Rebels hold off Trinity rally to get win

Published 12:00 am Sunday, September 5, 2004

NATCHEZ &045; Even with a 24-point difference on the scoreboard, you really get out of your seat in the second half of this one.

No one could possibly. In fact, more people seemed to show up as the game went on.

In a contest where numbers on rosters were bantered back and forth like a muddy football, the only numbers that mattered Friday night between Adams Christian and Trinity Episcopal were the ones on the scoreboard.

Email newsletter signup

The Rebels had a 30-6 halftime lead, but the Saints battled back with limited personnel they had and made a heck of a game of it. The Rebels, however, hung on for a 33-24 win in the first regular season edition of the crosstown showdown in more than a decade.

&uot;They deserve a lot of credit,&uot; Adams Christian head coach Keith Walters said. &uot;It was a great night and a great crowd. I just thought Trinity ought to get a lot of credit for coming back from 30-6 like that. They showed a lot of heart.&uot;

Both sides showed plenty of heart for 48 minutes Friday night at Trinity, and both teams played with plenty of heart and emotion to win the contest. The Saints, riddled by mistakes right before the half, put up three touchdowns in the second half and held the Rebels to just a field goal.

The field goal, however, turned out to be huge, and that 24-point deficit was too much to overcome in the second half for Trinity.

&uot;I couldn’t ask for any more in the second half from that group,&uot; Trinity head coach David King. &uot;I just think tradition took over, to be honest with you. We just challenged them the second half, and they responded. Honestly, I don’t think we deserved to be in that game, but our kids wanted it. That’s what so great about coaching at Trinity &045; our kids just wanted it so bad.&uot;

The Saints were three touchdowns down at the break and got a huge boost from special teams to put up points quickly. The Trinity defense finally got a stop on the opening drive of the second half &045; the Rebels punted once in the first half but kept it when they recovered the fumble &045; and forced AC to punt from deep in its own 44.

Stevan Ridley fielded the punt at the Trinity 16 and took it 84 yards for a touchdown to trim the lead to 30-12 at the 8:03 mark.

Then Trinity came back with an onside kick, and Kyle Dunaway came up with the loose ball to give the Saints the ball at the AC 30. On a fourth-and-4 at the AC 13, quarterback Zach Rogel hit Matthew Freeman on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 left to cut it to 30-18.

&uot;It really started with the kicking game,&uot; Walters said. &uot;That’s what got Trinity back in the game. Ridley went the 90 yards, and we fumbled the next kickoff. That’ll do it, and they know how I feel about it. We just continued to make some mistakes. We’ve got to fix our turnovers.&uot;

The Rebels went four and out on their next drive after coming up empty on a fourth-and-1 at their own 40. Trinity got started with Ridley taking it 13 yards, and six plays later he finished it with a 7-yard run into the end zone to cut the lead to 30-24 with 14 seconds left in the third.

The Rebels got it back and cashed in their only score of the second half when their drive stalled out at the TE 9 and Foster nailed a 27-yard field goal. From there the Adams Christian defense tightened up &045; the Saints had three possessions but did not get a single first down.

&uot;We were hoping we were due for a big play, but it’s hard to make big plays against good teams,&uot; King said. &uot;But I can’t say anything but positive about our effort in the second half. Our guys gave it all they had.&uot;

Things went bad for Trinity late in the first half as the Rebels took advantage of some mistakes and bad breaks. The Rebels took a 13-6 lead on a Dustin Case touchdown and came back with an onside kick, and Simon Sullivan recovered it at the AC 42.

Joey Wilson finished the drive with a 3-yard run for a touchdown for a 21-6 lead.

With two minutes left, Foster nailed a 37-yard field goal for a 24-6 lead, and David Trisler came up with an interception in Trinity’s first play from scrimmage.

Three plays later, the Rebels punched it in again when Foster hit Case on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds left in the first half.