KINGDOM CITY - The North Callaway Thunderbirds are moving on after manhandling Van-Far for the second week in a row.
North Callaway's defense came up with six interceptions, returning two for scores, and junior quarterback Milo Henry passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns Friday night as the No. 4 seed Thunderbirds trampled the No. 5 Indians 54-0 in a Class 2, District 7 opener.
"It was a good ballgame and a good win," North Callaway head coach Kevin O'Neal said. "Both the offense and defense played a great game. Our balanced attack was really good and the defense played great all night long."
North Callaway - which secured a home playoff game with its 38-0 Eastern Missouri Conference victory at Van-Far on Oct. 16 - evened its season record at 5-5. The Thunderbirds also earned a trip to Palmyra next Friday night for a District 7 semifinal clash with the top-seeded, No. 10-ranked Panthers.
Palmyra advanced with a 35-0 home victory over No. 8 seed Montgomery County on Friday night.
North Callaway's defense was an annoyance again for Van-Far quarterbacks Caden Wilburn and Parker Wallace. Wilburn - a freshman - completed just 1-of-12 passes for only 4 yards and was picked off four times, while the sophomore Wallace finished 5-of-13 for 65 yards and was intercepted twice.
The Thunderbirds already owned a 28-0 advantage when sophomore Austin Edwards - from his outside linebacker spot - stole a pass and sprinted 40 yards for a touchdown with 6 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Senior Quintin Nichols, lining up at a cornerback position, also ran back an interception 22 yards for a score with :09 to play in the third quarter.
Two cornerbacks - junior A.J. Stubblefield and senior Brenden Bradt - and a pair of freshman linebackers, Jordan Delashmutt and Tanner Pezold, also had interceptions for North Callaway.
The Indians - who completed their season with a 4-6 record - finished with seven turnovers and managed a barely perceptible 3 yards rushing.
Meanwhile, Henry smoothly steered a Thunderbirds offense that generated 404 net yards. He flipped a 37-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Wyatt Branson with 2:02 left in the first quarter, then collaborated with Stubblefield - from his split-end spot - on a 71-yard catch-and-run for a score at the 7:27 mark of the second quarter.
Henry followed up by finding Edwards, at his slot receiver position, for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 2:46 to go. That score sent North Callaway into halftime with a commanding 41-0 lead. Henry completed 5-of-10 passes with no interceptions and added a 3-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
Stubblefield had two catches for 114 yards, while senior running back Tyler Mattes picked up a team-high 64 yards on just seven carries. Mattes bolted 53 yards for a touchdown for the Thunderbirds' opening score with 3:47 to go in the first quarter. Freshman backup Carson Poe also provided a 28-yard touchdown run with 4:43 left in the game.