Photo by Samantha Davis: Murray-Country-Central quarterback Teague Meyer prepares to receive the snap in the first quarter of a prep football game against Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Friday night in Tracy.

TRACY — In a relatively close game down the stretch, The Murray County Central Rebels pulled away late against the Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Panthers 39-20 Friday night behind two first-quarter touchdowns, and its offense powered by quarterback Teague Meyer and running back Carson Lewis. 

Both MCC and TMB entered this season with significantly different-looking 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 has been working with only four this year. 

At the start of the season, TMB head coach Jason Kainz said one of their focuses is getting their now-younger roster up to varsity speed. 

“We’ve done a lot of learning, we still have a lot of learning to go,” Kainz said. “I’m proud of our kids. We never, all year, haven’t given up. We just keep turning and turning.” 

MCC on the other hand, coached by Patrick Freeman, entered the season with a more experienced roster with six seniors and 14 juniors, who got varsity time through last season. They finished last year 4-5 overall and got eliminated in the first round of last season’s section tournament. 

“I feel like our projections are going up, which is nice. We talked about how we want to be playing our best football towards the end of the season,” Freeman said. “I feel like we have a lot of growth to do, and it’s nice to see us improving week-in and week-out.” 

The Rebels entered Friday night looking for a response to the last time the two met in October last season when the Panthers won 69-0, and it did just that from the jump. Lewis rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, while Meyer ran for another 78 yards and Gavin Gillete for 52 and two touchdowns. Meyer also threw 14 yards on two complete passes.

“Respect your opponent,” Freeman said about the team’s mindset entering the night. “They [TMB] have a really nice team, a good quarterback, and they can be really explosive. Our focus was on ourselves and being consistent where we wanted to be. We talked about being fearless tonight, playing with a lot of confidence, and that’s what we did.” 

MCC scored two touchdowns in the first quarter for a 15-0 lead by the second. TMB struggled through turnovers, until they were able to cut the deficit with a touchdown of their own by halftime, and continued to fight back throughout the night. However, the Rebels’ strong start was able to set themselves apart for the win. 

The Rebels first received, and found itself in the endzone 10 seconds into the game, after Meyer handed off to Lewis who ran the rest of the way. It ran a successful 2-point conversion after. 

“It’s tough with MCC, the way they run the ball right at you. They don’t care if they get first downs … They’re going to go for it no matter where they’re on the field,” Kainz said. “Our mindset was we had to get a couple of stops. We were able to do that a few times, and then not turn the ball over in the red zone, but we did that a few times.” 

MCC returned to offense soon after, as TMB’s first run was unsuccessful and not enough yardage gained. 

Once again, Meyer found Lewis for a large gain down the field and into the red zone on the 2-yard line. The Rebels next secured their second touchdown with 4:28 to go in the first, and later converted a field goal.  

“Teague Meyer is a heck of a football player. He’s a difference-maker, and we put a lot of stress on him on offense. Making reads, making calls, and he did a great job,” Freeman said. “Carson is a hard-nosed runner. He’s only a sophomore, so we’re excited about his projection and where he can go.” 

Panther quarterback Trevor Smith, a four-year starter, converted a handful of successful plays as a passer and a runner. He found Griffin Zick throughout the night, including for their first touchdown within the one-yard line, and also ran a successful 2-point conversion play to cut the deficit 18-8 going into half. 

Smith rushed for 71 yards, and threw 10 complete passes on 18 attempts for 269 yards with two interceptions.  

“Trevor is special,” Kainz said. “It’s hard to say, because of our record, but literally, he’s one of the best quarterbacks if not in southwest Minnesota, the entire state in Class A … We’re certainly going to miss him after this year.” 

Zick caught eight passes for 87 yards.

Smith picked up his own fumble near the endzone for a third-and-goal at the start of the third. However, MCC deflected the Panthers’ touchdown pass attempt and turned it back into the hands of the Rebels. 

To try to seal the deal on the night, Lewis again found himself right in the endzone to immediately start the fourth quarter, followed by a successful field goal for a 25-8 advantage. 

But, TMB wasn’t ready to give up the night as they chipped away at the deficit once again 25-14 with just under ten minutes left. Smith found Taylor Swenhaugen for a second-and-goal, followed by Smith reaching into the endzone himself on the 2-inch gain. Swenhaugen finished the day with three catches for 86 yards.

Not long after, Meyer took matters into his own hands to bring back MCC’s cushioned lead as he rushed into their end zone for another touchdown with eight minutes to go. Meyer also was the Rebels’ leading rusher last season. 

Gavin Gillette added in one more touchdown with just under three minutes to go, getting the ball from Meyer and running in for the 39-14 lead. 

Smith continued to deliver to TMB despite the minutes running down. A pass to Noah Knakmuhs led to a large gain down the field, followed by a touchdown pass to David Schuh to cut the lead to 39-20. 

As much as the Panthers fought to stay in and continued to find answers, MCC’s quick start and offensive consistency got them the victory. 

The Panthers season looks different from last year’s. Their lone win so far was on Sept. 6 with a 38-22 win over Sleepy Eye United. 

“We make adjustments during practices, and those kids need to start making those adjustments during the game,” Kainz said. “We’re teaching them that, coaching them that, and it’s coming. We have gotten better … Even though the score didn’t indicate it, we did get better tonight.” 

The Rebel’s season has so far looked similar compared to 2023, in terms of wins and losses, but will continue to train on the basics of the game as the season’s end comes near. 

“Consistency and fundamentals, that’s what we’re going to be,” Freeman said. “I feel like if we keep focusing on getting better, we got a lot of potential to continue going forward.” 

There are now two regular season games left for both teams. MCC, now 3-3, will next return home Thursday, Oct. 10, against Russell-Tyler-Ruthon. TMB, 1-5, will host St. James Area on Oct. 11. It will be the last regular season home game for both, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.