WRIGHT CITY, Mo. - The South Callaway Bulldogs' blazing beginning buried the Wright City Wildcats.
Junior quarterback Landon Horstman ran for two touchdowns and also threw for a score, and South Callaway erupted for 26 first-quarter points in slamming Wright City 46-6 in the Bulldogs' Eastern Missouri Conference opener Friday night.
South Callaway's defense forced seven turnovers by the Wildcats, highlighted by senior cornerback Brandon Ashley's interception return for a touchdown. The Bulldogs' special teams also played a role as junior running back Kaden Helsel ran back a punt for a score.
All of those factors had an influence in allowing South Callaway to stay unbeaten at 3-0.
"We started the game hot and played with a lot of energy," Bulldogs head coach Zack Hess said Saturday morning. "We grabbed the momentum quickly and were able to hold on to it.
"As a coaching staff, when you put up a lot of points early and there's still a lot of game left to play, you worry about a letdown. We didn't let down and we kept our foot on the pedal."
Horstman initiated South Callaway's first-quarter outburst on a 30-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes, 54 seconds to play. He then capped off the Bulldogs' scoring in the quarter when he connected with Helsel for a 31-yard score with 1:12 remaining.
Horstman's 9-yard touchdown run with :17 left in the second quarter sent South Callaway into halftime with a commanding 33-0 advantage. Horstman gained 85 yards on 11 carries and completed his first six passes in finishing 6-of-9 for 88 yards and no interceptions.
Helsel added a 3-yard touchdown run with 9:01 left in the third quarter and then followed with a 65-yard punt return for a score at the 4:55 mark to close out the Bulldogs' scoring. Helsel rushed for a team-high 86 yards in only six attempts and topped South Callaway with three catches for 60 yards.
Junior running back Dalton Stone also had a 10-yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs with 7:21 to go in the first quarter. Stone ended up with 38 yards on just six carries as South Callaway produced 264 yards rushing as a team.
"Our offensive line did a great job," Hess said. "We were worried about (Wright City's) size, but we controlled the line of scrimmage and opened up running lanes."
The Bulldogs' biggest takeaway on defense came from Ashley, who returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown with 7:05 remaining in the first quarter. South Callaway limited Wright City (0-3, 0-1) to 182 yards of offense, including 130 rushing, and the majority of that total came on junior quarterback Sean McDonald's 90-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left in the game.
Ashley picked off McDonald twice - Helsel had the other interception from his linebacker position - and South Callaway recovered four fumbles by the Wildcats. The Bulldogs forced Wright City to go three-and-out on 9-of-10 possessions in the first half.
"You couldn't ask for a better performance from the defense," Hess said.
South Callaway returns home this week for the annual Callaway Cup rivalry game against North Callaway (2-1). The Thunderbirds picked up their second straight victory by toppling Class 1-ranked Mark Twain 26-16 in their home and Eastern Missouri Conference opener Friday night in Kingdom City.
"It'll be an exciting week for both North Callaway and South Callaway," Hess said. "(Thunderbirds head coach) Kevin (O'Neal) has got those guys rolling. Hopefully it will be a good atmosphere (Friday night) and there will be a lot of people there.
"It should be a lot of fun."
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or by email at [email protected].