PALMYRA - Suddenly without their quarterback, the North Callaway Thunderbirds were out of whack on offense.
On a pass picked off by Palmyra senior defensive back Philip Bland and returned 40 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter, North Callaway junior starter Milo Henry was knocked out of Friday night's Class 2, District 6 semifinal clash with what appeared to be cracked ribs.
Forced to ad-lib at quarterback with Henry out and under siege by Palmyra's preying defense, North Callaway managed only a minimal 19 net yards as the No. 4 seed Thunderbirds' season came to a close in a 53-12 loss to the top-seeded, 10th-ranked Panthers.
"When we lost Milo, it took a little wind out of our sails," North Callaway head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "He's one of our leaders on this team and as you can see, he was greatly missed."
O'Neal couldn't have asked for a better start to the night for his Thunderbirds. Palmyra senior running back Travis Henry fumbled at midfield on the opening possession of the game and North Callaway senior linebacker Nick Forgy scooped the ball up and returned it deep into the Panthers' territory.
On the next play, Henry put the Thunderbirds on top when he raced 14 yards for a touchdown with 10 minutes, 1 second left in the first quarter. North Callaway failed on the two-point conversion attempt.
The Thunderbirds profited from Palmyra's sloppiness again when they recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Panthers' 42-yard line. North Callaway, though, went three-and-out.
Palmyra seemed to straighten itself out on its second series, moving 52 yards in eight plays to the Thunderbirds' 29. Sophomore running back Peyton Plunkett picked up a first down with a 5-yard carry on third-and-2, but lost the ball and North Callaway jumped on the fumble at its own 25.
"They put the ball on the ground and we took advantage," O'Neal said. "We stayed in that game early on. I couldn't be more proud of the kids, the way they came out ready to play the game."
The Thunderbirds' fortunes, though, took an adverse turn three plays later. With North Callaway looking at a third-and-6 at its 29, Bland intercepted Henry's pass in the flat and bolted 40 yards down the Thunderbirds' sideline and into the end zone. Sophomore kicker Noah Mencer added the extra point to give the Panthers a 7-6 edge with 4:02 to play in the quarter.
Henry took a hit on the interception and lay on the ground near the left hash mark. Trainers examined Henry for an extended period of time before he was gingerly led to the sideline, leaving North Callaway to scramble for an offensive alternative.
"It (injury) messed up the game plan that we had worked on all week," O'Neal said. "... With Milo going out, that kind of goes out the window."
Junior Wyatt Branson moved from running back to quarterback for the first two plays of the Thunderbirds' next series, then freshman backup Garrett Dodge was brought in for a third-down play before North Callaway was forced to punt. O'Neal ultimately settled on shifting senior running back Tyler Mattes into the position.
"We tried a couple of guys that we had worked in there at quarterback, here and there," O'Neal said. "We tried to put the freshman out there, just didn't think he was quite ready for a team like Palmyra that was coming at him.
"Tyler Mattes stepped up and said he would take the ball. He did the best he could with not many reps in practice."
The Thunderbirds' offensive rhythm, however, was disrupted and the Panthers' defense exploited North Callaway's vulnerability. The Thunderbirds - who had just four first downs - were forced to punt five times after Henry left the game and turned the ball over on downs on two other possessions.
Palmyra also racked up five sacks, scoring a safety when Mattes was dragged down in the end zone with 7:25 remaining in the first half.
"They saw the blood in the water there," O'Neal said. "They cranked it up and got after us."
North Callaway's other score came when Branson ran back a kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown with 10:47 left in the second quarter.
The Thunderbirds completed their second season under O'Neal with an identical 5-6 record.
"I learned a lot this year and hopefully the kids learned a lot," he said. "We faced a lot of adversity with injuries and a lot of things going on. I'm just very proud of the young men for stepping up and continuing to plug away, and get after it and doing what we asked.
"We've got to have kids ready and continue to develop (them). If anything, we learned that this year through injuries."
Palmyra (9-2) will remain at home for a showdown with No. 2 seed Clark County (8-3) for the District 6 title next Friday night. The Indians advanced with a 63-40 shootout win over No. 6 seed Highland in Friday night's other semifinal in Kahoka.