Rebels Open Season with Nail-Biting Win Over Lions

McKENZIE (August 8) — McKenzie Middle School hosted Dresden to open the football season Thursday. After a quick touchdown by the Lions, the Rebels pulled ahead by a dozen three separate times only to see Dresden climb back each time. After a wild fourth quarter, McKenzie held on for a 32-28 victory.

Dresden won the coin toss and received the opening kick. A short return set the Lions at their 30 yard line, and a good mix of rushes and passes led to a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive capped by a six-yard touchdown run by Caiden Mount. McKenzie stifled the two-point attempt, but Dresden had a 6-0 lead with five minutes to play in the first frame.

Rebel Dawson Reeder took a deep kick to the McKenzie 37 to start the first Rebel possession. Ten plays and three McKenzie penalties later, quarterback Parker Ross kept for a ten–yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, and the game was tied at 6-6 with 13 seconds to play in the opening quarter.

Rebel Seth Stafford kicked deep to start the Lions at their 19, and Cayden Gordon burst through the protection for a nine-yard sack of quarterback Athan Spaulding to close the first with the score tied, 6-6.

The second quarter opened with the McKenzie defense completing the three-and-out, and Mount’s punt was downed near midfield.

Ross kept the first snap and took it 48 yards to paydirt. An incomplete pass doomed the two-point try, but McKenzie had its first lead, 12-6, early in the quarter.

A short kick with no return started Dresden at their 36, but the offense stalled for a second consecutive three-and-out. A short punt was downed at the Rebel 45. A nine-play drive was nearly doomed twice. A high snap cost McKenzie 15 yards, but a good run by Ross led to a manageable fourth-and-three, where the Rebels enticed the defense to jump offside. Now first-and-goal, Ross threw incomplete before earning his third rushing touchdown. Another failed conversion kept the score at 18-6 with a minute to play in the half.

Mount returned Stafford’s deep kick to the Lion 37. Spaulding threw to David Odle for a long touchdown, but a holding penalty negated the score. Two plays later, the QB tossed to Mount, who broke many tackles to get close to a first down. McKenzie was assessed a personal foul to move the chains for Dresden. Spaulding threw to Colt Melton for nine, leaving one second on the clock, then found JonReece Allman for a 40-yard touchdown as time expired. Landon Kanady ran for two points to cut McKenzie’s lead to 18-14 heading into the break.

Reeder received the second-half kickoff and made a 40-yard return to the Lion 35. Ross and Reeder kept it on the ground but quickly faced third-and-eleven at the 25. The pair connected in the air to ensure the first down, but Reeder found a clear path to the end zone. Ross snuck in for two points, and McKenzie’s lead grew to 26-14 with five minutes left in the third.

Allman made a huge return before being run down by Gordon at the Rebel 30. Spaulding threw to Odle for 16 yards, then to Allman in the backfield, brought down quickly by Gordon. The Lion QB found Melton for a 15-yard touchdown. Mount was stopped short on the conversion, but Dresden had again cut into the lead, 26-20, with just under four minutes left in the third frame.

Reeder again had a solid kick return, stopped at the Rebel 40. A couple of long runs by Ross were marred by penalty, and a couple of good stops by Dresden put McKenzie in a precarious third-and-20. Ross answered the call again with a 27-yard keeper, then repeated for 16 to make it first-and-goal at the 3 entering the final frame.

Ross plowed through a pile of linemen to start the fourth with a three-yard touchdown. A high snap doomed the two-point try, but the Rebel lead was back up to a dozen, 32-20.

Due to an unsportsmanlike penalty on the scoring play, McKenzie kicked from the 20, giving the Lions good field position near midfield. Spaulding kept the ball in the air, earning multiple first downs to reach the red zone. A false start on first-and-goal threatened the momentum, but Spaulding connected with Melton near the sideline. Rebel Lane Brown forced the receiver out of bounds at the 1 to prevent a touchdown, and Mount lost two yards on second down. Two plays later, the Lions turned the ball over on downs at the 4.

Ross found a gap on the first snap and shook one defender at midfield for a 96-yard, would-be touchdown, but a blocking penalty took the Rebels all the way back to their 9. A first-down loss back to the 4 was followed by a high snap out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

This cut Dresden’s deficit to 32-22 and forced McKenzie to kick the ball off to the Lions from the 20 once again. Melton fielded the kick near midfield and returned it to the Rebel 7, finally brought down by Zack Lewis. Spaulding hit Odle at the goal line for the score, but threw incomplete on the two-point conversion. With just under four minutes to play, Dresden cut the Rebel lead to four points, 32-28.

Lewis made a short return to set McKenzie up at the 36 and in need of a couple of first downs to run out the clock. Ross looked to be in trouble on first down, but broke a tackle in the backfield and reversed his route to gain 21. Reeder carried twice for a net loss of one yard to bring up a dangerous third-and-eleven. True to form, Ross turned the pressure into fuel for a 15-yard run to move the chains and seal the win. He ran one more play, keeping for seven yards, then took a knee twice in victory formation.

With the 32-28 win, the Rebels take a 1-0 record to Henry County Thursday. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m.