By Ryan Boland
Fulton Sun Sports Editor
VANDALIA - South Callaway head coach Zack Hess was finally able to relax and smile after his Bulldogs' show of survival.
South Callaway weathered Van-Far's furious fourth-quarter comeback Friday night as the Bulldogs escaped with a narrow 34-32 Eastern Missouri Conference win over the Indians.
Despite being outscored by Van-Far 12-0 over the final 12 minutes and having to endure some late anxiety, South Callaway put together back-to-back victories for the first time this season. The Bulldogs are now 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the EMO.
"It's stressful there at the end just trying to hold on to the win," Hess said. "I'm very relieved right now, but also very proud of the guys. They did a great job."
The Bulldogs carried a seemingly safe 34-20 edge into the fourth quarter, but the Indians (2-2, 0-2) needed little time to close the gap. Senior wide receiver Nick Barnes snared his third touchdown catch of the game from sophomore quarterback Parker Wallace, this one going for 22 yards.
Van-Far failed on the two-point conversion attempt, but was now only down by eight points with 11:35 remaining.
South Callaway picked up a first down on its ensuing series, but was then forced to punt from its own 39-yard line. The Indians took possession at their own 19 and methodically marched 81 yards in 12 plays, using up 5:23 off the clock to put the Bulldogs in an even more precarious position.
A play after Wallace was shaken up and had to leave the game, Barnes moved into the shotgun slot and took the snap. He slipped through an opening at the line of scrimmage and darted 18 yards for a touchdown with 2:58 to go, bringing Van-Far within a two-point conversion of tying South Callaway.
Wallace returned for the conversion try and looked for Barnes in the back corner of the end zone. Barnes was able to pull the ball in but couldn't get a foot down in bounds, allowing the Bulldogs to cling to their 34-32 advantage.
The Indians then attempted an onside kick, but South Callaway sophomore running back Austin Meyer covered the ball at the Bulldogs' 49. South Callaway protected its tenuous lead by proceeding to use seven straight running plays - with junior Harley Kight and senior Patrick Barnard picking up critical first downs - to run out the clock.
"These types of games are going to make us better," Hess said. "It's stressful and you always want those blowout wins, but these games test us and they ultimately will make us better."
The Bulldogs' running attack certainly excelled at a lofty level Friday night, piling up 443 yards on 56 combined carries as four different players ran for long scores. Barnard - playing in just his second game since returning from a knee injury - took on most of the workload for South Callaway, gaining a game-high 210 yards in 24 attempts and had touchdown runs of 35 and 20 yards.
Senior running back Cameron Richardson followed with 96 yards in just nine carries and scored on a 47-yard run late in the first quarter. Kight finished with 81 yards in only six attempts and raced 27 yards for a touchdown with 4:19 to play in the second quarter, giving the Bulldogs a 20-14 halftime lead.
Senior running back Connor Stupperich was also part of the mix for South Callaway, supplying 42 yards on just four carries. Stupperich scored on a 39-yard run in the third quarter.
"When you play a team like this, that's athletic that throws the ball, to be able to run the ball is going to win the game for you," Hess said. "Our ability to run the ball tonight was huge.
"We burned the clock, we kept their offense off the field as much as we could and that helped us."
While the Van-Far defense couldn't impede the Bulldogs' running game, South Callaway was having its own defensive problems in keeping the ball out of Barnes' hands - whether it was single or double coverage. He tallied eight catches for 148 yards and also had touchdowns of 58 and 20 yards.
"(Barnes) was their guy and we couldn't stop him," Hess said. "We tried everything in the book and they kept making plays on us.
"He's just a real athletic kid and they threw the ball up, and he would go get it and our guys wouldn't."
Wallace completed 13-of-25 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns, including a 6-yard score to senior wide receiver Jamie Householder. Wallace was intercepted once by South Callaway senior defensive back Jordan Martin in the first quarter.
South Callaway will be back at home this week for an EMO contest against Wright City. The Wildcats (3-1, 2-0) blanked Bowling Green 14-0 in conference play Friday night at Wright City.
"Hopefully we can get some momentum going and we maybe get some (injured) players back next week, so that'll help a little bit," Hess said. "We've just got to keep going."