By JIM STEELE
mckenzierebels.com

When McKenzie and Huntingdon do battle in just about anything, be it football, basketball, baseball, softball, backgammon or laser tag, there tends to be a lot of interest.

Things will be no different this Friday night as the fifth-ranked Class A Mustangs visit the No. 3 rated McKenzie of the 2A ranks. And even though the two teams are in different classes, the two will play for the District 13A title, thanks to this new, zany Z-plan. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Rebel Field.

Huntingdon sports a 7-2 mark while McKenzie is 8-1 and both teams are 4-0 in the district. It's the first time since 2003 that the two teams enter the game state ranked and playing for a district or regional title. That season, both teams entered the game at 8-1 and Huntingdon, behind the efforts of Phillip "Boo" Weathers. The future Mr. Football winner had three touchdowns and 256 all-purpose yards in a 42-7 victory. The Mustangs eventually defeated David Lipscomb 48-14 in the Class 2A state championship.

Huntingdon owns a 59-20-1 series record over McKenzie, but the Rebels have enjoyed recent success. McKenzie needed a superb effort, and an 81-minute tornado-warning delay to subdue the host Mustangs 31-17 for the first Rebel victory ever at Paul Ward Stadium and the first victory in the city limit of Huntingdon since 1963. That started a three-game streak that the Rebels hope to continue and the Mustangs hope to end this Friday.

The two teams feature discrepant styles on offense, but both boast physical styles on both sides of the football.

Two coaches who have faced both McKenzie and Huntingdon chime in with their impressions of the District 13A title game. Camden head coach Kevin Ward experienced success against the two teams while Martin-Westview coach Don Coady struggled against the Carroll County duo. Camden topped McKenzie 26-24 in Week 0 and Huntingdon 28-13 during Week 5. McKenzie defeated Westview 25-18 in Week 1 while Huntingdon shocked the Chargers with a thrilling 35-34 Week 0 battle at UT-Martin.

Both coaches agree the two have good teams.

"They both play smashmouth football that traditionally West Tennessee teams play. They both play good defense and has good running backs." said Ward. "McKenzie probably throws it better and that may be where one has the advantage over the other because McKenzie can spread you out."

"Both are good football teams. I'm not familiar with what they are doing lately. We saw one Week 0 and the other Week 1 and things change through the course of the season," Coady said. "Both teams are good on offense and pretty good on defense. At the time we faced them it was harder to move the ball on McKenzie than it was Huntingdon, but that was two-and-a-half months ago."

Ward compared the offensive lines of the two teams.

"Huntingdon's line is very physical, not to say McKenzie is not. It's two different schemes. Huntingdon uses lots of down blocks versus McKenzie does a lot of zone blocks," Ward said. "They both have pretty good lines and both are very physical."

Coady took a look at both offensive schemes.

"If you compare the two, Huntingdon has an unusual offensive set and they run it very well with two good backs, but I hear they are using a few more than they were then. The Holder kid is a really, really good back," Coady said. "But the kid on the other side is a good back. Their offensive line is just good. They aren't physically imposing like they are huge. But they come off the ball, drive their feet and execute their plays extremely well.

"When we saw them, they weren't utilizing their passing game very much and except for one play (with a laugh) not very effectively," said the coach of the 94-yard TD pass that put Huntingdon in the lead late. "They were trying to find identity early in the year. They don't have a back with the numbers like the holder kid does, but they run three or four different backs who are all good, with their own talent and abilities. At one time, they had a set with all three backs in there which was a nightmare for us because they could hit you from any direction. My guess is that McKenzie will never see a ball in the air."

One might think Huntingdon, with running back Kennon Holder, might hold the edge on speed. Ward wasn't so sure.

"Speed-wise, they are very equal. The two backs McKenzie uses can run well and their receiver (John Johnson) doesn't run great, but he makes up for his speed by running great routes," he said. "The Holder kid is in a league by himself. Brittain Thompson runs well and the quarterback runs well. I see the speed factor as being very equal."

"Defensively, they are very good and very solid. They weren't throwing the ball as much then as they had in the past and maybe it's Week 1 and maybe the quarterback and receivers weren't on the same page," said Coady. "But McKenzie always throws the ball well and I'm sure by now they have all that worked out."

Both Coady and Ward agree it may boil down to a play on special teams.

"The thing I noticed and we're talking Week 0 here, they had problem with special teams. We returned two kickoffs on them," Coady said. "When you can get two touchdowns and not even snap the ball, that's a problem for the other team. McKenzie, on the other hand, was very solid on special teams when we played them a week later."

"Huntingdon has three or four kickoff returns against them for touchdowns this year. They've struggled in the specialty areas as far as their kickoff coverage," Ward said. "Other than that, they come after and do good things with other parts of their special teams. McKenzie does have an excellent kicker and when you have a kicker like that, especially in these types of games, every point matters. Having the opportnunity of kicking a field goal as opposed to not, your options change and you can open your playbook up more if you have a good kicker."

Coady agreed.

"Haywood scored one more touchdown than we did, but we had eight points in the kicking game, they had one," he said. "If either team has a leg up on the other, special teams would stand out to me, but that was 10 weeks ago."

Neither coach was asked to pick a winner but did outline keys to the game.

"McKenzie doesn't have to stop Holder, but slow him down. They have to keep him from coming up with big plays. That was our game plan. Keep making tackles and make them run plays," Ward said. "If they march down in 18 plays and score, then they've done a good job. Huntingdon has to spread with them because they throw the ball so well, but they have to stop the run first and both teams have to make them beat them throw the ball to win."

"It's a very interesting matchup. Two teams, very different in styles, but very effective in what they do," Coady said. "This time of year weather, turnovers, injuries all play a factor, but if they are both healthy and have all the players they did at the beginning of the year, it ought to be a heck of a game."

SCHEDULES, RESULTS


Huntingdon results         McKenzie Results
WESTVIEW   35-34           CAMDEN     24-26
Milan      27-31           WESTVIEW   25-18
BRUCETON   55-0            DRESDEN    43-26
Union City 44-35           Trenton    30-7
W.CARROLL  55-8            GLEASON    41-0
CAMDEN     13-28           Humboldt   35-27
DRESDEN    41-14           W. CARROLL 55-15
Dyer Co.   34-3            Trinity    20-10
GLEASON    55-0            BRUCETON   62-7
           



Common opponents in ALL CAPS
Huntingdon lead 59-20-1 all time since 1930

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