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Evan Rogers (#25) makes a fumble recovery.
Rogers had nine tackles, two for loss, two
more sacks, a quarterback hurry and a fumble
recovery for a career night. (photo
courtesy of Lance Rider).
McKenzie beats Vikings 28-7, to host
Trinity in state quarterfinals
Friday night, McKenzie's football team was
presented a challenge.
The Rebels hadn't been past the second round
of the state football playoffs since 2002.
They Rebels hadn't played a quality opponent
in several weeks. The Rebels desperately
wanted to remove that second round primate
from their backs. They have been eliminated
in the second round three of the last four
years (in 2004, McKenzie lost in the first
round at Cheatham County 50-28). How would
they respond?
Were the Rebels great? Perhaps not great.
Good? Indeed. Was Fayette Academy a quality
opponent? Absolutely. And even though the
Rebels had a few mistakes, they persevered
to defeat a tough visiting Viking squad 28-7
to advance to the Class A quarterfinals next
Friday night against Trinity Christian,
28-14 victors over Hollow Rock-Bruceton
Central. Kickoff will be 7 p.m. at Rebel
Field.
The victory marks the fifth time in school
history that the Rebels have reached this
point. McKenzie first reached the
quarterfinals in 1980 when they suffered a
21-7 setback at Lake County. The Rebels were
in the quarterfinals for three straight
years from 2000 to 2002, reaching the
semifinals twice in 2001 and 2002.
McKenzie coach Wade Comer warned his players
before the game that the Vikings were better
than what their 5-6 record might suggest.
Quarterback Davis Cocke made his return to
the lineup after suffering an injury early
in the season. The Vikings displayed speed,
quickness, an ability to run well off the
football and on defense, chased McKenzie
quarterback Derek Carr from the pocket a
half dozen times and sacked him twice.
Still, the Rebels managed the adversity, the
two turnovers played a ball-control game.
"Fayette Academy is a good ballclub and
played hard and I knew they would," said
Comer. "It was a good game for us because we
hadn't been in a game like that in a while."
The Rebels kept it on the ground for the
most part and controlled the clock. Senior
Tyler Moore ran hard in the first half. He
had 19 carries for 89 yards. In the second
half, the Rebels turned it over to sophomore
running back Jake Johnson, who torched the
Vikings for 105 yards on 13 carries.
Jake Johnson scores a
second half touchdown. He rushed for 105
yards and had 13 carries. (photo by Joel
Washburn)
"Johnson came in in the second half and ran
well and did a good job and looked good
doing it," said Comer of his sophomore who
had been held out with an ankle injury.
"Moore did a good job, too. He softened up
their defense, then we threw Johnson in and
he was a nice change up."
The Rebels stopped an eight-play, 36-yard
drive, forced a punt, then drove 89 yards in
11 plays ending in Moore's 5-yard TD run.
Harris Laughrey hit the first of his four
PATs and with 2:37 left in the first,
McKenzie led 7-0. But it wasn't easy.
Fayette Academy made the Rebels work for the
score. The Vikings forced Carr to convert a
third-and-10 play by scrambling and then
connecting with senior receiver Clint Kee
for a circus-type 36-yard reception. That
set up the score. The Rebels wanted to
establish that they could move the ball
great distances; Fayette Academy couldn't.
"They had kids who were physical with us and
we came back and we were physical with
them," said Comer of the struggle. "We had
to get adjusted to the speed of the game.
Once we got our feet under ourselves, we got
our edge and our swagger back."
The Rebels picked off two passes in the
second quarter. Kyle Kirk stepped in front
of a pass with 9:59 to play in the half, but
the resulting drive sputtered. When Fayette
Academy got the ball back, all-state
linebacker Tyler Reeder introduced himself
to the Vikings. Cocke rolled to his left,
felt pressure and looked to pass back to the
right. Instead of finding a Fayette Academy
receiver, he found Reeder. The Rebel senior
caught the pass, paused for a second, almost
in shock that it was so easy, then sprinted
25 yards for his first career touchdown. He
had an 11-yard fumble return at Union City
last season. With 6:06 to play in the half,
the Rebels led 14-0, but Rebel fans sensed
potential for danger.
