KINGDOM CITY, Mo. - The state-ranked North Callaway Thunderbirds didn't need to depend on a dramatic finish this time.
North Callaway's defense forced seven South Callaway turnovers, converting four into scores, and the top-seeded Thunderbirds benefitted from the No. 2 seed Bulldogs' third-quarter breakdown to secure the Class 2, District 5 title with a 38-20 win Friday night.
Senior running back Adam Reno gained 229 yards, setting North Callaway's single-season rushing record, and scored twice as the Thunderbirds captured their first district championship since 2012. Reno also accounted for a defensive score from his outside linebacker position, returning a fumble for a touchdown.
Sophomore quarterback Tully Thomsen threw three touchdown passes for North Callaway, two coming on fourth down. Thomsen also had three TD passes in the Thunderbirds' 33-29 win over South Callaway on Sept. 8 in Kingdom City, including the game-winner on a 43-yard connection with senior wide receiver Austin Edwards with 56 seconds left in the game.
"These guys definitely have earned it (district title), all of the work that they put in in the offseason," North Callaway head coach Kevin O'Neal said Friday night after receiving a celebratory Gatorade dousing. "This is a true team - they play for each other.
"I know we lean on Adam a lot and you see him in the paper, but it takes all of us to get this done. This is a true team, I couldn't be more proud of them and they have worked hard to earn this. This wasn't handed to them, they worked their tails off."
The Thunderbirds (11-1) - winners of 11 straight and ranked seventh in the state - now move on to a Class 2 quarterfinal matchup at Clark County (8-4) at 1 p.m. next Saturday. The fourth-seeded Indians captured the District 6 championship with a 26-16 upset at No. 2 seed Palmyra on Friday night.
"We know (Clark County) is big and they play in a tough conference (Clarence Cannon), so we're going to have our work cut out for us," O'Neal said. "These guys are going to enjoy it over the weekend and we're going to go to work on Monday."
Meanwhile, South Callaway's giveaways ultimately grounded the Bulldogs' season Friday night.
"We knew that going in - they (Thunderbirds) do a great job of not beating themselves," South Callaway head coach Zack Hess said. "It's really hard to turn those guys over and if you give them extra possessions and we talked about that going into the game, things typically aren't going to end well for you.
"We didn't have great ball security at times tonight and that ended up biting us a little bit."
Two specific turnovers in the third quarter doomed the Bulldogs. South Callaway had closed within 18-13 on senior quarterback Landon Horstman's 28-yard touchdown pass to junior tailback Peyton Leeper with 1:01 to play in the first half, then the Bulldogs received the ball to begin the third quarter.
Starting at its own 44-yard line, South Callaway built off that momentum by moving 39 yards on six consecutive running plays. However, on a first-down run from North Callaway's 17, Horstman was stripped of the ball and Thunderbirds sophomore defensive end Bradley Berry jumped on the fumble at the 14.
North Callaway capitalized by countering with a 10-play, 86-yard scoring drive, capped off by Reno's 3-yard touchdown run with 3:09 remaining in the quarter.
The Bulldogs regrouped by going 65 yards in eight plays, taking the ball inside the Thunderbirds' 10. This time on a first-and-goal from the 3, Horstman shoved his way through the interior of the North Callaway defense toward the goal line, with numerous South Callaway players signalling a touchdown.
Suddenly, Reno - from his outside linebacker spot - emerged from the swarm of players with the ball and bolted 99 yards down the center of the field for a touchdown. Just like that, with Thomsen adding the extra point, the Thunderbirds had jolted the Bulldogs and expanded their lead to 32-13 with :40 to play in the quarter.
"They never blew the whistle (on Horstman's run)," Hess said. "It's just one of those plays where the momentum had stopped for a period of time, and for whatever reason they didn't blow that whistle, and so they just got the ball out and ran it back.
"Some of the players said that it looked like Landon's back was down on the goal line, so with a big scrum like that, sometimes it's hard to tell. That was really a back-breaker, because that's a 14-point swing or a two-touchdown swing. That one really hurt."
South Callaway closed the gap on Horstman's 36-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jarrett Livengood with 11:41 left in the game. The North Callaway defense then came up with another turnover to set up a title-clinching score.
Junior cornerback Dawson Wright intercepted Horstman near midfield and returned it to the Bulldogs' 31 with 5:34 to go. Seven plays later, Wright grabbed his second touchdown catch of the game from Thomsen for 16 yards on fourth down with 3:05 remaining.
Junior inside linebacker Jordan Delashmutt also had an interception for the Thunderbirds that resulted in Reno's 54-yard touchdown run on the next play with 5:01 to go in the second quarter.
North Callaway limited South Callaway's potent flexbone offense to 196 yards rushing, well below the Bulldogs' 284.5 average coming into Friday night.
"It was a little bit of bend don't break there," O'Neal said. "We talked to them about playing with heart and doing their job. We broke down on assignment here and there, and South Callaway took advantage of it, but this team didn't get down on each other, didn't get down on themselves.
"They just kept playing - that's what the defense is designed to do."
Reno continued to handle the majority of the work in the Thunderbirds' running game, accounting for 36 of the 42 total carries. He now has a school-record 2,003 yards rushing on the season, surpassing the previous mark owned by Matt Bruns.
"He (Reno) put us on his back tonight several times and I'll ride that back as much as I can," O'Neal said. "He's a workhorse, he's a leader of this team, he's who we're going to lean on when we need to.
"He cherishes that role, he wants the ball in his hand, he wants to do those things and this team rallies behind him."
Thomsen finished 4-of-7 for 82 yards, the three scores and an interception. He opened North Callaway's scoring on a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Clark Zerr in the first quarter.
Thomsen then hooked up with Wright on a short pass near the Thunderbirds' sideline that went for a 48-yard catch-and-run score on a gutsy fourth-down call with 7:12 left in the first half. That put the Thunderbirds in front to stay at 12-7.
"Tully has stepped up and made plays every time we have needed him to this year," O'Neal said. "Both times we played South Callaway this year, he has made big plays."
Horstman completed 12-of-22 passes for 175 yards, three touchdowns and the two interceptions. His other score came on a 21-yard tipped pass that Leeper caught while lying on his back in the end zone with 8:53 remaining in the second quarter.
Senior tailback Kaden Helsel topped the Bulldogs with 104 yards rushing in 16 attempts and Livengood had a team-high four catches for 63 yards.
South Callaway - ranked 10th in Class 2 - had its seven-game winning streak stopped in ending the season with a 10-2 record.
"We had a great season, we just happened to run into a really good North Callaway team," Hess said. "Both of our losses were on their field. That's tough for everybody, but like I said, this is a great team."