Boyle County is off and running, and so is its clock.

The Rebels passed another tough test with relative ease Saturday as they continued to work their way through a difficult early-season schedule, and the Rebel Stadium scoreboard clock passed its first test of the season with flying colors as well.

The clock ran continuously for more than half the game as Boyle smashed Bryan Station 48-8 in the Rebel Bowl.

The Rebels triggered the running clock mercy rule for the first time this season – it certainly won’t be the last – with just under 5 minutes remaining in the first half.

Boyle (2-0), the four-time defending Class 4A champion, scored on all five of its first-half possessions to take a 35-0 lead and reached the end zone on seven straight series in all as it amassed 419 yards against Bryan Station (0-2), last season’s Class 6A runner-up.

And Montavin Quisenberry, who scored three of those touchdowns and had 125 yards after he was kept out of the end zone in the season-opening win over Lexington Christian, said he wasn’t surprised that things went so well for the offense.

“Not really,” said Quisenberry, who was named the game’s most valuable player. “We just knew we had to come and play with everything. We knew (the coaches) were going to put us in the right spot. We just had to execute and just go score and play defense and make tackles.”

At its core, the game plan was to use Boyle’s large, diverse stable of playmakers to establish the run and open up the pass, leading to a balanced attack that Bryan Station couldn’t contain.

Boyle had 173 rushing yards, led by Demauriah Brown with 57 yards, Quisenberry with 47 and Brock Driver with 26. It also had 246 passing yards, led by Quisenberry with 78 yards, Lyndon Smith with 51 and Demaurian Brown and Geordon Brown with 32 each.

Quisenberry said the Rebels are at their best when they can achieve that balance.

“Yeah, because the defense never knows what’s coming,” he said. “It just keeps the defense on their heels.”

Boyle coach Justin Haddix said the Rebels’ success started with the offensive line, which helped them establish the run right away.

“I thought we did a good job being able to run the football, and when you can run it then you can start throwing in some other things with it,” Haddix said. “We’ve got a lot of weapons. A bunch of people caught the ball and made plays tonight.”

For the second week in a row, quarterback Baylor Murphy was extremely efficient in getting the ball to those playmakers. Murphy was 11 for 12 for 159 yards and two touchdowns before he was taken out at halftime, and he is 30 for 33 in his first two games as a starter.

Boyle’s defense was also efficient in the first of four games the Rebels will play against schools in larger classes. Bryan Station had only two first downs in the first half, and the Defenders’ first four series ended in punts and they gave the ball up on downs in their own territory on the fifth.

Bryan Station had 35 yards against the Rebels’ first-team defense, averaging just 1.6 yards per play, and finished with 66 yards.

“They had a really good running back and a couple of good receivers and they’re big up front, and I’m proud of our bunch and the way that they played,” Haddix said.

After Gage Feltner opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run, Quisenberry scored on runs of 33 and 8 yards and on a 35-yard pass. Demauriah Brown also had a receiving TD in the first half.

The Rebels’ longest scoring play – and their longest offensive play of the game – was a 38-yard touchdown pass from Guy Turner to Smith in the third quarter. Turner played most of the second half at quarterback and was 5 for 6 for 77 yards and his first two varsity TD passes.

Boyle, which improved to 11-2 in its own bowl, also reduced its penalty yardage from the previous week from 88 yards to 51 and played its second straight game without a turnover.

* * *

Boyle will need to be at its best Saturday as it heads north to play Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward in a battle between powerhouse programs.

St. Edward has won the last three championships in Ohio’s largest enrollment class and seven titles since 2010 and are favored to win Division I again.

The Eagles, who graduated 40 seniors and returned only seven starters, moved up from No. 31 in the preseason to No. 12 in the most recent MaxPreps national rankings after an impressive 35-21 win over then-No. 15 Philadelphia Saint Joseph’s Prep.

The Eagles scored 35 points in the second quarter in what coach Tom Lombardo called the best period of football in his 10 years at the school. It included a run of 28 straight points that included 21 off special teams plays and defensive turnovers, and they held Saint Joseph’s Prep to one touchdown in the first three quarters.

“You know, it’s going to be a battle,” Haddix said. “We know that we’re playing a really good team, we’ve got to travel up there, we’ve got to do a lot of different things, but I think our guys will be ready to go. They’re excited about it, I know, and we’re all excited about it so we look forward to it.”

Boyle, which is ranked at No. 52, will play outside the state of Kentucky for the first time. St. Edward has won 20 straight games against out-of-state opponents, including one this season and five last year.

 

Scoring summary

 

Bryan Station 0 0 8 0 – 8

Boyle County 13 22 7 6 – 48

First Quarter

Boyle – Gage Feltner 16 run (kick blocked), 8:29.

Boyle – Montavin Quisenberry 33 run (Andrew Carr kick), 5:32.

Third Quarter

Boyle – Quisenberry 8 run (Feltner run), 11:17.

Boyle – Demauriah Brown 16 pass from Baylor Murphy (Carr kick), 6:33.

Boyle – Quisenberry 35 pass from Murphy (Carr kick), 4:42.

Third Quarter

Boyle – Lyndon Smith 38 pass from Guy Turner (Carr kick), 8:12.

Bryan Station – Jordan Haskins 3 run (Kalen Washington run), 2:23.

Fourth Quarter

Boyle – Jakeem Ray 2 pass from Turner (kick failed), 8:47.

Photos by Mike Marsee