The Boyle County Rebels got all they wanted and everything they wanted from Lexington Christian.

Boyle was tested in virtually every possible way Saturday night in a battle between two of the top teams in Kentucky, which was exactly what coach Justin Haddix was looking for.

The Rebels faced challenges on offense, on defense and in endurance and were there for them, as they outlasted LCA in the second half for a 47-38 victory in the Rebel Bowl.

“This is competitive,” Haddix said. “This is why we played this game. We sought out this game to be in a battle and see what our team is about and did they ever show out.”

It took everything Boyle had to pull out a thrilling win before a standing-room only crowd at Rebel Stadium.

“We’ve been working since January 4th. We were going to fight the whole 48 minutes, so it came to that and we pulled out the win,” said wide receiver-defensive back Montavin Quisenberry, who scored three touchdowns and had 191 all-purpose yards for Boyle.

The Rebels (2-0) ruled the second half, outscoring the Eagles 26-14 and making big plays on both sides of the ball to win their home opener for the fifth time in six years.

“They’re a great team, and it was a back-and-forth battle all game … but we made some key plays, key blocks at the very end that pulled us through,” Boyle running back-defensive back Avery Bodner said.

Bodner rushed for 77 of his 93 yards in the second half and finished with two touchdowns and a team-high 13 tackles..

Boyle seemed to get better as the game went on. After running only 11 plays and gaining 88 yards in the first half, it had 285 yards on 32 plays in the second half.

And while LCA amassed 800 yards in its season-opening win over Bowling Green, Boyle “held” the Eagles to 625 yards and allowed only 245 yards after halftime.

Conditioning surely played a part in that on a warm, muggy night. The Rebels seemed weary in the second half of their season-opening win over Gibson Southern (Ind.), but fatigue and cramping weren’t an issue for them Saturday.

“I think last week we got tired, and that was the emphasis in practice this week when it was hot,” Bodner said. “We needed to run, so we ran a lot this week. They were tough on us, but it worked.”

Boyle began six of its 13 possessions in LCA territory, and it opened a 34-24 lead on third-quarter rushing touchdowns by Quisenberry and Bodner on two of those drives.

LCA quarterback Cutter Boley threw the second of his three TD passes on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull the Eagles (1-1) within three points. But the Rebels took almost six minutes off the clock on their next series, then stopped the Eagles on fourth-and-2 at the Boyle 26-yard line with 3:01 to play.

On the next play, Quisenberry broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run that all but clinched the Rebels’ win. He answered an LCA TD with a 42-yard run after Bodner recovered an onside kick attempt, and he tacked on one more TD with 1:31 left.

“We played a four-quarter game,” Haddix said. “I’m proud of the fight we showed. We’re getting hit, and we keep coming back. That’s what our team’s made of.”

Boyle had the biggest plays of the first quarter as well thanks largely to newcomer Demauriah Brown, a junior who transferred from Danville – Boyle’s opponent Friday in the annual Title Town Showdown.

Brown cleared his final eligibility hurdle earlier in the week and got clear of would-be tacklers twice in the first six minutes when he scored on a 45-yard reception on the Rebels’ third play from scrimmage and an 86-yard kickoff return after LCA’s first touchdown.

“That set the tone for the game,” Bodner said.

Sage Dawson was 7 for 11 for for 137 passing yards for Boyle, while Quisenberry had four catches for 63 yards and eight rushes for 118 yards.

The Rebels had their hands full with an LCA offense led by Boley, the front-runner for Mr. Football. Boley threw for 198 yards in the first half and finished 23 for 41 for 406 yards. However, he also threw three interceptions, two of which were snared by Brown, the game’s most valuable player.

Parker Chaney caught 10 passes for 153 yards for LCA, and Brady Hensley ran 25 times for 153 yards.

“They’re always coming in with something different,” Quisenberry said. “You’ve got to be ready every snap, and I think we did pretty good today and it showed on the scoreboard.”

Scoring summary

Lexington Christian 14 10 0 14 – 38

Boyle County 14 7 13 13 – 47

First Quarter

Boyle – Demauriah Brown 45 pass from Sage Dawson (Andrew Carr kick), 8:08.

LCA – Brady Hensley 52 run (Will Howell kick), 6:33.

Boyle – Brown 86 kickoff return (Carr kick), 6:20.

LCA – Major Brown 3 pass from Cutter Boley (Howell kick), 2:07.

Second Quarter

LCA – FG Howell 24, 10:20.

Boyle – Avery Bodner 16 run (Carr kick), 7:02.

LCA – Boley 1 run (Howell kick), 3:03.

Third Quarter

Boyle – Montavin Quisenberry 3 run (kick blocked), 5:41.

Boyle – Bodner 9 run (Carr kick), 1:08.

Fourth Quarter

LCA – Saxton Howard 59 pass from Boley (Howell kick), 11:48.

Boyle – Quisenberry 75 run (kick failed), 2:48.

LCA – Parker Chaney 66 pass from Boley (Howell kick), 2:07.

Boyle – Quisenberry 5 run (Carr kick), 1:31.