MILAN, Mo. - The South Callaway Bulldogs' offense, already operating at optimal speed with its running game, appears ready to induce even more stress on opponents.
Senior running back Bennett Hager was responsible for a pair of touchdowns and five different South Callaway players scored on runs as the Bulldogs produced 329 yards on the ground in mowing down the Milan Wildcats 39-0 on Friday night.
South Callaway's versatile, dynamic running attack surpassed 300 yards for the second straight week as the Bulldogs raised their season record to 2-0.
"What jumped out at me the most was the crispness of the offense," South Callaway head coach Zack Hess said Saturday morning. "We were moving the ball a little smoother and our ball security was much better.
"We didn't have that wait period where it had to come together."
Hager gained 71 yards and had a pair of 9-yard touchdown runs in just six attempts. Junior running back Dalton Stone - coming off a 115-yard effort in the Bulldogs' season-opening 38-15 victory over Father Tolton - paced South Callaway again Friday night with 82 yards on only four touches and busted off a 69-yard touchdown run.
Junior quarterback Landon Horstman also rushed for 79 yards and a 1-yard score on 10 carries, while junior running back Kaden Helsel matched Hager with 71 yards and had a 40-yard touchdown run in just four attempts. Sophomore backup quarterback Peyton Leeper also scored on a 5-yard run.
Horstman put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard on his short touchdown run with 9 minutes, 7 seconds left in the first quarter and Stone made it 12-0 with his long score at the 6:11 mark of the quarter. Hager then increased South Callaway's lead on his first touchdown with 6:34 to go in the second quarter.
Helsel sent the Bulldogs into halftime with a 26-0 advantage on his scoring run with 3:10 remaining. Hager delivered his other touchdown at the 9:11 mark of the third quarter and Leeper punctuated the scoring with 6:14 to play in the game.
On the kickoff after Leeper's touchdown, the game was stopped because of lightning and the two teams were sent to their locker rooms. After Hess conferred with Milan head coach John Dabney, the contest was called.
South Callaway's defense held the Wildcats to 131 total yards, all rushing, in posting the shutout.
"We did really well in swarming to the ball," Hess said. "We did a good job up front with the larger guys from Milan in pushing the line back, and then our linebackers did a nice job in running through the windows."
South Callaway stays on the road for a second straight game when it begins the Eastern Missouri Conference portion of its schedule this week at Wright City. The Wildcats tumbled to 0-2 after a 35-6 home loss to Southern Boone on Friday night.
"I feel good about where we're at and I feel like we have a lot of potential," Hess said. "We talk about all of the things we've done right, but we have so many things we can do better.
"I think this team can be really good, but we have a long ways to go and a lot of work to do."
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or by email at [email protected].