It went from a running clock to a two-possession game.
Regardless, the Jefferson City Jays came out on top.
After leading by 35 points midway through the third quartger, Jefferson City held off a late surge by Fort Zumwalt West to give the No. 2 Jays a 42-28 win Friday night against the No. 3 Jaguars in a Class 6 District 3 semifinal game at Adkins Stadium.
"For three quarters we played as good as we could play," Jefferson City coach Ted LePage said. "That's admirable for our team at this time of the year.
"That fourth quarter, we had a running clock going and I think our players thought they were going to stop. They have a good football team. I tip my hat that they just didn't quit."
Elijah Pittman did most of the damage for the Jays (8-3) on offense, compiling 301 yards rushing on 21 carries to go along with three touchdowns.
"He was running his heart out," LePage said. "He looked spectacular on a lot of runs tonight. I thought our offensive line did a pretty dadgum good job though. They opened some holes."
Isaac Roling was 7-of-9 for 78 yards and three scores to help lead the Jays, who will face top-seeded Francis Howell (11-0) on the road for the district title at 7 p.m. Friday.
"When we got the running game going, we felt like they were going to give us some opportunities for some big passing plays," LePage said. "We took the shots, and Isaac delivered."
Austin Gerloff added 38 yards on the ground, including a 1-yard touchdown run to give Jefferson City a 42-7 lead with 8:28 to play in the third quarter.
Isaac Moreland hauled in two interceptions, Izaya Sands added another pick and Travis Burris recovered a fumble with just over three minutes to play to help secure the win for Jefferson City.
The momentum belonged to the Jays for the first three quarters.
On it's opening drive, Fort Zumwalt West (7-4) drove to the Jays' 22-yard line, but the Jaguars missed a field goal on fourth-and-four.
That's when Jefferson City went to work on the offensive end.
Pittman capped an 80-yard drive with a 23-yard run to give Jefferson City the early lead and the Jays' defense forced Fort Zumwalt West to punt from its own 23 on the ensuing possession.
It only took Roling 44 seconds to find Allan Roettgen for a 23-yard touchdown pass to give the Jays a 14-0 lead with 4:15 to play in the first quarter.
Fort Zumwalt West followed by driving 63 yards, but the Jaguars fumbled on Jefferson City's 4-yard line and the Jays took over from there. Roling capped the 96-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Roettgen to put Jefferson City up by 21 with 8:10 to play in the second quarter.
"I thought that was a huge turning point," LePage said. "I think that was the biggest turning point of the game. That was an opportunity for them to get back in the game.
"All of a sudden they're down three scores and it really took them out of what they wanted to do offensively, and it forced them to take some risks defensively."
Fort Zumwalt West countered on the ensuing drive when Chase Brown hit Tyler Castle for a 5-yard score to cut the Jaguars deficit to 14 with 6:04 to play in the first half.
Jefferson City was forced to punt for the first time with 3:57 remaining in the second quarter, but Moreland intercepted Chase Brown deep in the Jays' territory and returned it to the 40-yard line. Roling connected with Pittman for a 14-yard score to give the Jays a 21-point cushion with 1:04 to play in the half, and Jefferson City held off a late drive by the Jaguars to go into the break with a 28-7 lead.
The Jays didn't slow up early in the second half.
Pittman ran 77 yards on the second play of the third quarter and Moreland hauled in his second interception on the ensuing possession to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Gerloff to give Jefferson City a 35-point advantage.
Fort Zumwalt South didn't go down without a fight.
The Jaguars scored three unanswered touchdowns and recovered two onside kicks, but could not overcome the early deficit.
Ethan Staskewicz ran for 182 yards on 15 carries and socred twice, while Brown was 25-of-37 for 268 yards with three interceptions and one touchdown to lead Fort Zumwalt West.
See also: