By JIM STEELE
mckenzierebels.com

TRENTON - When McKenzie looks back on its road trip to historic Freed Field, it will file this game under "missed opportunities" and "mental mistakes."

The visiting Rebels showed they had the chops to hang with Trenton-Peabody, but hanging with the Golden Tide wasn't good enough. Peabody won a tough non-regional football battle 34-24.

This was a game that hinged on a few key plays, a few key moments, one that could have gone either way, even with as few as four minutes left in the game. But in the end, the Tide came away with the victory to go 3-1 on the season. The Rebels bow to 2-1.

"Hanging people and getting close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," said McKenzie football coach Wade Comer. "So sometime, to be the man, you have to beat the man; if we are just satisfied with hanging with somebody, you aren't ever going to be any better than average."

It was a showcase game for two marquee players in West Tennessee and they provided the entertainment. Peabody standout Kendal Harper proved to be a menace on the ground, carrying 19 times for 97 yards, but he was 7-7 passing for 133 yards. His aerial proficiency wasn't something Comer had planned on. Yeah, Harper hit his receivers, but in all but one of those connections, McKenzie had the play well defended.

"Their receivers made tough catches and Harper is an outstanding athlete," said Comer. "He's fast, quick and hard to corral."

Similarly, Rebel all-state quarterback Derek Carr had good numbers himself. He was 16-32 for 218 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

"That Carr kid is a dadgum good football player," said Trenton coach Kent Scott. "He's a good passer, a good runner and he's the heart and soul of that team."

Carr showed his skill right off the bat after McKenzie made a stop, thanks to Kyle Kirk's fumble recovery. With 3:09 to play in the first, Carr found senior receiver Clint Kee for a 13-yard TD strike and the Rebels made their seven-play, 53-yard drive look easy. Harris Laughrey booted the first of three extra points on the night and McKenzie had jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first.

McKenzie had two huge chances in the second frame to dictate the pace. Trenton knotted the game at 7 when Tamias Johnson scored from the 1 with 10:20 to play. Mark Callahan hit the first of four PAT kicks. That's when the cavalcade of missed opportunites began to manifest themselves.

The Rebels took the ensuing possession down to the 15, converting one fourth-down play, a 21-yard pass to Rusty Chapman, to break into the red zone. A motion penalty backed the Rebels up to the 15 and the drive sputtered. Instead of getting a touchdown, McKenzie settled for a 32-yard field goal from Laughrey for a 10-7 lead.

The Tide came right back with a 65-yard drive, ending in Johnson's 1-yard score. Peabody led 14-10 with 4:25 to play in the half. The Rebels made a huge stop late in the half and took over on the Tide 30. A 30-yard punt was returned to the 30 by Quinton Bowden and MHS appeared to be in business. But Carr completed only two of six passes in the series and the drive sputtered. With 15.4 seconds left in the half, McKenzie tried to edge closer with a 29-yard field goal, but a gust of wind blew it wide right and the Tide went into the half leading 14-10.

McKenzie would get the ball to start the second half, but a fumble on the return resulted in a two-play, 14-yard scoring drive for the Tide. With 11:02 to play, Johnson scored again and Peabody led 21-10.

The Rebels bounced right back with an impressive 11-play, 78-yard drive that ate up 4:53 and served to wear down the Tide defense. A big 25-yard completion from Carr to Chapman put McKenzie into Tide territory. Tyler Moore got the call from the 3 with 6:09 to play and MHS trailed 21-17. It probably should have and could have been 35-21 were it not for the missed opportunites.

Harper showed his athletic prowess during the next series. He was chased from the pocket twice, but complete two passes, a 23-yard shot to Raphael Miller, then a 47-yard missile to Mark Abbott, who happened to run under a ball that appeared to be over thrown. His completion lifted the Tide to a 27-17 lead after Callahan's kick missed.

The undaunted Rebels bounced right back again. Carr, who was on a 6-for-7 passing streak in the third, connected on three passes as they marched down to the 28. From there, Carr called his own number, raced around the left side and made a diving reach for the end zone. With 1:26 to play in the wild third, the Rebels had closed the gap again, 27-24.

The Tide seemed to be running on fumes as the fourth started. McKenzie stopped Trenton twice and had a chance to move the ball for the go-ahead score with 4:18 to play in the game. However, the Rebels would have to march 88 yards to do it. Moving the ball hadn't been a problem all night...until this drive. The Rebs managed two rushes for 6 yards and went for it on fourth down from their own 18. But the play failed. Trenton scored two plays later on Harper's 16-yard run with 2:29 to play. The Tide led 34-24.

McKenzie was on the move for a last-gasp effort. Carr nailed Kee with a 32-yard pass down to the Tide 34, but an interception on fourth down ended the drive and McKenzie's hopes for victory.

"Trenton has a good team, but these are games we have to find a way to win," said Comer. "We have to step up and finish the deal."

The coach wasn't disappointed with the effort, however.

"The kids played hard," he said, But wen we get opportunites, we have to make the plays. We're getting there and I thought we were better offensively, tonight."

The Rebels outgained Trenton 342-309 in total yardage. But mental errors turned into physical errors and opportunities went by the boards.

"Trenton is a good team and we have to be precise," said Comer. "We didn't execute very well and to reach goals we've achieved, we have to get used to the speed of the game and we have to beat good teams."

"I thought our secondary was very physical tonight and maybe that caused a few dropped balls," said Scott, the Tide skipper. "We made some big defensive plays in the first half that were huge and then made a stop and went up two scores in the fourth quarter. I think that gave us some confidence."

Chapman led McKenzie's receivers with five catches for 81 yards. Shabree Payne had four aerials for 65 yards. Kee had four for 55. Kirk had four returns for 66 yards. Defensively, senior linebacker John Campbell had 10 tackles, including one for a loss. Evan Rogers had eight stops and a sack. Kirk had seven tackles and a fumble recovery. Reeder, who shifted to defensive end for outside containment, had six tackles. Trenton ran away from his side.

Johnson had 22 carries for 60 yards for Peabody. Micajah Barnes had three catches for 40 yards. Barnes also led the Tide with seven tackles.

McKenzie will host Union City, who defeated Dresden Friday, 36-30, Sept. 21 in a Region 7A clash. It will be Stadium Dedication Night for McKenzie as all former MHS football players are invited to return for the ceremony. The Tide, meanwhile, will head to H.K. Grantham Field and UT-Martin to take on the Westview Chargers, who stunned Henry County Friday night. It will be a crucial Region 8-2A game.