Opp had a homecoming celebration on Friday however there wasn’t much to celebrate on the field when the Bobcats lost to Rehobeth 39-20.
The two teams played together throughout the first quarter but the Rebels started to gain ground during the third quarter, and Opp was unable to catch the pace.
The first goal of the game was scored following it was discovered that Bobcats made a forced punt but they misjudged it and allowed the Rebels to regain possession at the Opp 30 yard line. After scoring on a fourth-and-1 play, the Rebels made the following play 19 yards towards the zone of goal and took a 7-0 lead at 4:26 of the opening period.
The Bobcats came back quickly with a long second-down by Zeb Green up all the way to Rebel 10, yard line. The Rebels made a fourth-and-10 play, but the quaterback Colby Ballard kept the ball and stayed clear of tacklers in order to reach the zone of finals. Keenan Forsyght’s goal-after tied the game at seven with just 1:22 left in the opening.
The following Rehobeth drive came to an end when a lateral slid to the ground. It was taken up and retrieved by Landon Langley and returned to the 42. However, the play didn’t result in any points since Rehobeth was held at Opp for three plays, which forced the punt.
In possession at 24 yards, a 41-yard run brought the Rebels back in Opp territory. They took the lead again on an uninvolved 27-yard run just a few moments later, taking an advantage of 14-7 with just 3:48 remaining in the opening half.
The Rebels had an opportunity to score after regaining an offside kick. However, Green squashed that idea when he snatched the ball from deep, and preserving the score of 14-7 at the halftime.
Rehobeth quickly returned to the scoreboard in the second quarter. After a solid performance on the first kickoff and securing an unsportsmanly penalty against the Bobcats The Rebels scored their second play with a 33-yard rout across the middle. Opp’s Langley continued to block the extra point however, Rehobeth had a now the advantage with a 20-7 lead.
After a third three-and-out by the Bobcats Rehobeth’s punt was reversed to begin their next play with their 16. The Rebels provided an unending supply of running plays before they made a big play for 48 yards. After a few plays they scored with an 11-yard run. The point-after helped up the Rebels to a 27-7 advantage with just 5:32 left in the third quarter.
Opp’s next drive ended with an intercept at their own 32. But afterward, they reverted and forced an interception on downs following four games. The next move, Ballard found Green wide in the downfield, and set the ball perfectly for a 68-yard touchdown making Opp into the match, with a score of 27-14.
Rehobeth made an Opp comeback more difficult by scoring on a 73-yard run at 8:48 remaining in the game. Landon Langley blocked the point-after and the score was 33-14.
The Bobcats persevered and eventually it resulted in a win. After a drive towards the Rebel 9-yard line, then flipping the ball when it was down, Rehobeth gave the ball back to the Bobcats at the 20-yard line after the back of a missed snap. Opp took advantage just a few plays later when Ballard scored Forsyght for score which cut the lead down by 33-20 with 2:40 left to play.
The game was nearly lost when Opp’s attempt to kick an onside kick failed and was redirected to Rehobeth in at the Bobcat 15. They scored three times that led to the final score of 39-20.
The main player to the Bobcats was Green who ran for 66 yards before bringing in two passes totalling 80 yards. This included the touchdown of 68 yards.
Ballard was 9-of-21 in passing to score 115 yards with two touchdowns.
Other receivers that contributed to the game to the team were Ethan Morgan who had two catch for 19 yards as well as Damirian Thompson, who made three catches totalling 8 yards. He also scored an 8-yard touchdown.
Ballard was a solid performer playing defensively. He led his team in tackles with sixteen. A.C. Hightower had 12 tackles, and Josh Smith added 10. JaKellus Lane recorded nine tackles and a sack.
Langley recorded seven tackles. He also reclaimed an errant fumble and blocked for points.
The Bobcats (2-4, 2-3) are on a break and will play Daleville on Friday, October. 13 in the 3A 2 Region 2 matchup.
The article Rehobeth ruin Bobcat homecoming 39-20 was first published in The Andalusia Star-News.
