Mustangs senior QB Kenton Smith made sure the Mayo Bottom trophy stayed in possession of Huntingdon as he ran for 196 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns while completing 2-6 pass for 40 yards and a touchdown as the Mustangs defeated the Rebels 28-21 to earn their second win in two years over their archrival.
The Mustangs ran for 234 yards in the game and passed for 40 but were penalized in the game ten times for 105 yards and committed five 15-yard penalties and lost one fumble for the game. The Rebels who are known for a strong passing game with Mr. Football finalist Cole Brown at QB were balanced on the night as they ran for 143 yards and passed for 166. Junior Jayden Callis led the Rebels with 118 yards on 26 carries.
McKenzie started the scoring on their second possession of the game despite started the possession at their own 18-yard line. The Rebels gave the Mustangs a steady dose of Callis who ran seven times on the drive for 47 yards and the Rebels took benefit of 20 yards of penalties to score on a one-yard run by Callis. Jony Hernandez tacked on the PAT for an early Reble lead with 23.4 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
After the Mustangs punted, the Rebels took over at their own 13, gained one first down but two incomplete passes resulted in a third down and Myles Pelonero sacked Rebel QB Cole Brown at the Rebel ten. Brown punted to the Rebel 44 giving the Mustangs a short field.
The Mustangs finally got their ground game going and a momentum switch in the game and drove the 44 yards in seven plays and scored on a Kenton Smith six-yard run with 4:30 left in the half. Greyson Anderson gave the Mustangs a 7-7 tie with the point after.
The Mustang defense then forced a three and out from the Rebel offense and the Mustangs regained possession at their own 42 after the Brown punt. Kenton Smith then rolled to his right and appeared to have a short gain and somehow escaped a couple of tackles and race 58 yards to the end zone with 2:08 left in the half. Anderson knocked through the point after, and the Mustangs led 14-7 at the half.
The Mustangs started the second half with the football but had their only turnover in the game as they fumbled at their own 38 giving the Rebels and excellent chance to tie the game. Again, the Rebels turned to Callis who carried five times in seven plays for 15 yards and with the aid of a 15-yard penalty against the Mustangs eventually reached the Mustang two-yard line and faced fourth down at that spot. The Rebels then made their first mistake of the game as the snap was high to Brown and he was tackled for a loss of four giving the Mustangs the ball back at their own six.
Smith was then tackled for a loss of one, Colt Wood gained two, before Smith made the play of the night. He rolled to his left and escaped one tackle and then received a block from Garvin Kee and then cut back about midfield and outran everyone to the end zone for a 93-yard run for a touchdown. Anderson with 2:59 left in the third gave the Mustangs a 21-7 lead.
The Mustangs were then penalized for 15-yards for taunting on the Smith run that was accessed on the kickoff and kicked from their 25 and then were penalized for 15 more for a personal foul and the Rebels took over at the Mustang 35. Five plays later the Rebels found the end zone on an eight-yard run by Callis with 18.8 second remaining in the third. Hernandez narrowed the margin to 21-14 with a successful PAT.
The Mustangs answered with an eight play 62-yard drive and scored via the pass. On fourth down from the Rebel 32, Smith caught the Rebels sleeping in the secondary and found Garvin Kee behind the Rebel secondary for a 32-yard scoring strike with 7:37 left in the game. Anderson upped the score to 28-14 with the point after.
The Rebels, however, were not going away quietly in the night as in one play answered the Mustang score. The Rebels from their 19-saw Brown drop back to pass and found Jacobi Melton wide open as a Mustang defender had fallen and Melton coasted to the end zone that electrified the visiting side of the stadium. Hernandez with 7:14 in the game drew the Rebels closer at 28-21.
The Mustangs almost ran out the clock, but a ten-yard penalty and two incomplete passes gave the Rebels the ball at their 25 with 1:23 left in the game. The Rebels completed two passes for 40 yards, but a Brown pass was intercepted by Zayden Connelly ending the scoring threat and the game.
