Missed opportunities cost Rebels in 27-8 loss to Huskies

The Riverside Rebels could not overcome a sputtering offense Friday evening in a 27-8 loss to the Burlington Huskies.

The Rebels forced five Burlington turnovers, intercepting two passes and recovering three fumbles, but converted just one of those miscues into points, scoring on a run by Brendan Powell and following it up with a two-point conversion in the second quarter.

Trailing by just five, the Rebels missed some golden opportunities to take the lead in the second half before the Huskies tacked on two additional touchdowns to seal it and gain the inside track to the conference title.

“The defense showed great effort and determination, keeping us in the game and giving our offense multiple chances to score,” said Coach Matt Jensen, whose Rebels dropped to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

“While the final score didn’t go our way, the defensive performance was a bright spot and something to build on moving forward.”

Statistical leaders included Corbyn Godfrey, with two solo tackles, nine assisted tackles and two forced fumbles; Zack Kuntz, two solos, seven assists, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery; Paul Stone, five solos, five assists, two pass-breakups, one fumble recovery and one interception, and Gavyn Cervantes, seven solos and two assists.

Powell led the offense, rushing for 80 yards on 12 carries, followed by Godfrey, who gained 35 yards on 10 totes.

“Offensively, we need to be better,” said Jensen. “We have to maintain our blocks, limit mistakes and penalties, and run the ball more effectively to keep drives alive. As the head coach, I take responsibility for putting our players in the best position to succeed and I don’t think I did that this week offensively.  

“We’ll focus on making the necessary adjustments to get our offense moving in the right direction this week against Meeteetse.”

The Longhorns “are one of the most senior-heavy teams” the Rebels will face this season. 

“Playoff implications and potential matchups are at stake,” said Jensen. “They feature one of the top running backs in the state and throw the ball extremely well, so our defense will need to build off the strong effort we showed last week. 

“The best way to play defense against a team like this is to control the ball offensively—maintaining drives, limiting mistakes, and keeping their explosive offense off the field.”

The Rebels and Longhorns each sit at 3-2 in conference play heading into the contest, which means the winner is likely to earn the No. 3 spot and the loser the No. 4 for the opening round of the playoffs.  Either way, it’ll be a long road trip for the Rebels, as Little Snake River and Encampment are locked into No. 1 and No. 2 seeds from the South.