NATCHEZ — With his team down by a touchdown with less than 10 seconds to go in regulation, Manchester Academy quarterback Matt Peaster spiked the ball in order to stop the clock.

Peaster, however, was seemingly unaware that it was fourth down, and the ball was subsequently handed over to Adams County Christian School, which took a knee on the next play.

Thus, the Rebels (6-5, 1-3) sealed a close 13-7 win in a game where Peaster’s mishap was one of a handful of plays that showed just how sloppy things were in the Rebels’ final game of the season.

Rain and cold temperatures were the story Friday night, and after two first-half touchdowns, the Rebels were forced to rely on defense for the second half, as their offense was unable to move the ball for any length of time without losing it on a fumble.

“That rain was an equalizer tonight,” ACCS head coach Paul Hayles said. “We started out, we moved the ball really well, and it went downhill. We couldn’t seem to hold onto the football after that.

“We were able to go up two scores, and we hung on after that. They made a push there at the end, though.”

That push began after ACCS fumbled the ball inside the Manchester 20-yard line, with just over five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The fumble was one of five that the Rebels lost on the night, and the Mavericks drove the ball down the field and punched it in the end zone on a 1-yard carry by Peaster with 2:25 to go in the game.

The Mavericks attempted an onsides kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the ball only traveled five yards, giving the Rebels possession on their own 45. ACCS ran up the middle several plays, and then punted to Manchester with just over a minute to go in regulation.

Manchester, inside its own 20, tried to go into a hurry-up offense, but was unable to secure a first down, and ended its drive on Peaster’s ill-advised spike.

Hayles credited his senior class and their leadership as the difference in the game.

“(It was) Senior Night, and we didn’t get to celebrate that before the game, but we’re going to celebrate it in the locker room and enjoy it,” Hayles said.

ACCS’ first touchdown came with 11:10 to go in the first quarter on a Brandon Sanders 22-yard carry. Sanders scored again in the second on a 1-yard run.

The Rebels needed a win from fellow district team Wilkinson County Christian Academy, which played Silliman Institute, in order to qualify for the playoffs. When Hayles got the news that Silliman won 8-6, he remained upbeat as he put the season into perspective.

“When you look at what these kids achieved, what they overcame, the effort they put forth, it doesn’t put a damper on tonight at all,” Hayles said.

“To achieve a winning season after the trials and tribulations we’ve been through, I can’t sum it up other than to say I’m extremely proud of them.”

Hayles added that he thinks the future is bright for all sports at ACCS.

“I’m excited, not just for football, but for the entire athletics program here. We’ve got great fans, great kids and God’s been good to us.”