown at the 5:12 mark. The PAT was no good and the War Eagles now led 28-0.
The War Eagles Lott, Thompson, Brewer, and Joseph Johnson led the War Eagle defensive attack as the Dawgs attempted to score on their next possession. Torres picked up gains of three and nine yards while Bennett’s pass to Byron Fuqua was good for three more. Howington also gained five yards in the series. With the ball at the War Eagle 48, the Dawgs took a timeout. Bennett, under pressure from Erwin, then threw the ball which was intercepted by Jeremiah Johnson. On first and 10 at their own 15, the War Eagles were penalized for illegal procedure. Cannon completed a pass to DePriest and Gentile gained five yards, followed by 10. With only 40 seconds remaining in the first half, Cannon found Johnson for the touchdown and after the failed PAT, the War Eagles led 34-0. The Dawgs were held to only three plays as the half concluded with Bennett sacked by Carter and Lott for a loss of 14 yards.
During intermission, the home crowd was entertained by the Marching War Eagles who traveled to Milan on Saturday for their first competitive effort of the season.
The second half began with the Bulldogs on offense and Dycus returning the ball 13 yards to the Dawgs 30 before he was stopped by B.J. Reyes. The possession was short-lived as Erwin and Tony Wyatt led the defensive attack. After gaining only four yards, the Dawgs punted the ball to Jeremiah Johnson who signaled for a fair catch.
The War Eagles began a drive which ended in a fumble, recovered by Gleason’s Cruz Legens at the Gleason 15.
With the Dawgs again on offense, Torres took the ball for a gain of one, Bennett passed the ball to Fuqua for a short gain and Wilson gained a first down at the 28. Howington was held for a loss of four, but Wilson gained eight and facing fourth and nine, the Dawgs decided to go for the down. Bennett reached back to pass to Howington, but he was hit by Brewer as he released the ball and DePriest picked off the pass. With some great blocking, DePriest reached the end zone at the 2:00 mark and after a failed PAT attempt, the War Eagle lead was now 40-0.
Howington took the kick and returned the ball to the Gleason 40 where he was stopped by Dixon. Torres gained five and Wilson picked up two. A pass to Fuqua was ruled completed and Gleason had first down at the War Eagle 35. Torres then moved for a gain of four, followed by a first down run to the 24 by Wilson. With the ball at the War Eagle 10, Legens took it for a gain of five and then Torres found the end zone at the 10:00 mark of the final period. A two-point conversion pass to Fuqua was good, to narrow the margin to 40-8.
Substitutions were made on the West Carroll offensive effort and the younger players took over at their own 34. Wade Holladay moved the ball to the 49 and Troy Simmons gained a yard. Dixon picked up two yards, but a motion penalty moved the ball back to the 47. Dixon picked up six before Simmons was held just shy as the defensive efforts of Spain, Farlow, Torres, Sam Owen, and Vaughn paid off. The Dawgs took over at their own 41.
An 11-play drive followed as the Dawgs were determined to score again. Legens gained two while Edwards Torres took the ball for a first down at the West Carroll 42. Legens gained two more and E. Torres gained a first down at the War Eagle 31. Torres was tagged to run for nine while Fuqua was held to a loss of one. Torres was then held for no gain. However with a fourth and two facing the Dawgs, Torres took the ball to the War Eagle 17 for the first down. Howington moved for five and Legens for a first down at the four. Howington took the ball into the end zone from the four and the two-point conversion by E. Torres was good, putting the score at 40-16 with 8.6 remaining on the clock.
The War Eagles improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in regional action while the Bulldogs fall to 0-4 and 0-2 respectively. This Friday night, the War Eagles will host Perry County and the Bulldogs will host Trinity Christian, both non-regional games.

2004 Sports Archives:

01-07-04 01-14-04 01-21-04 01-28-04 02-04-04 02-11-04 02-18-04 02-25-04 03-03-04 03-10-04 03-17-04

03-24-04 03-31-04 04-07-04 04-14-04 04-21-04 04-28-04 05-05-04 05-12-04 05-19-04 05-26-04 06-02-04

06-09-04 06-16-04 06-23-04 06-30-04 07-07-04 07-14-04 07-21-04 07-28-04 08-04-04 08-11-04 08-18-04

08-25-04 09-01-04 09-08-04 09-15-04 09-22-04 09-29-04 10-06-04 10-13-04 10-20-04 10-27-04 11-03-04

11-10-04 11-17-04 11-24-04 12-01-04 12-08-04 12-15-04 12-22-04 12-29-04

2003 Sports Archives:

01-01-03 01-08-03 01-15-03 01-22-03 01-29-03 02-05-03 02-12-03 02-19-03 02-26-03 03-05-03 03-12-03

03-19-03 03-26-03 04-02-03 04-09-03 04-16-03 04-23-03 04-30-03 05-07-03 05-14-03 05-21-03 05-28-03

06-04-03 06-11-03 06-18-03 06-25-03 07-02-03 07-09-03 07-16-03 07-23-03 07-30-03 08-06-03 08-13-03

08-20-03 08-27-03 09-03-03 09-10-03 09-17-03 09-24-03 10-01-03 10-08-03 10-15-03 10-22-03 10-29-03

11-05-03 11-12-03 11-19-03 11-26-03 12-03-03 12-10-03 12-17-03 12-24-03 12-31-03

2002 Sports Archives:

01-02-02 01-09-02 01-16-02 01-23-02 01-30-02 02-06-02 02-13-02 02-20-02 02-27-02 03-06-02 03-13-02

03-20-02 03-27-02 04-03-02 04-10-02 04-17-02 04-24-02 05-01-02 05-08-02 05-15-02 05-22-02 05-29-02

06-05-02 06-12-02 06-19-02 06-26-02 07-03-02 07-10-02 07-17-02 07-24-02 07-31-02 08-07-02 08-14-02

08-21-02 08-28-02 09-04-02 09-11-02 09-18-02 09-25-02 10-02-02 10-09-02 10-16-02 10-23-02 10-30-02

11-06-02 11-13-02 11-20-02 11-27-02 12-04-02 12-11-02 12-18-02 12-25-02

2001 Sports Archives:

06-06-01 06-13-01 06-20-01 06-27-01 07-04-01 07-11-01

07-18-01 07-25-01 08-01-01 08-08-01 08-15-01 08-22-01

08-29-01 09-05-01 09-12-01 09-19-01 09-26-01 10-03-01

10-10-01 10-17-01 10-24-01 10-31-01 11-07-01 11-14-01

11-21-01 11-28-01 12-05-01 12-12-01 12-19-01 12-26-01