Almost seven hours after it was scheduled to begin on Friday night, the high school football game in Ashland between Southern Boone and Hallsville finally concluded on Saturday morning with not one, nor two, but three overtime periods.
The fourth quarter ended with the two teams tied at 14.
In high school overtime, each team begins with first down and 10 at the opponents' 25-yard-line, with the goal of scoring more than the opponents do during their overtime opportunity. Hallsville pulled out the 20-17 win with a touchdown on the Indians' third overtime attempt after the Eagles kicked a field goal during their third try.
The game, which was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Friday, didn't get underway until 10:48 p.m. after it was discovered just prior to game time that there were no officials on hand to referee. It's unclear at this time where the breakdown originated.
The contest ended around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Referees who worked the Blair Oaks vs. Eldon game, which started on time at 7 p.m., agreed to officiate the Southern Boone game as soon as the game at Falcon Athletic Complex was done. That is, after they made the 25-mile trip from Wardsville to Ashland, where waiting fans greeted them with a standing ovation.