CENTER, Mo. - South Callaway's defense absorbed the crunch of Mark Twain's battering run game, then the Bulldogs pushed back with some offensive chunk.
South Callaway forged a pair of fourth-down stops just outside its 30-yard line in the second quarter and then cashed in with a pair of long touchdowns, propelling the unbeaten Bulldogs to a 28-6 Eastern Missouri Conference triumph over Mark Twain on Friday night.
South Callaway - which collected seven votes this past week in the Class 2 state media rankings - ran its season record to 6-0 and its EMO mark to 4-0. The Tigers had their two-game winning streak halted in dipping to the .500 mark at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play.
"That was huge," Bulldogs head coach Zack Hess said of the second-quarter scenario. "I told the guys at halftime, a team like this (Mark Twain) is not really built for a comeback - and so when we get leads, how important that is.
"They understood that."
The Bulldogs struck first on their second possession of the game. Junior quarterback Landon Horstman punctuated a seven-play, 49-yard drive when he delivered a 16-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wingback Peyton Leeper on fourth-and-12 with 5 minutes, 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
Mark Twain quickly countered less than a minute later when senior running back Caleb Hirner got loose off the left edge and raced 64 yards down the Tigers' sideline for a touchdown at the 4:32 mark. Mark Twain missed the extra point, leaving South Callaway with a slim 7-6 edge.
After the Bulldogs went three-and-out, the Tigers maneuvered their way to South Callaway's 38-yard line. But on a fourth-and-8, senior quarterback Loren Carlisle's pass fell incomplete and the Bulldogs took over.
South Callaway needed only three plays to convert that defensive stop into points. After a 20-yard gain by Horstman and a 16-yard pickup from junior running back Kaden Helsel, senior running back Bennett Hager sprinted 26 yards for a touchdown with 9:54 remaining in the second quarter.
Mark Twain made its way across midfield on its next series, but was again turned away by the Bulldogs' defense. On fourth-and-two at the South Callaway 32, senior running back Terry Monroe was stacked up just shy of a first down and the Bulldogs regained possession.
South Callaway profited four plays later when Horstman called his own number and raced 41 yards for a touchdown with 4:57 to go in the first half. Senior kicker Dakota Kraft added his third extra point to put the Bulldogs up 21-6 going into the break.
The Tigers came into Friday night averaging a remarkable 347 yards rushing as a team, but the South Callaway defense held them well below that number at 215 yards (3.8 average) on 57 carries. But when a team is so dependent on the run like Mark Twain, which consumes time, it's not conducive to rallying from a double-digit deficit, as Hess noted.
Hirner ended up with a game-high 125 yards rushing on 25 carries, but more than half of that sum came on his early touchdown run. Monroe followed with a hard-earned 79 yards in 24 attempts.
South Callaway's defense also forced a pair of important turnovers in the second half to quash drives by the Tigers. Leeper - from his free-safety position - picked off Carlisle near the goal line on fourth down with less than 4 minutes left in the third quarter.
Senior cornerback Brandon Ashley then intercepted a Carlisle fourth-down throw inside the Bulldogs' 20 early in the fourth quarter.
"The name of the game is keeping them out of the end zone, and for the most part we did that," Hess said. "You always want to strive for more in getting those (stops on) third downs and getting off the field, but overall the defense played a heck of a game."
Ashley's pick set up an eight-play, 85-yard drive that ended with sophomore fullback Bradyn Belcher's 3-yard touchdown run with 5:53 left to seal the win.
Hager finished with 119 yards rushing on only seven carries as South Callaway amassed 350 yards of total offense, including 276 on the ground. Horstman had 72 yards in just four attempts, but was only 6-of-13 passing for 74 yards with two interceptions.
"We had a couple of drops and if we would have made one of those catches, you never know what could have happened," Hess said. "Then the interception there (in the third quarter), Landon was just taking a chance downfield and it's almost like a punt.
"It's just one of those, it looks bad in the stat book but it was a calculated risk."
South Callaway stays on the road this week for an EMO contest at Bowling Green (1-5, 1-3). The Bobcats bowed at Montgomery County in a narrow 22-20 conference loss Friday night.
"We were very concerned about (Mark Twain), how good they are and they've gotten better, and the challenges that they present," Hess said. "We're definitely going to celebrate this for a little bit and then get ready for Bowling Green."