Rebel defense grabs playoff win

By By Jeff Byrd/staff writer
November 16, 2002
HEIDELBERG Put a defense as good as Heidelberg Academy has on a mud-plagued field and just about any offense is going to have a tough night.
Wayne Academy certainly did in its 6-0 loss to HA on Friday night. The closest the Jaguars came to sniffing the goal-line Friday night was the Heidelberg 37.
And that came late in the third quarter on a third-and-five. One play later, the Jaguars had a fourth-and-12 following a 7-yard sack of quarterback Garet James by Mathew Andrews on a blitz.
It was one of four losses suffered by James on the night.
Heidelberg, meanwhile, was able to stay with its basic offensive plan of run and pass which paid off with the game's only score midway through the first quarter. The Rebel defense then made it stand for for the MPSA Academy A North State Championship.
Heidelberg, now 12-1, advances to the MPSA State A championship game set for next Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Robinson-Hale Stadium at Mississippi College in Clinton. They will play Prentiss Christian who beat defending A champ Trinity Episcopal Day School of Natchez 30-8.
Wayne ends its season with an 8-4 record.
The Rebel defense held the Jaguars to just 50 yards in total offense, including minus-1 in the second half. Wayne ran just 10 plays and made only one first down in the second stanza.
Heidelberg head coach Tom Lewis continues to be amazed by his defense which produced its second straight playoff shutout.
Wayne head coach Johnny Walker said the field and the Rebel defense pretty much made his offense one-dimensional.
Wayne's Robert Moody intercepted a Brooks Lewis pass at the 40 and returned it to the Rebel 42 with 4:54 left in the third quarter.
A defensive holding penalty on Heidelberg handed the Jaguars their only first down of the second half and at the same time erased a second-and-17. Two running plays gained five yards setting up the third-and-five. Following Andrews' sack, Wayne punted the ball away.
Heidelberg responded with its next best drive since the first quarter. The Rebels moved out from its own 10 to the 39 picking up valuable room to get off a punt.
When it came, Wayne couldn't catch it, resulting in a muff at the Jaguar 35.
The Rebels then advanced to the Jaguar 13 before stalling. Wayne took over for the final time with 5:43 to play on its own 13. Two run plays lost six yards. On third down, James completed a 1-yard pass. Wayne punted with 3:48 left and never saw the ball again.
The game's lone score came off Heidelberg's initial drive of the game. It started at the Wayne 49 following a 28-yard punt by the Jaguars.
The Rebels ground out a pair of first downs before facing a fourth-and-11 at the Jaguar 21. Lewis converted the key play when he hit Blake Bass on a sliding 11-yard gain for the first down.
With a first down at the 10, Brent Welch broke a 9-yard run to the one. He then crashed in from there on the next play to make it 6-0 with 5:13 left in the quarter. The try for the PAT kick never got off and the score stayed 6-0.
Heidelberg had one other good scoring chance, that coming in the second quarter following an interception and a 18-yard return by Bass to the Wayne 17. A holding penalty by the Rebels pretty much killed the threat which ended with a turnover on downs with 1:46 left in the half.
As bad as the field was, Lewis attempted 17 passes and completed six for 65 yards. Bass caught four for 55 yards.
Jeremy Eason had 63 yards rushing off 12 carries while Welch ended with 43 off 13 carries.