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State Bound

Rebels Outlast Tide To Punch State Ticket

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A full house crowd, chilly football weather, and two great football teams equals a game for the ages that came down to the very last play.
 
Last year, McKenzie and Trenton were both in Class AA and met in the quarterfinal round that went two overtimes before the Tide kicked a field goal to win and go on to their third straight championship.
 
This year both teams fell back into Class A after reclassification and had tremendous regular seasons. McKenzie ran the table undefeated while Trenton had the nation’s second longest win streak going at 44 games until Huntingdon snapped it this season. The Tide went into the playoffs with a 9-1 record. Both teams took care of business in the first three rounds of the playoffs setting up the semi-final meeting between the two at McKenzie Friday night, November 26. To add to the excitement, both teams also have a Mr. Football Finalist in Trenton’s Khalik Ganaway and McKenzie’s Marquez Taylor.
 
McKenzie won the toss and elected to defer to the second half giving Trenton the ball first to start the contest. Trenton’s offense started moving slowly but got a 20-plus yard screen pass into McKenzie territory at the Rebel 45. Trey Cook dropped Ganaway for a four-yard loss on first down that helped stall their drive and force a punt on fourth down.
 
Trenton’s punt was good for 33 yards with no return giving McKenzie the ball at their own 12. Two plays later, the Rebels were in Trenton territory after a 51-yard pass completion from Jackson Cassidy to Marquez Taylor. Cassidy went to Taylor again on the next play and found him wide open for a 33-yard touchdown pass putting the Rebels on the board first. Zach Aird was good on the extra point with 8:09 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Trenton wasted no time answering the Rebels score with a 69-yard touchdown pass with the extra point good tying the game 7-7 with 7:05 left in the first quarter.
 
McKenzie went three plays and out on their next possession and punted with Trenton’s Ganaway getting a big return back to the Rebel 45-yard line. After a few rushing efforts, The Tide went to the air for a 34-yard touchdown strike with 2:08 left in the period. Their extra point was good for a 14-7 Trenton lead.
 
The Rebels got a decent kickoff return to the McKenzie 36. From there, Marquez Taylor got three yards on the ground and hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Cassidy on second down. Aird was good on the extra point tying the game at 14-14 with 1:11 left in the opening quarter.
 
Trenton ran out the first quarter clock with a short possession and opened the second quarter facing fourth down and long having to punt back to the Rebels.
 
McKenzie took possession at their own 33 and rolled into Tide territory with several runs by Jackson Cassidy including one run nearly 20 yards. Taylor capped off the drive with a 22-yard touchdown run with 7:33 left in the second quarter. Aird nailed the extra point but there was a penalty against Trenton and his second attempt was blocked leaving the score 20-14 in favor of McKenzie.
 
Trenton took their next possession at their own 16 and didn’t get very far. The Tide lost a yard on second down and threw an incomplete pass that was nearly intercepted on third down. McKenzie brought pressure on the Tide punter on fourth down and he was forced to throw the ball rather than get a punt blocked and it fell incomplete. 
 
The Rebels took over on downs at the Trenton 18 and lost yards on first down. Cassidy was sacked on third down forcing a fourth down and long from the Tide 22. Zach Aird nailed a 39-yard field goal to extend the Rebel lead to 23-14 with 3:30 left in the second quarter.
 
Trenton answered the field goal with a two-play drive capped by a 45-yard Khalik Ganaway touchdown run. The extra point was no good with McKenzie holding a 23-20 lead. McKenzie went three plays and out punting it right back to the Tide with little time left before the half. Trenton attempted to throw their way down the field but Jackson Cassidy ended that possession with an interception. McKenzie took a 23-20 lead into halftime.
 
McKenzie received the second half kickoff in great field position after Trenton attempted an onside kick that the Rebels recovered near midfield. The Rebels kept it on the ground and were not able to convert and punted. Trenton’s Khalik Ganaway fumbled the punt return and McKenzie recovered it at the Tide 14-yard line. Three plays later, Marquez Taylor hit the right side for a 7-yard touchdown. The Rebels attempted a two-point conversion which failed but the Rebelsl led 29-20.
 
Trenton’s Malik Ganaway returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the McKenzie 37 from where the Tide ground out a seven-play drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown with the extra point good to make it a 29-27 contest with 5:05 left in the third quarter.
 
The Rebels took the ball from their own 37 and used nearly the remainder of the third quarter clock on a drive that resulted in a 3-yard touchdown by Marquez Taylor with 10 seconds remaining in the quarter. Aird’s extra point was good for a 36-27 lead.
 
Trenton launched a time-consuming drive of their own that chewed over seven minutes off the fourth quarter clock and were held to a 17-yard field goal that made the score 36-30 with 5:34 left in the game.
 
Trenton’s kickoff went out of bounds giving McKenzie good field position near midfield. Trenton’s defense forced the Rebels into three plays and out giving Trenton the ball with 4:08 left in the game. The Tide took over at their own 21 and were in McKenzie territory behind two big runs from Tide quarterback Sam Driggers. Khalik Ganaway reached the McKenzie 17 but a 5-yard penalty pushed Trenton back to the Rebel 22. After a no gainer, Ganaway was dropped for a 2-yard loss on second down. On third down, David Cheney broke through his block and sacked Driggers for a huge loss back to the McKenzie 36. Driggers was forced to throw a Hail Mary pass to the left corner of the end zone where Zach Aird came down with the ball to seal the victory for the Rebels.
 
The numbers for both teams were impressive with Trenton rolling up 402 yards of offense while the Rebels rolled up 313 yards of offense. Trenton had 218 yards rushing while getting 184 through the air. McKenzie rushed for 156 yards and had 157 yards through the air.
 
Trenton’s Khalik Ganaway had 25 rushes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Sam Driggers was 7-16 for 184 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
 
McKenzie’s Jackson Cassidy threw 5-10 for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Marquez Taylor touched the ball 16 times for 69 yards and three touchdowns while hauling in three passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. McKenzie improves to 14-0 while Trenton’s season ends at 12-2.
 
McKenzie Head Coach Wade Comer was proud of the kids. “Trenton came in here as three-time state champions. Both sides played hard and our kids took care of business and won themselves another week. We had a great effort on offense, defense and special teams forcing a turnover when we needed it.” When asked if he expected the game to be close, Comer said “I did expect it to be close. We have had some real battles with Trenton over the years.” 
 
McKenzie moves on to the State Championship game in Chattanooga next Friday at 3 p.m. (Eastern) to face South Pittsburg for the Class A Title.