NATCHEZ &045; Silliman’s running tandem of Michael Aucoin and Charles Haynes spoiled the return of Adams County Christian School running back Luke Ogden as the Wildcats hung on to defeat the Rebels 40-27 Friday night at Bobby Marks Stadium.

Ogden, who missed last week’s game at Parklane, racked up 214 yards on 25 carries, had one catch for seven yards and was in on some tackles on defense.

ACCS head coach Keith Walters said he didn’t expect Ogden to play as much as he did on Senior Night but was glad to seem him back on the field.

&uot;We checked on him,&uot; Walters said. &uot;It was a game-time thing. He said it (hamstring) wasn’t bothering him.&uot;

Silliman head coach Paul Burtnett II admitted after the game that his defense was prepared to stop the Rebels’ passing game and not Ogden.

&uot;We didn’t expect to see him play,&uot; Burtnett said. &uot;We prepared to blitz them. That’s what we practiced against.&uot;

Silliman (7-3) took the opening possession and went 73 yards in just 3:42 as Aucoin ran up the middle for a 32-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.

ACCS (4-7) answered with a 63-yard scoring drive that took just under two minutes to take as quarterback Dustin Case connected with Ray Simpson on a 33-yard pass nearly midway through the first quarter and a 7-7 score.

On the first play of that drive, Ogden took the handoff from Case for a 6-yard run and any signs of rust were gone.

&uot;That (No.) 33 (Ogden) is probably the best we faced all year,&uot; Burtnett said.

Silliman didn’t take long to retake the lead, going 58 yards in just three plays, capped off by a 50-yard run by Haynes, who had 89 yards on eight carries, and a 14-7 lead with 4:29 to go in the opening quarter.

&uot;With a backfield like Aucoin and Haynes, you can turn a 4-yard run into an 80-yard touchdown,&uot; Burtnett said. &uot;We’ve been able to run on some people, but we haven’t been able to run full force like we did tonight.&uot;

Then the Rebels tied the score at 14-14 on an 11-play, 74-yard drive that started with 4:23 to go in the first quarter and ended 1:33 into the second quarter.

Ogden had six carries for 29 yards on that drive, and Case found Hunter Halford on an 18-yard scoring pass.

&uot;The problem wasn’t on the offensive side of the ball,&uot; Walters said. &uot;They’re good. I just wish we could’ve stopped them.&uot;

Silliman’s next possession took up more yardage, 90 yards to be exact, but only lasted five plays and 3:01 as Brad Fontenot caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Coarsey for a 20-14 lead.

&uot;We passed the ball well,&uot; Burtnett said. &uot;I’m as confident in our passing game as I am in our running game.&uot;

The Wildcats then took a 27-14 lead with 14 seconds left before halftime on a 5-yard run by Aucoin.

But the Rebels made the final eight seconds of the first half exciting as Simpson ran 13 yards to the AC 48 and Ogden appeared to score on a 52-yard run with one second left.

But the long run was brought back to the Wildcats 27-yard line by an illegal block penalty. After a delay-of-game penalty, Case’s pass was batted down by Fontenot.

&uot;We made a couple of mistakes that you don’t want to see,&uot; Walters said. &uot;You would like to see mistake-free football, but this is high school football.&uot;

The Rebels appeared to be gaining some momentum as they opened the third quarter with a 98-yard drive that took eight plays and 3:52 off the clock, ending with a 52-yard pass from Case to David Trisler.

&uot;Defensively, we were not jelling until they started throwing the ball,&uot; Burtnett said. &uot;People didn’t know where to go. This (ACCS) is a good ball club.&uot;

But Silliman answered with a nine-play, 73-yard drive of mostly running plays by Aucoin. The four-minute, 48-second drive ended with Aucoin going up the gut on a 44-yard touchdown run and a 33-21 lead.

After Will Griffin picked off a Case pass, the Wildcats made the Rebels play as Zack Ballard scored on a 21-yard run for a 40-21 lead late in the third quarter.

After Trisler picked off a Coarsey pass at the AC 45-yard line after it was tipped by Ogden, the Rebels scored on a 39-yard pass from Case to Simpson on 3rd and 10 in which Simpson came back to catch the ball at the Silliman 10 and did the rest himself.