CLARKSVILLE - The North Callaway Thunderbirds were futile on their first five attempts at fourth-down conversions.
When North Callaway went for it twice in the fourth quarter, with the outcome at stake, the results were dramatic.
Junior quarterback Milo Henry somehow shoved his way across the goal line on fourth down from Clopton/Elsberry's 1-yard line with 6.4 seconds to play Friday night, lifting the Thunderbirds to a breathtaking 42-37 Eastern Missouri Conference victory over the IndianHawks.
North Callaway carried a 22-21 edge into the fourth quarter and then outscored Clopton/Elsberry 20-16 over the last 12 minutes to stop a two-game losing streak. The Thunderbirds are now 3-4 on the season and 2-3 in the EMO, while the IndianHawks dropped to 2-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
Entering halftime down 13-8, North Callaway had just 126 yards of total offense - all but 3 of that output coming from its running game - and a turnover. The Thunderbirds emerged with a spark in the second half, scoring on five of their six possessions as they finished with 354 total yards.
"Like I told the kids, they never gave up on each other," North Callaway head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "That's something that we talked about this week - not just playing for yourself, but playing for that guy next to you.
"They really took heart to that ... and they owned up to their mistakes. We talked about those things at halftime, and they stepped up in the second half. That last drive is just the culmination of everything in the second half."
Clopton/Elsberry closed within 30-29 on junior quarterback Stephen Talbert's 33-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Blake Kendall with 10 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the game. Junior wide receiver Kevin Hammett ran in the two-point conversion.
The Thunderbirds swiftly answered by moving 55 yards in just four plays, with a Henry 19-yard carry taking North Callaway down to the IndianHawks' 1-yard line. However, subsequent penalties against the Thunderbirds on the next play - one for illegal procedure, the other for a personal foul - pushed them back to the Clopton 21.
North Callaway kept going the wrong way after Henry and senior running back Tyler Mattes were both tackled for losses of 3 and 10 yards, respectively. Henry came back with a 19-yard completion to sophomore tight end Adam Reno, but the Thunderbirds were still facing a fourth-and-goal from the IndianHawks' 15.
Henry targeted junior wide receiver A.J. Stubblefield on a fade route down North Callaway's sideline near the goal line. The pass looked like it might be intercepted and the Clopton/Elsberry defender deflected the ball, but Stubblefield was able to snatch it out of the air and tumbled into the end zone for the touchdown.
The Thunderbirds failed on the two-point conversion attempt, but were up by seven points with 7:04 to go.
"That's a great play by A.J., as much as it is Milo," O'Neal said. "He left it up there a little bit, but it was tipped and A.J.'s concentration was there. ... He wanted so bad to catch that ball and score that touchdown."
North Callaway, though, couldn't afford to relax. The IndianHawks assembled an eight-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by Talbert's 23-yard touchdown pass to Hammett at the 4:35 mark. Clopton/Elsberry went for two and the lead, and Talbert's pass to junior wide receiver Mark Frank put the Indians on top 37-36.
The Thunderbirds turned the ball over on downs on their next series and the IndianHawks took over at their own 41 with 3:22 left. Clopton/Elsberry, though, was forced to punt and North Callaway took possession at its 18 with 1:59 to go.
Henry hooked up with Reno on three straight completions for 15, 16 and 28 yards, respectively, as the Thunderbirds quickly marched to the IndianHawks' 21. Reno was injured on the last catch and O'Neal revealed afterward that he broke his collarbone on the play.
After the injury timeout, Henry connected with junior running back Wyatt Branson for a 16-yard gain and then flipped a 4-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Austin Edwards that put North Callaway at the Clopton 1 with under a minute to play. Henry was stopped for no gain on second down and the Thunderbirds called their final timeout with :28.9 remaining.
Henry was unable to move the mass of players and get into the end zone on third down. With the clock falling below :10, North Callaway's offense raced to the line and Henry took the snap. He was stood up again by the collection of linemen in front of him, but was able to move to his left and pushed his way across the goal line for the stirring go-ahead score.
"Oh, no problem," O'Neal said of the tense sequence as a wide grin broke across his face. "I had all the confidence in the world."
The Thunderbirds failed on the two-point conversion attempt, but the IndianHawks couldn't get out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff to stop the clock for one last play.
Henry missed on his first eight passes, but rebounded to complete 11-of-21 for 194 yards and no interceptions. He hit Branson out in the flat for a 49-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter, then threw a screen pass to Reno for an 18-yard touchdown at the outset of the fourth quarter.
Henry also scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter and finished with 51 yards on 20 carries.
"He gathered himself there in the second half," O'Neal said. "We didn't ask him to throw the ball deep that many times, we just needed him to complete those quick passes.
"He read the defense and did a good job of getting the ball where it needed to be."
North Callaway returns home this week to square off against EMO opponent Wright City. The Wildcats (4-3, 3-2) overpowered Van-Far in a 44-18 conference romp at home Friday night.