PARIS, KY | When the moment was brightest on Friday night, Bourbon County’s Malachi Rennie stepped right into the spotlight.

Late in the fourth quarter, the senior quarterback/safety scored on back-to-back possessions and then made a game-saving interception at the 6-yard line with 59 seconds remaining to give the home-standing Colonels a 20-13 come-from-behind victory over Montgomery County at Adena Springs Field.

“Nine really put us on his back tonight. He went down, scored the last two touchdowns single-handedly, and then in the last two minutes, he gets a pick,” Bourbon County head coach Tyquan Rice said of Rennie. “So, you know, it’s good to see a leader step up like that.”

“We just stayed focused the whole game. We never braked the whole time. We stayed focused. We didn’t give up on each other. We played for each other,” Rennie said. “And I don’t deserve all that credit. It’s our team. We fought for each other. We played all the way through the last whistle.”

Things looked promising early for Montgomery County (1-3) as it stopped the hosts on their opening drive on a fourth-and-20 play from the Indians’ 34-yard line. It came after the Colonels converted a third-and-8 play with a 42-yard strike from Rennie to Bryson Carr from deep in their own territory.

Sophomore Jaxson Sparks helped key the MCHS’ defense with a 3-yard tackle-for-loss on the second play from scrimmage and Rennie was sacked by senior Isaac Gullett four plays later.

Like it did all night, the visitors chipped away yardage in small doses, except for a 22-yard scramble from senior quarterback Jacob Gumm and a 14-yard run by senior Landen Wilson. Despite the defensive efforts of sophomore Chris Porter and junior Dontez Hocker, the Indians were able to drive down to the 10-yard line. Then on a fourth-and-1 play, Gumm’s 2-yard quarterback sneak kept the drive going.

A face mask penalty and a 1-yard tackle for a loss by Rennie and senior Shayne Bowling put the ball on the 3-yard line, and Gumm did the rest, as he scooted to his right for the score with 2:33 remaining in the opening quarter.

However, as had been the case all night, special teams miscues dampened the celebration as a muffed extra-point attempt resulted in a makeshift pass that fell incomplete on the conversion.

Bourbon County (4-0) was unable to overcome a penalty and the play of senior Caleb Jackson, whose tackle for a loss on Rennie eventually forced the hosts to punt after four downs.

Montgomery County started its next drive from its 3-yard line and went 20 yards on 10 plays spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. The drive was hampered by an offensive pass interference penalty that negated a large portion of a Gunn-to-Duran Owens 21-yard pass play earlier in the possession. Bourbon County junior Bryant Martin, who was a defensive nuisance all night, added a 2-yard tackle-for-loss.

The Colonels got just three total yards on their next possession.

Martin, sophomore Kareem Davis and junior King Lee continued to wreak havoc as the hosts returned the favor, forcing the Indians to a three-and-out. Included in that sequence was Martin batting down a second-down pass at the line of scrimmage.

Bourbon County started its next drive at its 38-yard line and moved 62 yards on five plays over a minute and 37 seconds, with the biggest gain coming on a 29-yard run by junior Tanner Lutz and capped off by a 2-yard TD run by Rennie with 4:46 to play in the half. However, freshman kicker Silas McKinney’s extra point went under the bar.

Lee continued his pressure on Gumm and the visitors were forced to punt after just three plays.

On first down, sophomore Gunner Toy and junior Graham Kleykamp tackled Bowling for a 2-yard loss. Rennie made up for it with a 22-yard run up the middle and then found Carr on the right flat for a 15-yard gain. Another Rennie 19-yard run down the right sideline got the ball down to the 11-yard line with 11 seconds to play in the half. And after two incomplete passes into the end zone, BCHS elected to go for a 28-yard field goal that hit a Bourbon County lineman in the back of the helmet.

Rennie went right to work on defense on the opening drive of the second half as he was involved a tackle-for-loss on the first two plays from scrimmage. Martin was also in on one. The Indians punted after three plays, although that was almost a disaster as senior Jaimen Caba had to scramble to recover a bad snap and was barely able to get off the kick.

Rennie was not as fortunate on his first offensive possession as his third-down pass was intercepted by Owens.

Montgomery County found an offense that the Colonels had trouble stopping as they moved the ball in small doses behind the inside running of Jackson, who gained 20 yards on three consecutive plays.

A Bourbon County pass interference call moved the ball to midfield and the visitors split their ensuing plays between running and Gumm’s play-action and screen-passing attack, eventually driving down inside the 30-yard line.

However, mysteriously, the Colonels chose to accept a 10-yard holding penalty on Montgomery County on 3rd-and-5, electing to move the Indians back, instead of forcing them to punt. The result was Gumm finding the senior Owens for a 21-yard pass play that moved the chains.

BCHS finally got some pressure up the middle and Martin and Davis were able to drag Jackson down for a loss. However, on the next play, Gumm was able to break free for a 15-yard gain. Again, Lee and Hocker pushed the Indians back three yards, before Gumm gained that back and more on an 11-yard run to end the third quarter.

With the score tied at 6-6 through three periods, the action really heated up in the final stanza as the game boiled down to the last four drives.

Montgomery County pushed the ball over the line on the opening play of the fourth quarter with Gumm going through the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run. Then sophomore kicker Austin Bromagen converted the night’s lone extra point to give the Indians a 13-6 advantage.

“We’ve got a lot of injuries that have affected us over the last three weeks. One of the things we want to do is be able to control the football and run the clock a little bit and make sure we’re in a position at the end of the game where we can win the ball game,” said Montgomery County coach Michael Caba.

