When state-ranked South Callaway showered 20 points on Van-Far before the Bulldogs' offense even took a snap, it was a crazy sampling of what was in store.
South Callaway was averaging a phenomenal 53.3 points coming into Friday night's Eastern Missouri Conference matchup against Van-Far, but the Bulldogs far exceeded that output in extreme fashion as they flattened the Indians in an 82-14 homecoming blitz.
With another one-sided victory locked up, South Callaway - ranked No. 4 in Class 2 - improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the EMO. Dictated by the decisiveness of their triumphs, the Bulldogs' offensive and defensive starters still have not played a full game this season.
South Callaway head coach Tim Rulo made it clear afterward that his squad wasn't attempting to embarass the Indians.
"We have no desire to score that many points against a team," Rulo said. "That's not the point - we're not ever going to try to run the score up. We're just running our plays and doing our thing.
"We're just happy that our guys were able to execute and do well."
Van-Far (2-2, 0-2) was badgered from the very start Friday night, particularly by South Callaway senior slot receiver Cory Hanger. After the Indians went three-and-out on the game's opening possession, Hanger picked up a punt and raced 71 yards for a touchdown with 9 minutes, 57 seconds left in the first quarter.
Just 49 seconds later on the second play of Van-Far's next series, sophomore running back Sharrod Connor was unable to handle a pitchout from senior quarterback Lucas Robinson. Hanger - from his free safety position - gathered up the ball and took it 13 yards for the score.
The Indians were able to pick up a first down on their third possession, but had to kick the ball away after six plays. Here came Hanger again - this time taking the punt and darting 65 yards for his third touchdown of the game with 6:13 still to go in the quarter.
In a blink, the Bulldogs were already up 20-0 and had yet to touch the ball on offense.
"Any time the special teams is able to score, and then defensively you're able to score, that's huge," Rulo said. "You're just going to set the tone and the other team knows it's going to be a battle when that kind of stuff happens."
Hanger should have had a third punt return for a score, this one going for 86 yards early in the second quarter, but it was negated by a penalty.
South Callaway's offense finally stepped on the field after the Bulldogs' defense recovered a Van-Far fumble. On the first play, senior slot receiver Mason Shoemaker found the edge on the left side and scored on a 21-yard touchdown run with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter.
Senior quarterback Troy Hentges took his turn on the opening play of South Callaway's next series when he found a seam and scampered 42 yards for a score at the 4:18 mark. Senior running back Dakoda Ballard then supplied an 11-yard touchdown run with :40 to play in the quarter and senior kicker Caleb Sconce added the fourth of his 10 extra points to make it 40-0.
Hentges threw just three passes in Friday night's damp, chilly elements, but his only completion went for a score. He connected with senior wide receiver Luke Horstman on a 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown at the 11:39 mark of the second quarter.
Hentges added scoring runs of 10 and 23 yards in the quarter, while Ballard punched his way into the end zone from 2 yards out. Shoemaker's second touchdown of the game - this one on a 14-yard run - sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a stunning 75-0 edge.
Sophomore backup quarterback Bennett Hager tallied South Callaway's final score on a 60-yard touchdown run with 3:19 to play in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs piled up 440 yards of total offense, generating 397 of that sum from their running game. Hentges led the way with a game-high 95 yards on just five carries, while Shoemaker had 87 in five attempts. Thirteen different players carried the ball for South Callaway.
"Once our offense got on the field, I was super-impressed about how well our offensive line blocked; they did a phenomenal job," Rulo said. "Those guys have been working hard, we really challenged our offensive line to keep raising their level.
"... A lot of those were inside running plays, which is what we want. We're going to challenge those guys not to toss the ball out wide, but instead to run in between the tackles. We were able to do that, and that was great to see."
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs' first-team defense limited Van-Far to a sparse 10 net yards - minus-49 rushing - in the first half. The Indians, who committed four turnovers, ended up with 210 yards of total offense and avoided a shutout by scoring twice in the fourth quarter.
"It was great to see those guys flying around, so prepared," Rulo said. "I really challenged them this week ... to be excited to show the other team how prepared you are. I think we did that."
South Callaway travels to Wright City for an EMO contest this week. The Wildcats were blanked at Bowling Green 55-0 in a conference encounter Friday night.