Without fail, the Scott Central Rebels, whose overall record is 12-1, climb up the 2017 MSHAA Football Championship — 2A Division bracket by defeating the 6-6-1 West Bolivar Eagles last Friday night in a shutout victory.
The Rebel defense was on point with 43 solo and 35 assisted tackles for a total of 78 tackles against the Eagles. They returned an interception for a touchdown, and caused and recovered a fumble as well.
A misconception about football is that the only way to win a game is to have a strong offense. Scott Central’s defensive players prove true the old adage that of a good defense is the best offense. Average defenses keep other teams from scoring, great defenses score points while keeping the other team from scoring points, and excellent defenses win championship titles.
At the start of the match, both teams were silent from a scoring standpoint. Neither team scored any points in the first quarter — it was only a matter of time before first blood was scored. The score was zero for both Scott Central and West Bolivar at the end of the first quarter. The action would heat up in the second quarter.
To start the scoring off for the Rebels was Jordan strong with a 34-yard interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter. The extra point was successfully kicked through the goal posts.
Scott Central scored a second touchdown before the second half ended; Ken Butler carried the ball for a 4-yard rushing touchdown, which was added to by a good point after kick. Butler carried the ball 17 times for 62 yards and one touchdown against the Eagles. The score at the end of the first half was Scott Central 14, West Bolivar 0.
Similarly to the first quarter, neither team scored any points whatsoever, but that does not mean there was a lack for trying. The commonality of a scoreless quarter is the superiority of the defense, not necessarily the superiority of the offense, though the latter can have a serious affect on the outcome of a match. The effectiveness of a team’s offense is only as successful as the opposing team’s defense allows it to be. The score remained Scott Central 14 and West Bolivar 0 at the end of the third quarter.
The Rebels closed out the fourth and last quarter with a 15-yard pass from their quarter back TJ Wash to Jordan Strong that was completed for a touchdown, and was added to by a good point after touchdown kick. Scoreless, the Eagles put a good fight, but were no match for the defensive dominance of the Rebels. The final score of the match was Scott Central 21, and West Bolivar 0.
The Rebels’ defense can be likened to the Great Wall of China — keeping out all but the strongest of invaders. When asked what impact the defense of the Scott Central Rebels had on the game against West Bolivar, Coach Jim Nowell said that they have had a tremendous impact. “They played really hard. It was their 8th shutout on the year,” Coach Nowell commented. For the entire season, the Rebel defenders have only allowed 105 points; West Bolivar has allowed 266, which is over 150 percent more points allowed by the Eagles than the Rebels who are ranked 2nd in the 2A division for a reason.
Offensively, the Rebels abilities are also not to be taken lightly. Scott Central rushed for 159 yards on only 37 carries, an average of 4.3 yards per carry, which included a rushing touchdown. Out of 12 attempted passes, six were received and completed for 64 yards, one of which was for a touchdown. Kickers are often neglected and considered only mildly important to an offense, but are, in all honesty, vital to an offense. The Rebels’ kicker, #79 M. Hernandez successfully attempted three-out-of-three point-after-touchdown kicks which boosted the score of the Rebels by three points. Games, especially those that go into overtime, are often decided by successfully kicked field goal attempts.
Good luck to the Scott Central Rebels in their round 3 quarterfinals match against the Winona Tigers this Friday, the 17th of November, at 7:00 p.m. Be ready for some razzle-dazzle when these two teams collide because both the Rebels and the Tigers are notoriously high-scoring teams. The Tigers have scored 453 total points this season and the Rebels have scored 619 points this season. Another aspect to consider is the number of points allowed by both teams — 290 points were allowed by the Tigers and only 105 points have been allowed by the Rebels.
