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October 13 MCC 0 / RTR 22
The MCC Rebels were coming off the worst loss in the team’s recent memory, losing to TMB 69-0. The Rebels were looking to bounce back against the RTR Knights this past Friday night in Tyler. The Knights are a hungry team with just one win on the season, but with a strong wind and constant rain falling, conditions would play a factor in the contest with the team that handled the weather conditions being the team that was going to win. That team was unfortunately, not the MCC Rebels.
The Rebels offense has been dormant for six quarters coming into the game on Friday. It didn’t appear that anything was going to change. The Rebels, much like the first quarter against TMB, had the ball inside the opponent’s 50-yard line several times but were unable to score. The Rebels made mistakes in the running game that hurt the team on a 3rd and 1 and it would cost them an interception a play later.
The Knights were able to take advantage of the MCC mistake to score the only points of the first half. The Knights Blake Christianson appeared to throw a 17-yard touchdown pass but a holding penalty would move the ball back to the 27-yard line. When Christianson threw the pass down the left side of the field, the Rebels were ready. But instead of intercepting the pass, the Rebels dropped it and it bounced into the hands of Kai Drake, who scored the touchdown. Luke Schrueurs would score the two point conversion to make the score 8-0 which would last until halftime.
The Rebels offense was even less effective in the second half. The Knights would get another touchdown pass in the third quarter. This time Schrueurs would pull in an 8-yard score and Drake would catch the twopoint conversion to make the score 16-0.
The Rebels couldn’t link plays together and with the wind as it was, they didn’t try to air the ball out more or threaten the perimeter of the Knight’s defense. The Knights defense played well and late in the game Tyler Wichmann would score a touchdown to ice the game away in the 4th quarter. The RTR Knights would beat the Rebels 22-0.
MCC has been outscored 91-0 in the last two games. The Rebel’s offense has struggled in every way; having too many turnovers and not being able to pick up first downs. The defenses have gone out of their way to lock down the Rebel’s interior running game that was such a weapon earlier in the season. With the runs up the middle getting little to no yards the Rebels have not been able to change it up.
October 20 MCC 21 / Wabasso 12
The MCC Rebel Football team wrapped up their regular season on Tuesday night. The Rebels played host to the Wabasso Rabbits in a game in which the Rebels needed to win. Wabasso was winless on the season coming into the game and the Rebels needed to get back on track with a win, but it wouldn’t be easy.
The first half was so much like the last two games for the Rebels. The MCC defense got the Rebels offense the ball in a good position to score. The first three Rebel possessions were inside Rabbit territory. Wyatt Loosbrock intercepted Joe Liebl and returned the ball to the 15-yard line. The Rebels failed to score. The Rabbits would get on the scoreboard in the second quarter. Joe Liebl moved the ball down the field spreading the ball around to his running back Sam Zeug, wide receiver Kaysen Harms, and himself. The trio would drive the ball down the field until Liebl scored on a four-yard run. The two-point conversion failed and the Rabbits led 6-0. Five minutes later the Rabbits scored again, this time it was Liebl completing a 20-yard pass over the middle to Harms and though the two-point conversion failed, the Rabbits led 12 to nothing at the half.
The Rebels had gone 12 quarters without scoring but that streak would end in the third and in a big way. The Rebels would take most of the third quarter before they got on the scoreboard. The Rebels’ Ross Engelkes took the snap and in a role reversal, would hand the ball to Teague Meyer who scored on an 8-yard touchdown run with 3:14 to play in the quarter. MCC then forced the Rabbits into a 3 and out and would get the ball back in Rabbit territory. Ross Engelkes would pound the ball into the endzone from 3 yards out. Carson Engelkes hit the extra point to put the Rebels ahead 13 to 12. It took MCC 12 quarters to score but they scored twice in less than two minutes. The Rebels would score again late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Ross Engelkes would break two long runs, the first 18 yards and another 15 which would end in the endzone. The two-point conversion by Teague Meyer put the Rebels ahead 21 to 12, giving the Rebels the win by 9 points.
The Rebels offense came around in the second half scoring 21 uncontested points while the Rebel defense held the Rabbits to negative yards in the second half. The special teams favored the Rebels with the onside kick recovery, the two-point conversion and the extra point that was made. The Rabbits struggled in the punt game with a couple of costly dropped snaps. The Rebels finished the game with 223 yards compared to the Rabbit’s 143. Ross Engelkes led the Rebels with 99 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Teague Meyer ran for 52 yards and threw for 56. The Rebels will be on the road to open the playoffs next Tuesday with the site and opponent to be determined.
