Friday Night Lights: All Eyes on McKenzie-Huntingdon Showdown

Buckle up, football fans! The ultimate small-town showdown is about to explode onto the gridiron as the McKenzie Rebels and Huntingdon Mustangs clash in their 95th battle. Though classifications may have changed, the feud between McKenzie and Huntingdon burns hotter than ever. This isn’t just a game; it’s a battle for county supremacy.

The Mustangs host the Rebels this year at Paul Ward Stadium, and it promises to be a heck of a game. Huntingdon leads the series 67-26-1. Since becoming the opening game of the season, the Rebels lead the series 4-3. Huntingdon has wins in 2017 (34-0), 2018 (49-19) and 2019 (31-22) while McKenzie won 2020 (31-22), 2021 (46-28), 2022 (34-12) and 2023 (28-12).

Loaded with seasoned seniors and battle-hardened juniors, both the Rebels and Mustangs are primed for gridiron action. Seniors for McKenzie include: Skyler Fornera, Martez Teague, Gage Crosland, Barry Swalley, Colt Norden, Tate Surber, Landon Brown, Guillermo Hickman, Samuel Calderon, Craegen Travis, Aden Heath, KD Cunningham, Jacob Smith and Trey Gilbert.

Seniors for Huntingdon include: Meal Leavitt, Gabe Smothers, Gray Eubanks, Wesley Williams, Brady Warbritton, Aiden Hilliard, Easton Byars, Braylon Rich, Dante Pearson and Rayshawn Parker.

All-State Honors were to McKenzie’s Colt Norden and Huntingdon’s Gray Eubanks.

Looking at last season’s records and results, both teams were very impressive. The Mustangs went 11-2 advancing to the quarterfinal round of the TSSAA playoffs ultimately losing to the state champion Riverside Panthers (24-7). Huntingdon knocked off Milan (49-20) and Waverly (62-0).

The Rebels advanced to the state championship round for the third consecutive year only to fall short against perennial winner South Pittsburg. McKenzie went 13-2 on the season with its only regular season loss to Dresden (42) in week two. In the postseason, the Rebels took out Cornersville (31-14), Collinwood (43-0), Moore County (28-27) and Dresden (25-14) before taking silver against South Pitt (14-7).

Several prognosticators across the state predicted a fourth consecutive state championship appearance run for the Rebels and of course South Pitt is picked to represent that other portion of the state in 1A. As for Class 2A a deep run in the playoffs and possible a championship berth is on the horizon for Huntingdon in 2024.

McKenzie is led by first year Rebel Head Coach Keith Hodge. Coach Hodge was the head coach at Dresden High School (2021-2023, 2009-2013) and Murray High School (2014-2021). Coach Hodge has had several other assistant coaching stints during his 19-year career.

He is joined by Trey Cantrell, Austin Chapman, Ben Carter, Merritt Spence, David Duncan, Kentrell Diggs, Randy Thomas and Chris Wall.

The Mustangs are led by Head Coach Eric Swenson. Coach Swenson boasts 151 wins in his tenure as the head coach at Huntingdon. Previously, he was the head coach at Hickman County along with assistant stints at West Carroll and Huntingdon. His assistants are Robbie Miller, Jake Warbritton, Alan Eubanks, Adam Parish, Bryan Dickens and Rick Wallace.

Beyond the outcome of this year’s game, the legacy of this rivalry will continue to shape the lives of countless students and community members. As the teams take the field, they carry with them the hopes and dreams of generations past. And while only one team can emerge victorious on Friday night, the true winners will be the fans who experience the magic of high school football at its finest. Game time is 7 p.m.