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The MCC Rebels were back on the road Tuesday night to play the Adrian Ellsworth Dragons in the opening round of the Section 3A Football playoffs. The Rebels were the 5th seeded team out of the eight teams in the section. They were back in Adrian, who the Rebels lost to in week 3 of the season. In September the Rebels and the Dragons played a low-scoring game in which the Dragons used a key late-game interception to end the Rebel’s chances of a come-from-behind win. Tuesday would show how the two teams have developed over the course of the season as the Dragons would end the Rebels season.
The Rebels defense has made plays this season creating turnovers especially early in the games they have played. The problem is the Rebels defensive big plays have not turned into big offensive plays. Tuesday would be no different as the Rebel’s defense would create two Dragon turnovers and would stop the Dragons on a fourth down play to get the ball back but the Rebels couldn’t take advantage. The Dragons would only allow the Rebels 40 yards in offense in the first half and 18 of the yards came on the first two plays from scrimmage.
The Dragons would take most of the first half before scoring. The Dragons first points would come with 4:41 to play in the first half as Aiden Tweet broke free for a nine-yard touchdown run and followed it up with a two-point conversion. The Dragons would score with four seconds to go in the first half. Aiden Tweet threw a touchdown pass covering 13 yards to Mechak Ndikubuntu and Tweet converted the two-point conversion to make the score at the half 14-0.
The Rebels offense simply could not create big plays. The Dragons defense was smothering as the Rebels couldn’t move the ball more than a few yards per possession. The Dragons, however, took their time and moved the ball on the ground. Rilee Heidebrink would score a pair of touchdowns in the second half. Heidebrink scored on two three-yard runs, one in; the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter. The Rebels would score late in the game on a screen pass from Teague Meyer to Ross Engelkes and the senior running back finished the play with a 42-yard touchdown run and Carson Engelkes would kick the extra point. The Rebel’s season would end with a 28-7 loss.
Aiden Tweet and Rilee Heidebrink combined for nearly 300 yards rushing in the game. Heidebrink scored a pair of touchdowns while Tweet ran for one and threw for another. MCC’s Ross Engelkes scored the only touchdown for the Rebels. MCC was a young team this season and at the end of the game, when the Rebels seniors walked off the field for the final time, hand in hand, there were just four players. Ross Engelkes, Wyatt Loosbrock, Aiden Dierks, and Thomas Huso each had great moments this season and during their careers but they will move on and the Rebels will need to regroup and build for next season when most of the roster will return. The Rebels finished the regular season 4-4 and will have a great chance with their added experience from this season to be much better next year.
