Trying to apply the appropriate adjective to characterize Troy Hentges' play over the past month might mean digging deep into the dictionary.
South Callaway's senior quarterback put on another sizzling show Friday night, throwing for three touchdowns and running for two more scores as the state-ranked and unbeaten Bulldogs mowed down EMO foe Mark Twain 52-0.
Hentges has produced a phenomenal 16 touchdowns - nine passing, seven running - over the past four games, giving him an incredible season total of 30. He has thrown for 16 scores and run for 14 more.
"The best word I can give you is smooth," South Callaway head coach Tim Rulo said in describing Hentges' recent run. "He's not pressing and he's having a lot of fun.
"He's not too hyped up and he's not too relaxed - he's right there in the middle."
Hentges launched the Bulldogs' scoring Friday night by delivering a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Dylan Hare with 10 minutes, 44 seconds to play in the first quarter. The Bulldogs (8-0, 6-0 Eastern Missouri Conference) then made it 14-0 when Hentges - a play after hitting Hare on a 60-yard completion - scored on a 1-yard keeper at the 7:43 mark.
Hentges went back to the air for South Callaway's next score, tossing a 23-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Luke Horstman with 3:42 left in the quarter. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 3 in Class 2, then pushed their lead to 27-0 on senior slot receiver Cory Hanger's 40-yard touchdown burst with 1:13 remaining.
South Callaway took that same advantage into halftime after a scoreless second quarter in which the Bulldogs only ran six plays. Mark Twain - despite not putting up any points - was able to monopolize possession by continually running down the play clock.
"They tried to slow the game down, which is fine," Rulo said. "In some ways it was good because it forced us to keep our starters in for the second half."
South Callaway quickly resumed its scoring at the start of the third quarter after recovering a Mark Twain fumble on the opening kickoff at the Tigers' 31-yard line. Three plays later, Hentges darted 14 yards for a touchdown at the 11:17 mark.
Hentges then went back to Hare on a 20-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs up 40-0. Hentges finished 5-of-8 passing for 161 yards with no interceptions, while gaining 15 yards on only four carries.
"Troy is a great student of the game; he does a great job at the end of the week in getting his own scouting report ready," Rulo said. "I'm proud of his progression. It's neat to see him take his game to the next level."
Senior slot receiver Mason Shoemaker supplied South Callaway's next score when he bolted 51 yards for a touchdown with 10:26 to go in the game. Hanger then capped off the scoring on a 30-yard touchdown run with 4:25 left.
Hanger gained a game-high 102 yards on only six touches, while Shoemaker had 56 yards in just three attempts. Senior fullback Dakoda Ballard also rushed for 45 yards on 10 carries. Hare topped the Bulldogs with four catches for 138 yards, both game highs.
South Callaway - which did not commit any turnovers for the second straight week - amassed 399 yards of total offense.
"There's so much research about how winning the turnover margin is huge," Rulo said. "This is a tribute to the players' focus on ball security."
The Bulldogs' defense also posted its second shutout in a row while limiting Mark Twain (3-5, 2-4) to 126 net yards, including just 40 in the second half.
"I was really happy with some of the adjustments we made as a defensive staff," Rulo said. "We were checking our linemen and making sure we were sound when we were blitzing."
South Callaway closes out the regular season with a trip this week to Bowling Green. The Bulldogs will be looking to wrap up the EMO title in their first year as a conference member. Bowling Green is 7-1 on the season and also 6-0 in the EMO after a 66-6 romp at Montgomery County on Friday night.
"After not being in a conference the last two years, (playing for a title) is definitely something we're very excited about," Rulo said. "Playing a new team and a very high-quality opponent, I'm excited about that."
•Notes: Even with Friday night's victory, second-place South Callaway (50.14) lost some slight ground in the Class 2, District 7 standings. Leader and No. 7-ranked Lafayette County (8-0) has 50.81 points after its 43-0 win at Lexington.