The North Callaway Thunderbirds were trapped in the constant mode of chasing the Bowling Green Bobcats, never quite catching them.
North Callaway spotted Bowling Green a 14-0 lead in Friday night's Eastern Missouri Conference opener, but made it a game at halftime by closing within nine points. The Thunderbirds, though, became stuck in a back-and-forth exchange, swapping scores with the Bobcats in the second half and eventually dropped a 49-34 outcome.
Despite prolific efforts from both junior quarterback Cole Branson and senior split end Miguel Hudson, North Callaway suffered its second straight loss in tumbling to 1-3 on the season. Junior quarterback Jacob Niemeyer answered with a game-high 191 yards rushing and three touchdowns - also throwing for a score - as Bowling Green remained unbeaten at 4-0.