REBELS WIN CLOSE

The MCC Rebels were on the road this past Friday night taking on the Saint James Saints in a game that, with a win, would get them above the .500 mark on the season. St James was looking for their second win of the year but they have played teams tough and have a tough running game. The Rebels would need to be more focused on both sides of the ball than they were a week ago to get a win. The Rebels were more focused and it would lead to the win they needed.

This game will go down as one of the Rebel’s longest games in recent memory due to a pair of lightning delays; the first coming before kickoff and the second during halftime. This game would be a back-and-forth event with the first half seeing points and big plays. The Rebel’s first big play on defense came with the Saints losing a snap which was recovered by Hudson Schryvers. The turnover gave the ball to the Rebels in Saints territory and the drive wouldn’t last long as Teague Meyer would score on a 14yard touchdown run with just nine seconds left in the first quarter. The two-point conversion failed but the Rebels had the lead 6-0.

The Saints answered back within two minutes. Reggie Blom would return the Rebels kick to the MCC red zone and two plays later, Wyatt Haler scored on a quarterback sneak from the two-yard line. The extra point by Fabian Herrera put the Saints ahead 7 to 6. MCC wouldn’t trail for long, as the following drive would show the Rebels go to the air to Gavin Gillette twice. The long pass got the Rebels to the 34-yard line. Teague Meyer would pick up a big third-down conversion, putting the ball at the 20-yard line. Ross Engelkes got two carries and collected 20 yards and a touchdown to put the Rebels ahead 12 to 7 with 7:20 left in the first half. On the following kickoff, the Rebels went with the onside kick and Lucas Kubal recovered for the Rebels, but MCC was unable to turn the possession into points. The Saints would score, as Sonny Heil started cranking out yards, picking up 30 yards rushing to help set up a Haler to Blom 25-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was missed, but the Saints led 13-12 with 2:30 left in the half. MCC answered again as Teague Meyer would have a huge run of 14 yards to get the ball to the Saints 41 yard line. He ran left, picked up a couple of blocks, and got another long touchdown run to put the Rebels ahead 18 to 13 before the half.

The Rebels and the Saints came out for the second half after a little wait. The field was in good condition, as the rain was light. The second half stayed back and forth with each team putting together drives but what was different was the points. No one scored. The Rebels threw an interception in the endzone. The Saints turned the ball over on downs inside the ten-yard line. In the end, the Rebels had to make plays on defense with the Saints in Rebel territory and they did what they needed to win 18-13.

The Rebels were led in rushing by Teague Meyer who ran 18 times for 133 yards and a touchdown. Ross Engelkes ran 18 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Gavin Gillette led the Rebels with two catches for 38 yards. MCC struggled with penalties against Adrian Ellsworth but in this game, the Rebels committed two penalties for 20 yards in the game. MCC now prepares for a huge test, as MCC will host TMB for homecoming 2023 on Friday night. The Panthers are 4-1 this season and beat Adrian Ellsworth 34-0 this past Friday night.