By Devin Smith

Special to The Messenger

In a game that referees called after three quarters due to inclement weather, a well-prepared Elba Tigers team overpowered the Zion Chapel Rebels 40-0 Friday evening.

Elba set the pace quickly as the Tigers would score in the first two minutes of the game after quarterback Ramsey Rigby rolled right before reversing field a the 24-yard touchdown run.

After forcing a Rebel turnover-on-downs midway through the first the first quarter Elba would score just three plays later after running back Blake Edwards sprinted untouched up the left sideline for a 59-yard score.

The two quick scores were prime examples of the blazing speed that Elba used to run through and around the Rebels, which is something that Rebels coach Bradley Bowers explained is hard to prepare for.

“I was really proud of the way that my guys competed,” Bowers said. “We just had a hard time keeping up with the speed of Elba, and that is something that you can’t really emulate in practice.”

By halftime the Tigers had built a 32-0 cushion that included four successful two-point conversions on five possessions and over 200 yards of offense, forcing Zion Chapel to make some adjustments to try and disrupt down the Tigers offense.

“What we do isn’t very complicated,” Powers said. “We just tried to make some small adjustments and made sure to get a hat on a hat. On defense we wanted to make sure we were lined up right and tried to take away the edge.”

Moving forward the biggest focus for Zion Chapel will be themselves, both in health and preparation. “We need to get ourselves healthy,” Bowers said. “We’ve had three very physical football games so far this year, and there are also a few things to do schematically before next week.” The Rebels will head on the road next week to take on the Calhoun Tigers looking for their first win of the season, kickoff is set for 7 p.m.