Higgins, Branson steer T-Birds' comeback

Climb to No. 2 seed in Class 2, District 6

North Callaway senior quarterback Cole Branson tries to break away from a Van-Far defender during the Thunderbirds' 40-30 EMO victory over the Indians on Friday night in Kingdom City.
North Callaway senior quarterback Cole Branson tries to break away from a Van-Far defender during the Thunderbirds' 40-30 EMO victory over the Indians on Friday night in Kingdom City.

The North Callaway Thunderbirds rallied behind a pair of remarkable rushing performances to make an upward move in the district standings.

Sophomore running back J.T. Higgins and senior quarterback Cole Branson combined to rush for 320 yards and four touchdowns Friday night as North Callaway wiped out an early 16-0 deficit to down the Van-Far Indians in a 40-30 Eastern Missouri Conference triumph.

"I'm very proud of the kids and how they responded," Thunderbirds head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "Van-Far came out ready to go, but the kids didn't stray from the game plan and they came back and got a big win."

The Thunderbirds, outscoring Van-Far 20-8 in the second half, finished the regular season at 5-4 overall and 4-3 in the EMO. North Callaway - with 35.62 points - also jumped up a place to the No. 2 seed in Class 2, District 6.

The Thunderbirds will host No. 7 seed Montgomery County (2-7, 23.51 points) in a District 6 quarterfinal game next Friday night. North Callaway already owns a victory this season over the Wildcats - 27-23 in an EMO matchup on Sept. 12 in Montgomery City.

"We're looking forward to playing those guys again," O'Neal said. "They got us twice last year (including district play), so we're going to try to return the favor."

Higgins and Branson accounted for almost the entirety of the Thunderbirds' 405 yards rushing on 59 carries. Higgins picked up a game-high 195 yards in 28 attempts and had a 9-yard touchdown run. Branson gained 135 yards on 24 carries and scored on runs of 6, 6 and 11 yards.

O'Neal credited North Callaway's offensive line for opening up lanes for Higgins and Branson.

"J.T. ran the ball very well and Cole had another big game," O'Neal said. "Our offensive line came to play and we kind of had to lean on those guys.

"I'm an old offensive lineman myself, so there's a special place in my heart for those guys."

Junior wide receiver Tyler Mattes was responsible for the rest of North Callaway's ground output, rushing for 75 yards in seven attempts. The Thunderbirds accumulated 28 first downs.

North Callaway was quickly forced into catch-up mode after Van-Far (4-5, 2-5) struck for a pair of early scores. The Indians took an 8-0 lead on quarterback Lucas Robinson's 2-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes, 41 seconds to go in the first quarter. Robinson completed a pass to Wyatt McDowell for the two-point conversion.

Van-Far then extended its lead when Robinson found McDowell on a 64-yard touchdown pass at the 5:07 mark. The pair connected again on the two-point conversion.

The Thunderbirds broke through with :52 remaining in the quarter and pulled within 16-6 when Branson tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Trevor Crisp. Branson then made it a two-point game when he scored the first of his 6-yard touchdown runs and tacked on the two-point conversion with 9:48 to play in the first half.

The Indians then made it 22-14 when Robinson reeled off a 67-yard touchdown run with 1:09 left. Van-Far attempted an onside kick but North Callaway recovered it, and Branson flipped a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mattes with just :04 to go - bringing the Thunderbirds within two points again at halftime.

Branson delivered his second 6-yard touchdown run with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter to put North Callaway in front to stay at 26-22. Higgins then increased the Thunderbirds' lead at the 2:31 mark of the quarter on his 9-yard touchdown run.

North Callaway made it 40-22 with 10:28 left in the game on Branson's 11-yard scoring run. Van-Far tallied its final score on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Robinson to Sharrod Connor with 6:43 to play.

Branson completed 11-of-22 passes for 83 yards and an interception. Mattes topped the Thunderbirds with five catches for 27 yards, while Crisp had two receptions for a team-high 34 yards.

The Indians compiled 346 yards of total offense, including 129 rushing, and 12 first downs. Robinson rushed for 91 yards on 18 carries and was 14-of-23 passing for 217 yards and was picked off once. Connor had four catches for a game-high 95 yards.