TIPTON, Mo. - The North Callaway Thunderbirds were badly in need of a reboot, and the results definitely rejuvenated them.
Senior running back Wyatt Branson supplied three touchdowns, including one on special teams, and junior running back Adam Reno scored twice Friday night as North Callaway crushed Tipton in a 42-8 runaway victory.
The Thunderbirds' defense draped itself all over Tipton, limiting the Cardinals to 31 total yards in the first half. North Callaway also forced six turnovers, including four that set up scores by the Thunderbirds.
Righting itself after a disheartening 48-20 loss at Southern Boone in the season opener, North Callaway squared its season record at 1-1.
"It's always better with a win," Thunderbirds head coach Kevin O'Neal said Friday night. "Just like I talked to the kids, I'm very proud of their effort tonight - I thought they came out and played hard on every single snap.
"We improved in some areas and we've still got to work on some things."
North Callaway grabbed a quick lead, taking the opening kickoff and covering 67 yards in an eight-play drive. Reno finished the possession when he scored off the left edge from 3 yards out with 9 minutes, 21 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Thunderbirds closed out the quarter by extending their lead when senior quarterback Milo Henry targeted Reno in man coverage, flinging a pass to him along the North Callaway sideline for a 44-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown with :59.3 to go. Senior running back JT Higgins added the two-point conversion to make it 14-0.
The first of two interceptions by junior Austin Edwards from his outside linebacker position set up the Thunderbirds' next score. Branson punched in a 1-yard touchdown run with 11:54 remaining in the second quarter to cap a seven-play, 43-yard possession.
North Callaway then forced Tipton (0-2) to go three-and-out on its next series and the Cardinals punted from their own 22-yard line. Branson gathered in the kick just beyond midfield, picked up blockers down the left side and darted through traffic on his way to a 54-yard return for the score.
Reno was responsible for the two-point conversion run to push the Thunderbirds' expanding edge to 28-0 at the 7:32 mark.
"We talked about that before the game too that I wanted a big play on special teams, and we got it," O'Neal said.
Tipton was able to answer with a big play on the ensuing kickoff when junior running back Dakota Pace returned it to the North Callaway 25. The Cardinals moved down to the Thunderbirds' 10, but then found themselves confronted with a fourth-and-9.
Sophomore quarterback Dalton Weaver rolled out to his right, trying to set up a screen play back to the left, but his pass sailed high and Edwards snatched it out of the air and ran it back to the Tipton 21. On the very next play, Branson padded North Callaway's lead when he raced 21 yards for a touchdown with 4:04 to play in the half.
The Thunderbirds profited from another Tipton turnover to close out their scoring when they recovered a fumble inside the Cardinals' 10 midway through the third quarter. Higgins scored off right tackle from 8 yards out on first down and Reno accounted for the two-point conversion to put North Callaway up 42-0 with 6:28 remaining in the quarter.
Higgins topped the Thunderbirds with 89 yards rushing on just nine carries as North Callaway - which had three turnovers - finished with 224 yards of total offense. Henry was 5-of-12 passing for 102 yards and an interception, while Reno had two catches for 78 yards.
"I think we're well-balanced, I think we've got a lot of guys who can do a lot of things," O'Neal said. "We showed that a little bit tonight. As long as we execute and do the things we need to do, I think we can score in a lot of different ways."
North Callaway's defense restricted Tipton to 136 total yards, all rushing, and most of that sum came against backups in the second half. The Cardinals had 15 plays in which they lost yardage.
Tipton avoided a shutout when Pace bolted 41 yards for a touchdown with :51.6 left in the game.
"Defensively, we flew around," O'Neal said. "That's something we stressed all week, cranking up the intensity and making sure we play 11 guys to the football.
"I thought they did that tonight."
North Callaway will finally get the chance to play at home this week when it starts Eastern Missouri Conference play against Mark Twain (1-1), ranked fifth in Class 1. The Thunderbirds will catch the Tigers coming off a 27-16 loss at Hallsville on Friday night.
"We have to continue to improve, continue to get better, and do what we do," O'Neal said. "We control us and we do play a tough Mark Twain team coming up.
"I think our kids are excited about that challenge and I think we'll have a good week of practice."
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or by email at [email protected].