Lutz returned the ensuing kickoff 61 yards through the middle of the field and eventually down the left sideline before offsetting penalties put the ball at the Montgomery County 9-yard line. Three plays later, Rennie ran it in from four yards out to draw the Colonels to within a point. However, a substitution infraction on the extra point moved it back five yards and McKinney’s kick was blocked by junior Jonathan Garcia.

“It was an up and down game. There was a bunch of ebb and flow going on. When things were going well, it was going well for us. Then when it was going in the opposite direction, we weren’t able to stop it,” coach Caba said. “That’s what we talk about in our program. When the highs are going up, keep them up. When the lows go down, we’ve got to stop them. We had trouble stopping that tonight.”

Montgomery County’s next possession ended in a punt aided by the defensive efforts of Hocker and Lutz, who combined for a 3-yard tackle for a loss, and Davis, whose quarterback hurry forced Gunn out of the pocket and throw an incomplete pass.

Bourbon County started its next drive at its 25 with 8:08 to play. Bowling began the series with a pair of runs that got a first down. Following that, Rennie scampered free down the right sideline for a 24-yard gain. Rennie then hit senior Jacob Ezell back on the right sideline for a 14-yard pass play.

A 7-yard pass hookup with senior Myles Heilig and then a 6-yard run set up what appeared to be the go-ahead score with Rennie successfully scampering 15 yards through the Montgomery defense. However, a Bourbon County personal foul nullified the result and moved the ball back to the 30.

“Defensively, they just hit us up in the middle. We’re really thin at linebacker right now, and that’s where they hit us with the quarterback run,” said coach Caba. “Then when we got the ball back, things were going well, but when you get the quarterback (having) to scramble like he did, he made some plays doing that, but it kind of changes how the passing game goes.”

Unfazed, Rennie scored on the very next play, again weaving through the second level of Indians. Directly off the snap, Rennie headed right before cutting back to the middle of the field, eventually juking his way free and across the goal line with 4:04 to play.

“Every day we go through a different type of adversity. At practice, we work through this every day,” Rennie said of the game-winning drive. “But we know we trust in each other and we work through it no matter what.”

Despite his heroics, Rennie was quick to defer the attention away from himself.

“I can’t do that without my line. They held their blocks. They created a way for me and all I had to do was run,” he said. “I just trusted my blockers. I know where they’re going to be.”

Rennie then ran in the 2-point conversion to give the hosts a 20-13 advantage.

“We’d been running lead the second half. You know, we knew that if we could spread out, create some one-on-one matchups, he’s got the ability to either, you know, go to the air or he can tuck it,” Rice said of Rennie and the final drive. “And, you know, he made the right call and went between the tackles and made some big plays.”

Gumm put the team on his back as Montgomery County tried to counter. With the ball in his hands on every play of the next drive, he carved up yardage both through the air and on the ground, including finding junior Connor Craig for a just enough yardage on third-and-two.

The Indians ball moved into Bourbon County territory after Gumm and Owens connected for a 25-yard pass play. Ezellbroke up the next pass attempt and Lee sacked Gumm after Hocker first slowed him up forcing fourth-and-14 from the Bourbon County 48.

Gumm’s fourth-down pass was tipped at the line, but Owens came back to make a diving catch for a 22-yard gain to keep the Indians’ hopes alive.

However, the drive ended on the next play at Rennie stepped in front of the intended receiver and came down with the ball at the six for what amounted to be the game-ending interception.

“We were just watching his eyes. Our d-line was getting pressure all night long. Their quarterback was under pressure. He wasn’t ready for it,” Rennie said. “It was right there and I just stepped into the seam.”

Bourbon County won the battle up front all night, giving Rennie time to work and putting pressure Gumm.

“We almost got (an interception), the drive, or I guess the two downs before that pick, and, you know, my linebacker was so tore up, and I said, ‘Man, just keep playing, playing, playing, we’ll get it, we’ll get it,’” Rice said. “And two plays later, we got it, man, to seal the deal.”

Rice felt his team was up for the challenge.

“They fought. You know what I’m saying? These kind of games are built to see what your team’s got. So, we knew Montgomery County was going to be tough. They’ve got physical players,” he said. “I definitely liked how we came out after halftime, made some defensive adjustments, and we just locked in.

“You want to see what your team’s got. So, when they went down and scored in the second half, you know, I was like, ‘Guys, let’s see what we’re made of,’” he added. “So, I think that was a turning point.”

Bourbon County goes on the road to face Scott next Friday at 7:30 p.m. Montgomery County plays its third road game of the young season next week, when it travels to Estill County for a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Friday.

Montgomery County 6 0 0 7 | 13
Bourbon County 0 6 0 14 | 20

First Quarter
MC – Jacob Gumm 3-yard run (pass failed), 2:33 0-6

Second Quarter
BC – Malachi Rennie 2-yard run (kick failed), 4:46 6-6

Fourth Quarter
MC – Gunn 1-yard run (Austin Bromagen kick), 11:59 6-13
BC – Rennie 4-yard run (kick blocked), 10:18 12-13
BC – Rennie 30-yard run (Rennie run), 4:04 20-13

Rushing: MC (33-142), Jacob Gumm (8-46), Landen Wilson (9-36), Caleb Jackson (9-35), Jaimen Caba (6-19), Gunner Toy (1-6). BC (28-178) Malachi Rennis (14-109), Tanner Lutz (1-29), Shayne Bowling (8-25), Bryson Carr (4-13), Jacob Ezell (1-2).

Passing: MC Jacob Gumm (11-23-1-105). BC Malachi Rennie (8-18-1-117).

Receiving: MC (11-105), Duran Owens (5-70), Jaimen Caba (1-21), Landen Wilson (4-12), Connor Craig (1-2). BC (8-117) Bryson Carr (2-55), Jacob Ezell (2-29), Quinton Rice (2-26), Myles Heilig (1-7).