The North Callaway Thunderbirds' prospects for their first win of the season were a matter of time - and it was draining away.
Staring at an 8-6 deficit to Tipton, a fourth-and-7 dilemma and only 2 minutes, 12 seconds to play, North Callaway junior quarterback Milo Henry and sophomore tight end Adam Reno partnered up on a 50-yard touchdown pass to put North Callaway in front to stay.
Junior linebacker J.T. Higgins then recovered a fumble by the Cardinals at their own 22-yard line and scored two plays later on a 2-yard touchdown run with :53 left, punctuating the Thunderbirds' dramatic rally for a 22-8 victory over Tipton on Friday night.
"It was a hard-fought win," North Callaway head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "Tipton did a great job, but we were able to make a few more plays at the end and come out on top.
"I can't say enough about the kids' tenacity at the end of the game."
After a scoreless first half, the Thunderbirds took a 6-0 lead on junior running back Wyatt Branson's 8-yard touchdown run with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter. North Callaway failed on the two-point conversion attempt.
The Cardinals then countered with a 2-yard touchdown scamper from senior running back Ryan Wood to tie the game with 2:20 to go in the quarter. Wood also ran in the conversion to give Tipton a two-point edge.
The score remained that way until the Thunderbirds faced their fourth-down predicament late in the game. Reno tracked a seam route down the middle and created some separation behind the Cardinals' secondary, gathering in Henry's precise pass and then speeding away on the 50-yard score.
"Adam was able to beat the safety deep, Milo did a great job of delivering the football and Adam finished it off," O'Neal said.
North Callaway generated 330 yards of total offense - including 209 rushing on 29 carries - and picked up 13 first downs. The Thunderbirds were able to overcome a pair of first-half possessions in which they were forced to give up the ball on downs inside Tipton's 20.
"We moved the ball well the entire game, but we executed very well in the second half and finally finished off some drives," O'Neal said.
Higgins (20 carries) and Henry (19) shared the team rushing lead for North Callaway with 85 yards apiece. Henry - making just his second varsity start - completed only 6-of-17 passes and was sacked three times, but threw for 113 yards and the critical score, and didn't have any interceptions.
"Milo is continuing to learn and progress," O'Neal said. "What got him going were a couple of runs where he lowered his shoulder and ran over a couple of kids - that got his teammates fired up."
The Thunderbirds' defense held the Cardinals to 174 total yards, including 90 rushing, and forced five turnovers. Wood rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and had five catches for 79 yards, while junior quarterback Braiden Brownfield was just 6-of-13 passing for 84 yards and an interception, and was sacked twice.
"We played assignment football and our linebackers played a very good game in controlling (Tipton's) jet sweeps and inside dives," O'Neal said. "Our defensive line did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage."
North Callaway opens Eastern Missouri Conference play this week at Bowling Green. The Bobcats (1-1) were blistered by Palmyra - ranked No. 3 in Class 2 - 52-0 on Friday night.