MCC FOOTBALL CELEBRATES WIN OVER ST. JAMES

The MCC Rebels were on the road Friday night to take on the Saints of Saint James. It was the first time ever the Rebels played the Saints in St. James. The Saints entered the game riding a 30 game losing streak dating back to October 5th 2018 when the Saints beat Windom.

The Rebels were hoping to add to the losing streak but they would have to do it with a shuffled lineup. The Rebels were focused and ready to play Friday night and after tak-ing their first loss of the season to Tracy Milroy Balaton they wouldn’t lose a second game in a row.

With Carter Benda out with an injury sustained early against TMB the Rebels had to make some moves. Ross Engelkes moved from left tackle to running back and Carson Engelkes moved from backup tight end to starting left guard while Tom Huso moved from left guard to left tackle. With all the changes in the lineup one would expect a slow start for the Rebels but that wasn’t the case.

The Rebels would get the first possession of the game and Ross Engelkes would run for 6 yards, then another 6, and then he would go 63 yards for a touchdown just seconds into the game. The Rebels would add the two point conversion to go ahead 8-0. The Rebels would then go for the onside kick as the young kick return team for the Saints backed away to quickly from the ten yard line and Mason Wendland would dribble the kick perfectly so he could fall on it as soon as it rolled its 10 yards. The Rebels would complete the short drive in just a couple minutes as Abe Paulzine would score on a one yard quarterback sneak. The two point conversion was no good but the Rebels led 14-0 with 11:35 to play in the first quarter.

The Rebels defense played strong in the first half allowing just two first downs. The Rebel offense would drive inside the ten yard line on their third possession but the Rebels would fail to score.

The Rebels would add to their lead in the second quarter. Ross Engelkes would score on a nine yard touchdown run with 6:50 to go in the first half. The Rebels were running the football well but they were mixing in enough of the pass to catch the Saints off balanced in their defensive sets.

The Rebels led 22-0 after Engelkes would score the two point conversion. The Rebels were again not allowing the Saints to get anything going on offense. The Rebels would hold the Saints under 40 yards of total offense in the first half.

The Rebels would score another touchdown with under two minutes to play before halftime. Abe Paulzine would throw a 19 yard touchdown pass to Tanner Graphenteen and Mason Wendland would finish the first half scoring with an extra point. The Rebels led 29-0 at the half.

The Rebels scored the only points of the third quarter. With the Rebels mixing in runs by Engelkes and Paulzine it opened up the passing game and Tanner Graphenteen would take advantage on short routes that opened up his ability to run after the catch. Graphenteen would get his fifth catch and then run for a touchdown covering 28 yards. The extra point was no good and MCC led 35-0 with over seven minutes to play in the third quarter.

The game would slow after that point as the Rebels were in total control. The Saints would score a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns as the game was out of reach. The Rebels would win 35 to 15.

Ross Engelkes would dominate the game, his first as a starting running back for MCC. The Rebel junior ran 24 times for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Abe Paulzine, the senior signal caller for the Rebels ran for a touchdown and threw for two more. Tanner Graphenteen would catch both touchdown passes for the Rebels as they picked up their third win of the season.

Up next for the Rebels is their homecoming matchup with the Sleepy Eye Indians Friday night at 7:00 pm.