The North Callaway Thunderbirds made the second half all about themselves.
Senior quarterback Cole Branson delivered the game-winner on a 14-yard keeper for a touchdown on fourth-and-4 with 5 minutes, 7 seconds left in the game Friday night as North Callaway rallied for a 27-23 Eastern Missouri Conference win over Montgomery County.
The Thunderbirds trailed 23-14 at halftime, but tallied 13 unanswered points in the second half and limited Montgomery County to 10 yards of total offense during that span to spark their comeback. North Callaway evened its season record at 2-2 and squared its EMO mark at 1-1.
"I was very proud of the way the kids responded in the second half," Thunderbirds head coach Kevin O'Neal said.
North Callaway amassed 345 yards of total offense, including 222 on the ground. Junior wide receiver Tyler Mattes gained a team-high 102 yards on 21 carries and sophomore running back J.T. Higgins provided 90 in 19 attempts, including a 2-yard touchdown run.
In addition to his decisive touchdown, Branson was 10-of-19 passing for 123 yards and also threw for a score. The Thunderbirds - who had just one turnover - picked up 12 of their 20 first downs in the second half.
"We challenged the offensive line to step up in the second half," O'Neal said. "That allowed us to control the line of scrimmage and eat up the clock."
North Callaway used a special-teams play to go on top late in the first quarter. Punting from its own 39-yard line, Montgomery County snapped the ball over the kicker's head and it rolled out of the back of the end zone for a safety with 4 minutes, 23 seconds to play.
The Thunderbirds then extended their lead to 8-0 when junior fullback George Jones powered his way into the end zone from 1 yard out with 1:53 left.
The Wildcats (1-3, 0-2) came back to tie the game before the quarter was up when senior quarterback Kyle Kroll broke off a 65-yard touchdown run with :58 to go. Kroll also ran in the two-point conversion.
He then put Montgomery County on top 16-8 on a 48-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Jack Ecton at the 9:47 mark of the second quarter. Kroll tacked on the two-point conversion on another run.
North Callaway countered with a score at the 5:32 mark when Branson flipped a 6-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Trevor Crisp. The Thunderbirds, though, were unable to pull even after failing on the two-point conversion attempt.
The Wildcats carried a 23-14 advantage into halftime when Kroll duplicated his feat from earlier in the quarter by lofting another 48-yard touchdown pass to Ecton with :12 remaining.
North Callaway pulled within two points on Higgins' touchdown run with :26 to play in the third quarter, setting the scene for Branson's climactic score in the final 12 minutes.
Montgomery County produced 206 net yards of offense, but 196 of that total came in the first half. The Wildcats finished with eight first downs, but none in the second half, and also had one turnover.
Kroll rushed for a game-high 103 yards on 25 carries. He completed 3-of-6 passes for 101 yards and the two scores.
"This was a good team win," O'Neal said. "The moves we made at halftime really paid off, especially on the offensive and defensive lines."
The Thunderbirds return home to square off against Mark Twain in an EMO clash this week. The Tigers lost at Clopton/Elsberry 18-12 in conference play Friday night.