By JIM STEELE
mckenzierebels.com

In the end, the McKenzie Rebels, defending Region 7A champions, simply weren't going to be denied.

A packed house of nearly 2,500 watched the McKenzie Rebels rally from a 33-21 third-quarter deficit to post 21 fourth-quarter points and earn their second victory over Union City in school history, 42-39.

The Rebels celebrated Stadium Dedication Night as MHS officially cut the ribbon on the newly-renovated South Side, completed last month ad adds 1,500 additional seats. Former players from the 1930s to last year's team came back to reminisce, take part in the festivities and be recognized.

The alum may have needed cardiac care before it was over.

Rumored to be another sacrificial lamb, even by Union City folk, the visiting Tornadoes unleashed game-long devastation and numerous McKenzie players suffered from the heat and humidty. And, because of some disciplinary action taken against some of the players by MHS coach Wade Comer, the Rebels weren't at full strength. Union City almost exploited McKenzie's numerical deficiencies.

However, MHS surged to 206 fourth-quarter yards, 21 points and pulled out a thriller in a game that wasn't the whitewash some had expected. Tyler Moore had 24 carries for 180 yards, most of that coming in the final frame. Sophomore Jake Johnson was a sparkplug, too. His 48-yard TD catalyzed the Rebels in the final frame and he scored the go-ahead TD with less than a minute to play. He rushed nine times for 97 yards and two TDs to go with six returns for 139 yards seven tackles, a sack and an interception. All that was missing was the partridge in a pear tree.

Comer was pleased with his team's heart and effort.

"This was probably the hottest it's been for a game this year and we had to gut it out," said Comer, as many of his exhausted players staggered from the dressing room. "Our kids showed a lot of heart and will and I was proud of the effort; we stepped up amd made the plays we needed to."

He singled out the efforts by Johnson and Moore.

"Jake ran the ball well and Moore was getting tired," said Comer. "It was good change-up and it spelled us. Tyler ran exceptionally well and his last run for the two-point conversion was probably his strongest run of the night."

This game wasn't for the faint-of-heart Rebel fan. McKenzie and UC swapped leads all game long. McKenzie took a 21-20 lead at the half and would receive the kickoff to start the second half. The Rebels marched down to Twister 16 and bogged down. Rebel quarterback Derek Carr was picked off in the end zone and Union City began the first of two 80-yard drives for scores.

UC quarterback Brett White, who carried nine times for 97 yards and four TDs, got his third of the night after an eight-play, 80-yard drive that took nearly four minutes. The kick failed, but UC took a 26-21 lead. The Rebels had to punt on their next possession and Carr's 55-yard boot went through the end zone. UC took over on the 20 again and needed only four plays to cover the yardage. Pat Polk's 64 yard run set up White's 1-yard scoring plunge with :19 left in the third. The TD lifted the Tornadoes to a 33-21 advantage.

The next Rebel series didn't start so well. The kickoff went into the end zone and MHS had the ball on the 20. Carr hit senior Clint Kee for a 4-yard pass, then Carr was sacked for a 2-yard loss as the third period ended.

Comer said he wasn't a big fan of trailing by two scores going into the fourth quarter, but was confident the team would play well enough to get back in the game.

"When they were moving the football like they were, I was very concerned," said the coach. "But I knew that as long as we didn't panic and didn't try to do too much, we'd be fine. I had faith in our defense."

On a key third-down play, Carr hit senior Rusty Chapman, who had six catches for 95 yards on the night, and it was good for a 13-yard gain. Two plays later, he hit Chapman again for a 30-yard gainer to the UC 35. That's when the Rebels went to the ground. Four plays later Moore broke through the pile on a huge fourth-and-1 play and rambled 26 yards for the touchdown. Harris Laughrey hit the last of four PATs in the game and MHS trailed 33-28.

During UC's next series, Tyler Reeder pressured White on a third-down play and Johnson picked it off. Three plays later, Johnson knifed his way around the left side and darted 48 yards for the score. With 6:41 to play, the Rebels had regained the lead, 34-33, and seemingly the momentum. But Union City wasn't through yet.

Polk took the ensuing kick 76 yards down to the Rebel 18 where Union City needed four plays to notch another score. This time, White took it in from the 5 with 4:28 to play. Will Arnold drilled the PAT and UC led 39-34.

McKenzie came back with a vengeance. Moore and Johnson kept the ball on the ground and churned out the 69 yards needed for the game-winning score. The Rebels used up 3:51 when Johnson plunged from the 1. Moore surged for the deuce and McKenzie had taken back the lead again, 42-39.

But Union City still had 51 seconds to play with and had amassed 213 return yards on the night. The Tornadoes returned the kick to the 37 and tried to throw the home-run ball. Carr, who made the rare appearance in the secondary to spell several gassed defensive backs, broke up a pass. On the next play Johnson brought down White for a 16-yard loss. On the next play, Fussell sacked Camron Sherwood for an 18-yard loss. Union City tried one last desperation pass that landed on harmlessly on the turf. MHS had improved to 3-1 overall, but more importantly, 2-0 in Region 7A.

"We finally made our minds up we were going to win," said Comer of the Rebels' fourth-quarter display. "We had opportunities to make plays and we made them."

McKenzie started the scoring in the first frame. Moore raced 17 yards for the score with 5:54 to play. White hit Jacob Worley to tie the game with 4:16 to play in the first. Union City scored on the first play of the second frame to take 14-7 lead when Polk scored from the 28. It took over seven minutes for the Rebels to score again. This time Moore scored from the 5 to tie the game at 14.

With 3:23 to play in the first, White found and opening and scampered 35 yards for the score. The kick failed, but UC held a 20-14 advantage. With :25 to play in the half, Carr hit Shabree Payne for a 13-yard TD pass. MHS led 21-14 at the half.

"Our kids showed the heart they have and laid it on the line," Comer said. "This could be a momentum game for us, a springboard into bigger and better things."

Senior John Campbell was the vaccuum cleaner for the Rebels with 11 tackles. Carr was 13-31 passing for 186 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Kee had four catches for 61 yards while Payne had three for 30 and a touchdown.

Polk led UC with seven carries for 127 yards. He also had two returns for 116 yards and three catches for 30 yards. He had 273 all-purpose yards. Luke Sanderson had six stops and broke up a pass. Julian Moss had an interception and Darrin Dickerson recovered a fumble.

Union City, 2-2, 1-1 in the region, hosts Obion Central at War Memorial Stadium for homecoming Friday, Sept. 28 in a showdown between those two archrivals.

Meanwhile, McKenzie, 3-1, 2-0 in 7A, will entertain its own archrival when the Huntingdon Mustangs, 3-1, come to town. The Rebels defeated the Mustangs 31-17 at Paul Ward Stadium last year, ending a 40-year drought in the city limits of Huntingdon. Kickoff is 7:30 at Rebel Field.