MONTGOMERY CITY, Mo. - Adam Reno more than compensated for Wyatt Branson's absence.
The North Callaway junior - half of an exceptional backfield equation along with Branson, a senior - rushed for 252 yards and scored five first-half touchdowns Friday night, launching the Thunderbirds to a 62-24 EMO dismantling of the Montgomery County Wildcats.
With Branson in street clothes due to an unspecified injury, Reno maximized just 11 touches in powering North Callaway's running game. Reno rammed Montgomery County's defense from all distances, scoring on runs of 87, 26, 1, 4 and 84 yards as the Thunderbirds accumulated 346 yards on the ground.
North Callaway head coach Kevin O'Neal said that Branson will be back for the start of district play this week. He was coming off a performance in which he accounted for 248 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, three rushing, in the Thunderbirds' 50-14 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 7
Reno made sure North Callaway's running game didn't lack any sizzle with Branson unavailable Friday night.
"I talked to Adam before the game, that he was going to carry more of the load, and he was ready for it," O'Neal said. "He was the spark we needed offensively. He doesn't have those yards through the whole year because he and Wyatt split them.
"It's great to have both of those guys and when you've got to lean on one, Adam stepped up. He ran hard - he was a man on a mission."
Friday night's victory was the fifth straight for the surging Thunderbirds, who raised their season record to 7-2 and finished second in the Eastern Missouri Conference with a 6-1 mark. North Callaway also locked up the fourth seed in Class 2, District 5 with 42.03 points.
The Thunderbirds will host No. 5 seed Father Tolton (4-5) in a District 5 first-round game next Friday night. The Trailblazers picked up their third win in a row Friday night, 32-13 over St. Paul Lutheran (Concordia).
"We've got to make sure we have good practices all week," O'Neal said. "That's what I talked to all of the kids about - not just the 11 (players) that are going to be on the field.
"It's going to be those kids who are playing scout team, it's going to take every one of us to make sure we're prepared for Friday night. We've got to focus in, it's a new season - do-or-die time."
Montgomery County (2-7, 2-5) - fueled by its junior do-it-all, Corey Kroll - jolted North Callaway in the early going Friday night. Kroll's 17-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion run put the Wildcats on top 8-0 with 6 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Thunderbirds were able to pull even behind Reno's 87-yard touchdown dash and a pass from senior quarterback Milo Henry to junior wide receiver Austin Edwards for the two-point conversion at the 5:51 mark. Montgomery County, though, immediately went back in front when Kroll showed off his own burst of speed on the first play of the following possession when he bolted 76 yards for a touchdown.
Kroll added the two-point conversion to make it 16-8 with 5:35 remaining.
A wild first quarter got even crazier when Reno scored on his 26-yard run and tacked on the two-point conversion to square the game again for North Callaway. That triggered a 28-point ambush by the Thunderbirds over the last 4:16 of the quarter as they settled themselves and pulled away from the Wildcats.
Reno supplied his 1-yard touchdown run at the 2:35 mark, then Edwards - from his linebacker position - picked up a fumble on the first play of Montgomery County's next series and returned it 5 yards for a score with 2:20 to play. North Callaway recovered another fumble on the second play of the Wildcats' ensuing possession, setting up senior running back JT Higgins' 15-yard touchdown run to make it 36-16 with 1:33 remaining in the quarter.
"I knew Montgomery County was going to be ready to play this game," O'Neal said. "Coach (John) Klekamp does a great job with those guys, with what he's got, and they came out emotionally ready to go.
"They were fired up, it was their senior night, and we weren't quite ready. We had to make a few adjustments and get our heads right, and get going. Once we did, we did all right."
The Thunderbirds' defense forced seven turnovers by the Wildcats, five setting up scores. After allowing the early touchdowns, North Callaway shut out Montgomery County until Kroll - who finished with 214 yards on 34 carries - scored on a 6-yard run against backups with 8:19 left in the game.
"Our defense, when they're playing like they're supposed to play, they're pretty solid," O'Neal said. "I think we've proven that the last couple of weeks, we just came out a little flat to start this game.
"I don't know if we thought Montgomery was going to roll over, or what but once we cranked it up and started playing defense like we can, we did all right."