Rebels beat Meeteetse in a thriller
In the last game of the regular season, the Rebels had a back-and-forth battle for the ball and putting scores on the board. They started out strong and then had some mishaps, but they kept fighting to get it back and didn’t lose heart even when it was looking bleak.
The final seconds of the game were an emotional rollercoaster for fans and players alike. The Longhorns had a touchdown called back on a holding call; then the Rebels, with 4 seconds left, intercepted a pass to bag the 52-46 win.
“We didn’t play well against Meeteetse and it nearly cost us the opportunity to host a playoff game,” said Coach Jason Mitchell. “We allowed receivers to repeatedly run by us in deep coverage and did not block or tackle well enough to consider ourselves one of the top 6-man teams in the state.”
“We had over 100 yards in penalties, including a number of them that took away either touchdowns or big third-down plays. The kids fought well, however. Despite our overall performance, they found a way to win.”
There were certainly some standouts that earned special mention during this game. Offensively; Reece Whisenant ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns (but also had about 180 yards and three touchdowns called back on penalties).
Avery Clifford completed 11 of 13 passes for 144 yards and four touchdowns.
Ryder Kozisek had a big receiving game, catching four passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Curtis Strohschein also had a great receiving game with two touchdown catches.
Defensively, Avery Clifford and Wyatt Daly-Patterson led the Rebels. Daly-Patterson had 15 total tackles (two behind the line of scrimmage) and an interception. Avery Clifford contributed 12 tackles, while Ryder Kozisek grabbed a first quarter interception and returned it 40 yards to set up the Rebels first score.
Now that the regular season is over, they move into the playoffs. The playoffs are single elimination so if a team loses, their season will be over. The Rebels will play their first playoff game Friday at 6 p.m. on their home field. The Dubois Rams will be the opponent. The winner will face the winner of the Meeteetse-Little Snake River game in the semis.
“Dubois has had a successful season and will force us to play a disciplined game,” said Mitchell. “They have several good athletes that will force us to both block and tackle better than we did last week.”