Photo by Samantha Davis: Murray County Central quarterback Teague prepares to take the snap during the first quarter of a prep football game against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton on Friday night in Tracy. Mayer.
TRACY — The Murray County Central Rebels scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and closed out the quarter against the Tracy Milroy Balaton Panthers on Friday night in a relatively close game until the end. With an offense centered around running back Teague Meyer and running backs, they pulled away 39-20 in the final minutes. Carson Lewis.
Both MCC and TMB entered this season with significantly different rosters compared to last year. TMB, which finished 2023 with an 8-2 regular season record and advanced to the Section 3A semifinals, graduated 10 seniors and is active this year with only four.
At the beginning of the season, TMB head coach Jason Kainz said one of their focuses now is to get their younger members up to varsity speed.
“We have learned a lot, but we still have a lot to learn.” Cains said. “I’m so proud of our kids. We never gave up all year. We just keep going around and around.”
Meanwhile, MCC, coached by Patrick Freeman, enters the season with a more experienced roster, with six seniors and 14 juniors who played on the varsity team until last season. Last year they finished with 4 wins and 5 losses overall, and last season they were eliminated in the first round of the regional tournament.
“I feel like our expectations are up, which is great. We talked about wanting to play our best football towards the end of the season.” Freeman said. “I feel like we still have a lot of room to grow and it’s good to see us getting better week in and week out.”
The Rebels went into Friday night looking for a response to their previous meeting in October last season, which the Panthers won 69-0, and they got exactly that from the jump. Lewis rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, Meyer ran for another 78 yards and Gavin Girete had 52 yards and two touchdowns. Meyer also completed two passes for 14 yards.
“Respect the other person” Freeman spoke about the team’s mindset heading into the night. “They (TMB) have a really good team and a good quarterback and are really explosive. We just focused on ourselves and being consistent where we want to be. We talked about playing without fear and with confidence tonight, and that’s what we did.”
MCC scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and led 15-0 by the second quarter. Although TMB struggled with turnovers, they were able to close the gap with a touchdown of their own by halftime and continued to fight back all night. However, the Rebels’ strong start helped them pull ahead for the win.
The Rebels were the first to receive, and Meyer passed the ball to Lewis, who ran the rest of the way and reached the end zone 10 seconds into the game. He then completed a two-point conversion.
“MCC is tough, they’re going to run the ball at you. They don’t care if they’re going to get a first down…They’re going to go for it no matter where they are on the field.” Cains said. “Our mindset was we needed to make a few stops. We were able to do that a few times and then we couldn’t turn the ball over in the red zone, but a few times it was there were.”
MCC quickly went back on offense as TMB’s first run failed and they did not gain enough yards.
Again, Meyer found Lewis down the field for a big gain into the red zone at the 2-yard line. The Rebels then secured their second touchdown with 4 minutes and 28 seconds to go before their first, followed by a field goal.
“Teeg Meyer is a great football player. He’s a difference-maker and we put a lot of stress on him offensively. Read, make calls, he’s done a great job. .” Freeman said. “Carson is a stubborn runner. He’s only a sophomore, so we’re excited about his prospects and where he goes.”
Panther quarterback Trevor Smith is a fourth-year starter who had some successful plays as both a passer and a runner. He found Griffin Zick all night, including his first touchdown inside the 1-yard line, and also completed a two-point conversion play to cut the deficit to 18-8 at halftime.
Smith rushed for 71 yards and completed 10 passes on 18 attempts, throwing for 269 yards and two interceptions.
“Trevor is special.” Cains said. “It’s hard to say given our record, but he’s literally one of the best quarterbacks in the entire state, if not southwest Minnesota, Class A… After this year, he’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in all of Class A, if not southwest Minnesota. He will definitely be missed.”
Zick caught eight passes for 87 yards.
Smith picked up his own fumble near the end zone at the start of the third inning and scored his third point. However, MCC deflected the Panthers’ touchdown pass attempt and returned it to the Rebels.
Looking to seal the deal that night, Lewis reached the end zone again to quickly start the fourth quarter, followed by a successful field goal for a 25-8 advantage.
However, TMB wasn’t ready to give up on the night, closing the gap once again to 25-14 with just under 10 minutes left. Smith found Taylor Swenhaugen for his second goal, then Smith reached the end zone himself on a 2-inch gain. Swenhaugen finished the day with three catches for 86 yards.
Shortly thereafter, Meyer took matters into his own hands, rushing into the end zone for another touchdown with eight minutes remaining, restoring MCC’s cushion lead. Meyer was also the Rebels’ leading rusher last season.
Gavin Gillette added one more touchdown with less than three minutes left, taking the ball from Meyer and increasing the lead to 39-14.
Despite running out of time, Smith continued to score goals for TMB. A pass to Noah Nacums led to a big gain down the field, followed by a touchdown pass to David Shue to cut the lead to 39-20.
The Panthers continued to find answers as they fought to stay, but MCC’s quick start and offensive consistency led to the victory.
The Panthers’ season looks different than last year. Their only win to date came on September 6, when they won 38-22 against Sleepy Eye United.
“We make adjustments during practice, but the kids need to start making those adjustments during games.” Cains said. “We’ve been teaching them that, coaching them, and it’s coming to fruition. We’ve gotten better…We got better tonight, even if the score didn’t show it.”
The Rebels’ season so far looks similar to 2023 in terms of wins and losses, but they will continue to train the basics of the game as the end of the season approaches.
“Consistency and fundamentals, that’s what we strive for.” Freeman said. “I feel like there’s a lot of potential for me to continue if I keep focusing on getting better.”
There are only two regular season games left for both teams. MCC, currently 3-3, will next return home on Thursday, October 10th to face Russell-Tyler-Ruson. TMB, which is 1-5, will host St. James Area on October 11th. It will be the last home game of the regular season for both teams, with kickoff at 7 p.m.
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