VANDALIA - The North Callaway Thunderbirds were able to carry out the switch.
North Callaway's running game amassed 328 yards and its defense limited Van-Far to a meager 66 yards of total offense as the Thunderbirds charged to a 38-0 Eastern Missouri Conference rampage of the Indians on Friday night.
The commanding win allowed North Callaway (4-5, 3-4 EMO) to swap spots with Van-Far (4-5, 3-4) in the Class 2, District 6 standings, moving the Thunderbirds into the fourth seed with 31.52 points and dropping the Indians to fifth with 30.74. That means North Callaway will get to stay home for its first-round, District 6 rematch against Van-Far next Friday night.
"We challenged them before the game to play fast, to play hard and to play for their brother (teammate)," Thunderbirds head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "I think they came out and did that tonight."
Behind a punishing effort from its offensive line, North Callaway's running attack encountered little restriction from the Indians. Senior Tyler Mattes delivered the hard yards on the interior and junior Wyatt Branson showed an electric burst as both backs ran for a pair of touchdowns.
Mattes - who finished with 88 yards on 16 carries - punctuated a 10-play, 74-yard scoring drive on the Thunderbirds' first series with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 minutes, 27 seconds left in the first quarter. He then scored from 2 yards out with 9:42 to play in the second quarter to give North Callaway a 12-0 advantage.
Branson has been dealing with turf toe and only played on defense in the Thunderbirds' home loss to Wright City on Oct. 9. The injury didn't appear to affect him Friday night when he darted 46 yards for a touchdown with 5:59 remaining in the first half.
Branson then closed out North Callaway's scoring when he sped 40 yards for a touchdown with 7:39 to play in the third quarter. He carried the ball just six times but piled up a game-high 151 yards.
And you know all must be well with your running game when you start incorporating offensive linemen into the act. Senior tackle Lance Starkey stomped his way into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run with 9:28 left in the third quarter.
Junior quarterback Milo Henry - who tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver A.J. Stubblefield in the third quarter - added 52 yards rushing in seven attempts for the Thunderbirds. Junior running back J.T. Higgins had 32 yards on only four carries before leaving the game in the second quarter with a dislocated finger, but O'Neal said he should be able to play next week.
"I can't say enough about those five guys up front on the offensive line," O'Neal said. "Those guys dominated the line of scrimmage tonight and that's what we needed to do and got our running game going. We just played great up front.
"All of those guys in the backfield did a great job. ... All of them ran hard - tough yards. Wyatt came in and gave us a spark. Any time he carries the ball, he's special."
Meanwhile, North Callaway's defense pestered Van-Far in posting its second shutout of the season. The Thunderbirds held the Indians to minus-6 yards rushing on 30 carries, while Van-Far sophomore quarterback Parker Wallace and his freshman backup, Caden Wilburn, were a combined 9-of-24 for just 72 yards and were sacked three times.
Henry also had an interception from his safety position near the end of the first quarter to set up North Callaway's second score.
"(The defense) played fast and was aggressive," O'Neal said. "We talked about assignment football all week and they stuck to their assignments. When it was their opportunity to make a play, they made a play."
O'Neal won't have to explain the consequences to his players now that the season has reached its elimination format.
"Well, it's do-or-die time," O'Neal said. "So we have to play every play like it could be our last and get out there and give it everything we've got, and leave everything on the field."