The McKenzie Tigers punctuated the 2014 regular season with an exclamation point with a 63-18 thrashing over the J.U. Blacksher Bulldogs.

But more importantly, McKenzie made steps toward removing the only blemish on a an otherwise sterling season.

McKenzie head football coach Josh McLendon said that Friday’s game was as much about testing his team’s ability to respond following a tough loss as it was about finishing strong.

“We talked about getting the taste out of our mouth from last weekend, and we wanted to come tonight and prove that we’re a good football team,” McLendon said.

“We just challenged them to come out and play hard, physical and fast, and I thought we did that.”

It was a ground assault for much of the night for the Tigers, led by the potent backfield duo of running back Ty Adams and senior Terrance Clemons. The pair made their last regular season home game a memorable one, combining for five of the Tigers’ touchdowns on the night.

McKenzie’s will find its first postseason opponent in the 5-2 Isabella High School Mustangs, region three’s third seed.

“I think they’ve put some points on the board, so it should be a good test.  Any time it’s a two-seed versus a three-seed, there’s not a whole lot of difference in the two teams,” McLendon added.

“So we’re looking forward to the challenge, and we’re looking forward to having the first round in McKenzie again for the second year in a row and we’re looking forward to having another good playoff run.”