The MCC Football squad was on the road for the first time this season on Friday night. The Rebels were the homecoming opponent of Sleepy Eye United. SEU was 2-1 heading into the game while the Rebels were 0-2. The game was played on one of the nicest football fields in the area at Sleepy Eye St Marys HighSchool. The Rebels’ offense got on track on Friday night but the SEU offense proved the defense still has a ways to go.
The game started poorly for the Rebels on the very first play, as Merrick Mathiowetz returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, putting SEU on top 6-0. The Rebels then started to run the ball and picked up a first down on the first drive before turning the ball over on downs near midfield. Dugan Kluis intercepted a pass on the SEU second drive inside the 20 yard line. MCC again picked up a first down, but were forced to punt. The snap went over Caleb Rosenbrook’s head and he was tackled at the 19 yard line. Mathiowetz scored his second touchdown of the game on the next play and the Rebels trailed 14-0 after the first quarter.
The two teams then exchanged touchdowns in the second quarter. In fact, each team scored twice in the second. Caleb Rosenbrook scored on a 19 yard run off the right side of the Rebels formation and Beckett Stelter made the extra point, making the score 14-7. SEU answered after a long drive led by the running of Gavin Fischer and Keeyan Netzke. Netzke ended the drive on a 5 yard run through the Rebels’ defense and the score was 20-7. MCC responded on the following kickoff with 3:40 left in the first half. Max Mathiason picked up the short kick and evaded several tacklers on his way to a 65 yard touchdown. The extra point made the score 20 to 14. Unfortunately, SEU had time for one more drive and Merrick Mathiowetz grabbed a 36 yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field on a well thrown pass by Landry Folken to make the halftime score 28 to 14.
The Rebels opened the third quarter with maybe their best drive of the season. MCC marched down the field, led by new QB Finn Schneider. Schneider was the 3rd MCC quarterback of the season and he helped move the Rebels down the field, including a nice nearly 20 yard run for a first down. The Rebels used up just over eight minutes of the clock. Carson Lewis scored on a two yard run, the extra point made the score 28-21. That was as close as the Rebels would get in this game because the Rebels, simply put, couldn’t stop the SEU offense, who scored on the first play of the 4th quarter on a Landry Folkens two yard run. Gavin Fisher scored on a 24 yard run to make the score 41 to 21 midway through the 4th quarter. Caleb Rosenbrook picked up his second touchdown of the game on a 13 yard run with 4:18 to play, but Keeyan Netzke put the game out of reach with a 63 yard run down the sideline to make the final score 48 to 28.
It was an up and down game for the Rebels. MCC’s offense had a good night overall but a pair of turnovers hurt. The special teams got the return for a touchdown and converted on all 4 extra points but gave up a return touchdown and had a bad snap that cost the team field position.
Defensviely, the Rebels did force another interception but that was one of two stops the entire game for the Rebels. Carson Lewis led the Rebels with 27 carries for 102 yards and a touchown. Caleb Rosenbrook ran 11 times for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns. Keeyan Netzke ran for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns while Merrick Mathiowetz scored 3 times, The Rebels will be back in action on Friday night at RTR.
