MOKANE - If the South Callaway offense entertained any notion of matching Mark Twain and its dynamic senior running back, Tyler Elledge, the Bulldogs could not afford any type of stumble.
South Callaway displayed plenty of grit in Friday night's showdown for the Eastern Missouri Conference title, but the Bulldogs failed to convert on fourth down three times inside Mark Twain's 40-yard line in the first half and then managed only 27 total yards over the final 24 minutes in falling to the Tigers 18-7.
Elledge rushed for 309 yards and accounted for all three of Mark Twain's scores as the Tigers - ranked No. 6 in Class 1 - remained unbeaten at 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the EMO. South Callaway, which captured the conference championship last year as a new member, had its five-game winning streak stopped in slipping to 6-2 on the season and 5-1 in the EMO.
"You take ... a couple of big runs (by Elledge) and a turnover to start the second half, just those mistakes that'll get you whenever you're playing in a tight game like that against a very good opponent," Bulldogs head coach Zack Hess said. "You almost have to play a perfect game from that standpoint.
"... In the grand scheme of things, I thought the boys played a great game, they played with a lot of heart, they didn't give up and I'm very proud of them."
Elledge showed off his extraordinary running skills early, darting for touchdown runs of 65 and 60 yards, respectively, to give Mark Twain a 12-0 edge with 8 minutes, 11 seconds left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs moved the ball effectively and had their chances to answer, but were left to lament the scoring opportunities they wasted.
South Callaway was already down 6-0 when it reached the Tigers' 12-yard line on its second series, but then faced a fourth-and-5 from the Mark Twain 7. Sophomore quarterback Landon Horstman connected with sophomore running back Kaden Helsel on a screen pass in the flat, but Helsel was forced out of bounds just shy of the first-down marker.
The Bulldogs then recovered a fumble at their own 42 on the Tigers' next possession and moved to Mark Twain's 38. But on fourth-and-2, senior running back Cameron Richardson was tackled inches away from a first down and the ball went back to the Tigers.
Elledge added his second score three plays later, but South Callaway came right back and drove inside Mark Twain territory again. The Bulldogs made it to the Tigers' 18, but Horstman was only able to pick up 4 yards on a fourth-and-7 and Mark Twain took possession.
South Callaway forced a three-and-out by the Tigers and Helsel returned the punt 17 yards to the Mark Twain 40 with 2:32 to play in the first half. Eight straight running plays carried the Bulldogs to the Tigers' 10 and senior quarterback Ethan Livengood pitched a third-down pass to Richardson in the end zone with :24 remaining.
Junior kicker Dakota Craft knocked through the extra point and South Callaway had narrowed the gap to 12-7 going into the break.
"That was huge and that could have been the difference in momentum in the second half," Hess said. "To get that score was big for us."
The Bulldogs won the opening coin toss and deferred, so they received the kickoff to start the second half. The Tigers lined a squib kick down the middle of the field, South Callaway's special teams failed to get a handle on it and Mark Twain recovered the ball at the Bulldogs' 31.
The Tigers appeared to be going in for another score, reaching South Callaway's 2, but senior quarterback Ethan Mack fumbled on first down and the Bulldogs recovered it at their own 8. South Callaway went three-and-out, but then forced the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs at midfield.
Horstman slipped while dropping back to pass on first down and regained his footing, but was intercepted at the Mark Twain 18.
"We had a lot of momentum because we had a big stop there and we were trying to ride that wave of momentum," Hess said. "We were trying to get a big play, stretch them out vertically, throw the ball downfield.
"It was close, we almost had it. They had two guys there, they defended it really well. I think they were ready for it. (Landon) slipped and then he hitched, the line gave him time to throw - it wasn't a bad throw. It's just one of those things in a tight game that just didn't go our way."
The Tigers countered with a nine-play drive that Elledge closed out with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 18-7 with 3:17 to play in the third quarter.
The two teams traded possessions before Mark Twain got the ball back with 9:08 left in the game. The Tigers proceeded to use 18 consecutive running plays to calmly consume all of that time and clinch the EMO title.
"It's demoralizing," Hess said. "You spend those two timeouts at the end to hopefully get the ball back and they get a first down. From that point, all they have to do is kneel on the ball."
Elledge had nine of his 38 carries on that final series. Of Elledge's total output, 212 yards came on eight attempts. The Tigers finished with 360 yards rushing as a team on 55 carries.
"He is as advertised," Hess said of Elledge. "He doesn't look like much (5-foot-7, 145 pounds), but, man, he runs hard and he is hard to bring down. In the open field, you can't catch him.
"I wouldn't say we won the line of scrimmage, but we held our ground for the most part. Our linebackers did a good job getting downhill; we just missed a few of those tackles and he got away from us."
South Callaway ends the regular season this week with a homecoming clash against EMO opponent Bowling Green (5-3, 4-2). The Bobcats breezed to a 51-28 conference win at home over Montgomery County on Friday night.
The Bulldogs are in third place in the Class 2, District 7 standings with 39.5 points, while Hallsville (4-4) is fourth with 38.38. Father Tolton (7-1) holds down the top spot with 47.48 points after third-ranked Lafayette County (7-1) suffered its first loss to Lexington 34-14 on Friday night and slipped to second place with 46.69.
"I think if we come out and play the same way we did tonight against any other opponent, we're going to be in the game," Hess said. "They played together, they did their jobs for the most part - aside from those breakdowns - and they played with a lot of heart."