Sauce

Check out mckenzierebels.com for the McKenzie / Crockett County scrimmage results.

The formula for a "deadly combination" is larger than three players. Offensive line, defense and special teams will play a very large part in the Rebel's success---or lack of it---this year.

Kegan Ball. McKenzie

McKenzie better hone their running game. Few teams go far in the playoffs being one dimentional.

What was the outcome of the scrimmage?

Little Cotton Bowl, 1967 in Brownsville, Tn. McKenzie vs MUS. McKenzie wins the toss and opts to receive. The ball is kicked deep and George Abernathy made the catch close to the goal line. His wall set up and began to take out the interference. At about the 40 yard line, Abernathy points to the few remaining Owls who could threaten him, and Rebel players peeled off and blocked them allowing Abernathy to go the distance. Abernathy continued his football career at Vanderbilt where he played defensive end.

The game was in November and was to be played on a Thursday night. Bad weather hit Ripley on the day of the game and flooded the field. The game could have been played, but it would have been a mess. Since the food had been prepared for the post game banquet, the banquet was held that Thursday night. The game was played two days later on Saturday. Lake County's QB was C.C. Craig, and they had a running back named Jack Haynes. The Rebels had played in the Tiny Bowl on another occasion, against Covington.

Tiny Bowl in Ripley, 1970. McKenzie 13 Lake County 12. First bowl game victory in the history of MHS

Offense: Larry Stewart---who moved to Huntingdon. Defense: Tim Priest---continued his success with the Vols.

Camden's program is up and running, but I will have to give the edge to the Chargers based on the fact that they have a senior laden team. However......if the Lions come out on top, I would not be surprised. Is this game in Martin or Camden?

I agree. I understand that Lake County is going to be up to the challenge.

The Trenton game should tell us if the Rebs have improved from last year. The running back that ripped the McKenzie defense in 2004 will be back. He is tough and fast. Trenton never threw a pass in the game last season. I think the Rebels found out last year that big numbers in the offensive stat column will not always win games. The defense has much to prove. If the Rebels are not up to the task on defense, I can easily see them posting a 5-5 season. If the defense tightens up, and the kick off teams can keep the other teams from reaching mid field on kick off returns, the Rebs have a great shot at capturing the region crown.

The Rebels have the talent to be the region champs. Whether that materializes will be decided on the field this fall. McKenzie has an overall losing record against Bruceton, and has never beaten Union City. This could be motivation or it could weigh against them. Remember, we are dealing with 15, 16 and 17 year old kids. If the Red plays team ball, it could be a banner year for the Rebels.

Paul Ward was a GREAT coach. I did not play for him, but played against him. His teams were very fundamentally sound. Blocking and tackling skills must have been stressed in practice, as his players could do this to perfection. Ward's teams always ran the ball and seldom passed. You knew that he would line up in the straight T and send the back around the end following his blockers. I believe that his first couple of years were lean in the win column, but about the third year his teams began to rip off consistent nine and ten win seasons----another mark of a good coach.

Henry County is on the right track. You have hired a good coach, and you have good talent. Give the coach a couple of seasons to get his system in, and you will see positive results. Camden and McKenzie brought in new blood and both programs have turned around. The Pat's move to 4-A should put them in the mix. Good luck to the Pats.

The Reb offense should be fine. The defense will have to greatly improve from last year if they want to be a contender. The addition of the Ball kid should help to shore up the front, and maybe Rodgers can play DB. Special teams will need work also, as kick off coverage has been woeful over the past several years.----remember the Camden game last year? McKenzie scored and went ahead in the 4th quarter, kicked off and the Lions ran the ball back to about the Rebel 30 yard line to set up the winning score. Giving up big yardage on kick offs happened game after game. The Rebs seem to have some good kids on the team who are working hard. Good luck to the Rebels.

I know that Weathers can play ball at the college level. At what level do you think he can play?

Whether Ball's job at McKenzie is running the ball or blocking, his talents will be be noticed by college coaches. McKenzie has had great success in placing their players on college teams. According to their game program, they have put 13 players on college teams since 2001. Though last year's team posted a losing record, three of their players have signed to play in college---one at the D-1 level. I don't know what prompted Mr. Ball to make his decision to leave Huntingdon, but I wish him luck at the high school and college level. I feel confident that someone will step up to take Mr. Ball's place, and the Mustangs will continue their quest for another state championship.

I thought you had to physically move to the other town regardless of what classification you were moving into. May be wrong. I would think Ball and McKenzie would check this out thoroughly.

The Rebs seem to have an inside track for getting colleges interested in their players. Seems that each year, they place several on college teams. Might be a good move for Ball if he has aspirations for playing at the next level. What grade is Ball in?

Pardon my ignorance, but who is Ktrain? What position does he play and where does he attend school now? When you say "next year" do you mean the 05 season?

Who is the "Ktrain?"

I agree, FBE---Remember Peyton Manning. Slow, average arm, but tall and smart. Place a good line in front of Manning, and his height would allow him to survey the field and find his open receivers. His wits allowed him to read defenses and check off or run the called play. As I stated in my original post, Division Three schools want quarterbacks well over six feet tall, so you know that D1 schools want them that tall or taller. The only exception would be an option QB, and the schools that run the option are limited. Bottom line is that passing teams need tall QB's with the ability to think. Quickness would be a plus. Option teams need speed at the position, the ability to make quick decisions and toughness. If a kid is a QB in high school and is recruited for another position, he would need smarts, speed and toughness. Just my opinion.

Think back to pee wee football, junior high, etc. Most of the coaches chose the best athlete on the team to be the quarterback. If I was a coach, I would want a good athlete who was smart at the position. I would want the best athlete on the team at either running back or receiver. Unless you are running the option, when the quarterback hands the ball off, he is out of the play. I know that college coaches will recruit quarterbacks and make defensive backs or receivers out of them, because usually they have the physical and mental ability to play these positions. Example: Back in the 60s, Tim Priest played QB for Huntingdon. I bet Priest did not throw 50 passes during his career, as Huntingdon ran the ball 90% of the time. Priest was an effective runner, but when UT recruited him, he became a DB. I believe he still holds the SEC record for interceptions either in a game or a season---been too long to remember.

What makes a good quarterback? Passing ability? Running ability? Strong arm? Smarts? Leadership? Does he have to be tall? Does he have to possess all of the mentioned traits? I know that even division three college teams recruit QBs who are over six feet tall. I think some of the factors that make a good quarterback are a good offensive line in front of him, good running backs behind him and good receivers downfield.