NATCHEZ &045; Calling Adams County Christian Academy’s 34-6 win over Huntington a blowout would be grossly misrepresenting what happened.

It wasn’t a blowout; it was worse. With a

27-point lead at the end of the first quarter, the game was over. The remaining 36 minutes were merely an extended finale.

&uot;It was nice to have a game like that. We’ve been in four or five that went right down to the wire,&uot; AC head coach Keith Walters said.

It was a game of numbers. Huntington came into the game with only 15 players available and left the field with only 11 healthy men.

&uot;We came over here with 15 and we ended up with 11,&uot; Huntington head coach Bo Swilley said. &uot;Numbers hurt us, but we didn’t have success early, and when we got things going we had injuries.

On the other side of the field, Adams County suited up 31 players. Every Rebel saw significant playing time once the game was out of hand. With a 27-0 lead in the second quarter, Walters instructed his coaches to make sure that every Rebel got into the game.

&uot;Everybody got to play and got to play a good bit. I was really glad (the backups) got to play,&uot; Walters said. &uot;They’ve been practicing since July 26 and we just had not been in a game like this where we could give them some experience.&uot;

Rebel running back Dustin Case had an uncharacteristically slow night, gaining no yards on the ground. Case did his damage through the air, catching a 45-yard touchdown pass that gave Adams County a 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

&uot;I didn’t touch the ball much, but the other guys did which is good,&uot; Case said. &uot;We let the other guys play, they’ve been practicing just as hard as we have.&uot;

Those other guys took over, giving Case and the AC starters a significant rest for the first time this season. With the game all but over, the AC backups played most of the second quarter and the entire second half, acquitting themselves well. Backup quarterback Matthew Guedon took the reins of the offense in the second half, giving junior Timmy Foster a much-needed rest.

After a first quarter that lasted nearly an hour, the game officials let the clock run a bit more freely. In the third quarter, it took only 15 minutes of real time to play 12 minutes of game time.

As the first half wound to a close, the only doubt remaining in Rebels’ fan minds was about who the school’s homecoming queen would be.

The game was also a

homecoming of sorts for Swilley, who used to coach the Rebels.

&uot;I love a lot of folks over here,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;AC will always be home to me, but I love where I am, I love Huntington and I love the people over there.&uot;

Swilley said the injuries to his team prevented the Hounds from gaining any momentum and making an attempt at a comeback.

&uot;We had to start moving people around, so we didn’t have continuity that way. You can’t take fullbacks and put them on the line and have it work out OK,&uot; Swilley said.

The Huntington coach also said he expects Jordy Jones, who left the game with bruised ribs, and Austin Butler, who left with what is believed to be a mild concussion, will be back for next week’s district clash with Tallulah.

The Rebels have their own district game to prepare for, a showdown with Copiah. The Rebels are tied for first place in their district with Central Hinds and need a win to stay at the top.

Case said the team will need to play better than it has been to do that.

&uot;We definitely need to step it up some. We aren’t playing nearly as good as we can,&uot; Case said.