And the Vikings resorted to a bit of
gadgetry to score their only TD of the game.
Cocke linked up with Zach Bryson for a
27-yard completion and Bryson ran the
hook-and-ladder play with Kyle Bliss, who
darted an additional 11 yards on the pitch.
With the ball on the Rebel 8, Ron Butler
carted it the rest of the way to trim the
lead with :42 to play. Brandon Duke nailed
the PAT and the Rebel lead had been trimmed
to seven, 14-7.
Defensive lineman Tyler Reeder (#58)
intercepted a Fayette Academy pass and made
his first career touchdown. (photo
courtesy of Lance Rider)
The Rebels wrested control of the game in
the second half. McKenzie snapped the 31
times in the final two quarters, the Vikings
just 15. The Rebels had 180 yards in the
final two frames, Fayette Academy just 14.
Evan Rogers' fumble recovery with 8:57 to
play in the third set up McKenzie's next
score on the Viking 14. After a 2-yard loss
on the first play, Jacob Fussell, on a
fullback blast up the middle, ran over
would-be Viking tacklers and surged 16 yards
to the end zone. McKenzie led 21-7 with 8:17
remaining in the third.
"Our fullbacks played well," said Comer.
"The ran well and when the blocked, they
blew up the ends well and the line blocked
well, too."
Johnson got in the act in the fourth frame.
With 8:00 to play in the game, he marched in
from the 5, ending and eight-play, 70-yard
drive. The Rebels benefited from a huge sack
from Rogers and a pass break-up from John
Campbell. Campbell swatted away the ball
with his broken hand, injured Monday at
practice.
The Rebels got the ball back for one final
march to the red zone where the clock ran
out with the ball on the Viking 5. McKenzie
had survived and advanced to the
quarterfinals for the first time in six
seasons.
Defensively, McKenzie forced four turnovers:
three interceptions and one fumble recovery.
"Our secondary played lights out and covered
well," said Comer. "We got good pressure and
kept their quarterback contained."
This game could help build the Rebels'
confidence moving forward.
"Trinity is a good team and the competition
gets a little tougher the farther you go,"
Comer said. "This will give us come
confidence going into next week as we get
ready for Trinity."
Carr was just 4-7 passing for 64 yards and
an interception. Rusty Chapman had two
catches for 22 yards. Clint Kee had one
catch for 36 yards and Kyle Kirk had one
grab for 6. Fussell had six carries for 51
yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Evan
Rogers and Caleb Parham had career nights.
Rogers had nine tackles, two for loss, two
more sacks, a quarterback hurry and a fumble
recovery. Parham had six tackles, two for
loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry.
"Parham came to play," said Comer. "He did
an outstanding job and we hope that's a
taste of things to come; he played
exceptionally well and got after the
football well."
Campbell had nine stops as well and a
club-handed pass break-up. Reeder had four
stops, an interception for a touchdown, two
QB hurries and broke up a pass. Kirk and
Chapman each had interceptions.
For the Vikings, Butler carried 15 times for
47 yards and a score. Cocke was 5-18 passing
for 56 yards and three picks. Rodney Tatum
had two catches for 28 yards. Defensively,
Kyle Bliss had eight tackles including a
sack.
The Vikings close the season with a 5-7
mark. Should the Rebels, now 11-1, defeat
the Lions next week, it will host either Jo
Byrns or Mt. Pleasant in the Class A
semifinals in two weeks.
"We're one of eight teams left playing and
one of them is going to win it," Comer said.
"We're going to find out just how good we
are."
(Jim Steele is editor and webmaster of the
sports website mckenzizerebels.com) |
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