Rebels, Tigers Evenly Matched in Scrimmage

LEXINGTON (August 8) — The McKenzie High School Rebels got some valuable reps and learned a lot about their strengths and weaknesses during their second of three preseason scrimmages Friday night at Lexington High School.

The Rebels and the host Tigers played one hour of varsity football followed by a half hour of junior varsity. Play was full contact for offense and defense, but no-contact on special teams plays.

Both the varsity and JV matchups proved even, ending in scores of 21-21 and 6-6, respectively.

McKenzie began on offense, but went three-and-out.

Lexington moved the ball with ease on their first possession, scoring on three plays for a 7-0 lead with the no-contact point-after kick.

The Rebels’ second possession ended with an interception that gave the Tigers great position near midfield.

The Tigers capitalized quickly on the turnover, scoring on two plays for a 14-0 advantage.

McKenzie shook off the early struggles and scored on their first play, a 70-yard pass from Cole Brown to Avery Brown. Aiden Mason kicked the PAT, and the Rebels cut the deficit to 14-7.

The Rebel defense also found its footing, forcing a three-and-out for their first stop of the night.

The Tiger punt set McKenzie up at the far 36. Matteo Tabada ran for a short gain, then C. Brown scrambled for nine yards and a first down. Brown threw to Parker Ross for another first down, then found A. Brown for a 46-yard touchdown. Mason kicked, and the contest was tied at 14-all.

Lexington regained the lead, 21-14, with an extended drive, eight plays for 70 yards.

McKenzie needed 12 plays to knot the score, including a gutsy fourth-down keeper by C. Brown to set up an 18-yard passing touchdown to A. Brown. Mason’s kick made it 21-21.

The Tigers went three-and-out and punted.

After a long pass from C. Brown to Kason Brown for a first down, the Rebels quickly faced fourth-and-one. A fumble spoiled the conversion, and Lexington took over at their 20.

McKenzie kept the Tigers in check, forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down that was nearly intercepted.

Varsity play ended, and the JV squads took the field.

McKenzie fumbled on their first possession, but stifled the Tiger offense to get the ball back.

Ross passed to Mason for a first down, and Jayden Callis carried twice to get it in the end zone. The JV squads skipped special teams plays, so the Rebels led 6-0.

Lexington finished strong with a long touchdown to make it 6-6.

Following the contest, McKenzie Head Coach Keith Hodge spoke to The Banner about the team’s progress as the season approaches.

“Well, you’re always learning this time of year. I think that’s the main thing. You’re always trying to figure things out. You’ve got to move pieces around in scrimmages. We had to do that tonight.

“We learned that we can’t wait around. We’ve got to play faster right from the get-go. We just waited too long to get going, but I’m glad we responded the way we did. We came back and started playing hard, playing faster, settling in.

“And that’s a sign of youth. We’ve got some inexperience in a lot of places. The only way you can get experience is to keep playing, keep getting reps and keep practicing hard. Hopefully that light switch comes on, and I think it will for a lot of them.”

Hodge complimented the Tigers on a great scrimmage. “I knew that Lexington was going to be pretty good and get after it. They’ve got some speed in a lot of spots. I think this is a great matchup for us, it’s always a good scrimmage. We’ve enjoyed playing against them. It definitely makes us better, there’s no doubt about that. They made us better tonight, and I hope we did the same for them.”

The coach also praised the performance of the junior varsity players. “Our JV guys got in there and played really hard and got after it. They didn’t make excuses, they just played. I always enjoy watching JV play and try to figure things out and gain experience.”

The Rebels will complete their preseason Friday, August 15 at the Henry County High School Football Jamboree, where they face McCracken County at 7 p.m.