KINGDOM CITY - The North Callaway Thunderbirds weren't able to withstand the Wright City Wildcats' late charge.
North Callaway went in front on senior running back Tyler Mattes' touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Wright City responded with a flurry by scoring the game's final 20 points to jolt the Thunderbirds 42-28 in Eastern Missouri Conference play Friday night.
The stunning loss dropped North Callaway to 3-5 on the season and 2-4 in the EMO. The victory was the second straight for the Wildcats (5-3, 4-2).
"We had our chances, but Wright City made more plays than we did," Thunderbirds head coach Kevin O'Neal said.
North Callaway trailed at halftime, but tied the game at 22-all after junior running back J.T. Higgins scored on a 4-yard run with 1 minute, 17 seconds left in the third quarter. Higgins also ran for the two-point conversion to pull the Thunderbirds even.
Mattes then put North Callaway on top for the first time since the first quarter on his 5-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left in the game. The Thunderbirds failed on the two-point conversion attempt.
The Wildcats needed less than 2 minutes to go in front to stay when senior quarterback Andrew Pfuhl scored from 2 yards out with 7:11 to go. Junior kicker Clayton Sharp's extra point gave Wright City a 29-28 edge.
Senior running back Derenzo Blanks extended the Wildcats' lead with his second touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run with 2:11 remaining. Senior cornerback Latravion Saddler then sealed Wright City's win by picking off North Callaway junior quarterback Milo Henry and returning it 45 yards for a touchdown with :51 to play.
The Wildcats produced the game's first score on Pfuhl's 15-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Troy Muse at the 7:24 mark of the first quarter. The Thunderbirds countered with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Henry to junior receiver A.J. Stubblefield with 5:21 left in the quarter and took an 8-7 lead on Higgins' two-point run.
Wright City regained the lead on Blanks' 4-yard touchdown run with 7:48 to go in the second quarter, but the back-and-forth continued when Henry's 20-yard scoring scamper brought North Callaway within a point at the 4:00 mark. The Thunderbirds were unable to convert the two-point attempt.
The Wildcats carried a 22-14 advantage into halftime when Pfuhl paired up with Muse again on a 50-yard touchdown strike with 3:07 remaining. Sharp added the extra point.
North Callaway amassed 284 yards of total offense, including 188 rushing, and committed three turnovers. Henry was 11-of-23 passing for 96 yards, while Higgins rushed for a game-high 74 yards on 20 carries.
Mattes gained 52 yards in 13 attempts and Stubblefield led the Thunderbirds with three catches for 41 yards.
Pfuhl completed just 8-of-20 passes, but threw for 164 yards and no interceptions as Wright City finished with 215 total yards. Muse pulled in a game-high seven catches for 155 yards.
North Callaway closes out the regular season this week with a trip to EMO opponent Van-Far that will impact district positioning. The Indians are 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the conference after a 28-12 home win over Clopton/Elsberry on Friday night.
Van-Far is in fourth place in the Class 2, District 6 standings with 33.33 points, just ahead of the fifth-place Thunderbirds (29.55). Seventh-ranked Palmyra (6-2) is in first place with 43.17 points, followed by Clark County (6-2, 40.96) in second and Bowling Green third (5-3, 35.18).
Highland (2-6) trails North Callaway in sixth place with 23.33 points. The top four teams will host district first-round games.
•Note: The Thunderbirds' junior varsity game against Father Tolton, originally scheduled to be played at North Callaway, has been moved to Columbia at 6 p.m. Monday. North Callaway is installing the new track around its football field.