The South Callaway Bulldogs' normally fast-starting offense wasn't acting like itself and needed a little time to get going.
State-ranked South Callaway wrestled with some early ball-security issues and didn't score until its third possession of the game, but the top-seeded Bulldogs cruised from there in hammering the No. 8 Knob Noster Panthers 56-0 in the Class 2, District 7 quarterfinals Friday night.
South Callaway (10-0) - ranked No. 3 in the state - will now host No. 4 seed Hallsville (8-2) in a semifinal showdown next Friday night. The Indians advanced by outlasting No. 5 seed Father Tolton 21-17 on Friday night in Hallsville.
"It sounds like it was an amazing game from the description we received," Bulldogs head coach Tim Rulo said. "Now it's a matter of us getting back to work.
"At this point in the season, everybody's tired, bruised and battered. It comes down to who's mentally tough and can dig a little deeper."
Despite turning the ball over on downs and losing a fumble on its first two series Friday night, South Callaway still piled up 479 yards of total offense and almost matched its scoring average (59.1 points per game).
"We faced a little adversity because maybe the game didn't start like we wanted it to," Rulo said. "The offense played well at times and you have to be happy when you put up more than 400 yards, but we didn't score in the red zone very well and that's the most frustrating thing.
"We didn't take care of the ball like we needed to, and that puts a bad taste in your mouth; you don't like to see it done. To me, mistakes are going to happen. It's how you handle it, and we didn't handle it very well."
South Callaway's defense, meanwhile, tallied its third shutout in the last four games and scored its ninth touchdown of the season when senior linebacker Dylan Hare returned an interception for a score in the second quarter. The Bulldogs limited Knob Noster (0-10) to a feeble 32 net yards and forced five turnovers.
"The defense did phenomenal and played great," Rulo said. "I was super-impressed with how well they were tackling, how they went after the football, and how prepared they were."
South Callaway's offense finally got itself on track when senior quarterback Troy Hentges tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior slot receiver Cory Hanger with 4 minutes, 19 seconds to go in the first quarter. The Bulldogs soon made it 14-0 on a 51-yard touchdown run by senior receiver Mason Shoemaker - Hanger's mate in the slot - at the 2:17 mark.
Just 46 seconds later, South Callaway reeled off its next score on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hentges to senior wide receiver Caleb Sconce. The Bulldogs then pushed their lead to 28-0 when Hare returned his interception 16 yards for a score with 8:54 left in the first half.
It was Hare's fifth defensive touchdown of the season and third interception return for a score.
Hentges followed up by dashing 16 yards for a touchdown at the 5:42 mark and the Bulldogs carried a 42-0 edge into halftime when Shoemaker sprinted 9 yards for a score with 4:18 remaining.
South Callaway picked up its final two scores from backups. Sophomore running back Bennett Hager bolted 14 yards for a touchdown at the 4:47 mark of the third quarter. Junior running back Patrick Barnard then powered his way into the end zone from 3 yards out with 11:56 to play in the game.
Senior running back John Schuh gained 83 yards on 12 carries as the Bulldogs - who lost two fumbles - amassed 397 yards rushing. Shoemaker added 74 yards in four attempts and Hentges carried the ball five times for 61 yards.
Hentges also completed 6-of-11 passes for 82 yards, the two scores and no interceptions.
In next Friday night's other District 7 semifinal, No. 2 seed Lafayette County (10-0) - ranked No. 7 - will host No. 6 seed Cole Camp (9-1). Lafayette County demolished No. 7 seed Holden 50-14 on Friday night, while Cole Camp knocked off No. 3 St. Paul Lutheran (Concordia) 35-12.