KIRKSVILLE - There are a few plays in each game that a team wants back.
For the Fulton Hornets, Friday night's North Central Missouri Conference opener featured a few of those instances - most of them game-changing and one with the potential to change the season's trajectory.
Short fields, penalties and missed opportunities plagued Fulton in its 45-26 loss to the Kirksville Tigers. Their best showing of the season thus far, the loss leaves the Hornets (0-3) wondering what could've been and what could be with sophomore quarterback Woodrow Foster.
Foster left the game on a stretcher due to an apparent leg injury after a fourth-down, fourth-quarter sack by Kirksville senior defensive lineman Jimmy Sylvara. Fulton head coach Trey Barrow had no additional information on Foster, who missed eight games last year with a torn ACL.
Foster finished 12-of-20 passing for 178 yards and two touchdown passes to junior wide receiver AJ Henderson.
"(Foster) is the biggest competitor I know, the most competitive person I know and I know that he will be back doing great things because of the person he is," Barrow said. " I hope he's all right and this is all precautionary, but you never know.
"It's always scary seeing your quarterback taken off on a stretcher, especially considering what he went through last year."
Foster's exit came with the Hornets down 12 points and trying to claw back from a second double-digit deficit. Kirksville (1-2) - also playing its NCMC opener - scored the game's first 10 points due to back-to-back short fields provided by Fulton's special teams.
After a short kickoff, senior quarterback Paxton Dempsay drove the Tigers 43 yards on the game's opening possession, finishing the series with an 8-yard touchdown toss to junior wideout Noah Copeland.
The Hornets responded with a drive to midfield, but a high snap on the punt attempt and recovery by freshman Courtland Simmons set Kirksville up at the Fulton 12-yard line to start its next possession.
Senior kicker Foster Janes' 36-yard field goal pushed the Kirksville lead to 10-0.
"I was telling the guys that we had a good look this week, but whatever it was, maybe it was the long bus ride, we didn't start the way we needed to start," Barrow said. "Once we got going, we really got going."
The Hornets kicked the cobwebs out right at the end of the first quarter. On the period's final play, Henderson collected a hurried pass from Foster near his own sideline, then sidestepped and outran the Tigers' defense 50 yards for the score.
From there, the Fulton ground game and senior running back Zaylin McNeil in particular took center stage. After a Kirksville three-and-out, McNeil logged the Hornets' first rushing touchdown of the season on a 16-yard run, then added the two-point conversion with 9:06 left in the second quarter.
It was Fulton's first lead of the season, but it didn't last long. Kirksville senior back Jackson Snyder scored on an 11-yard run just over three minutes later to put the Tigers back on top 17-14.
McNeil then accounted for all 47 yards on the Hornets' next drive, getting the last 13 on a touchdown run to help Fulton regain the lead with 5:26 to play.
After the two teams traded punts, Kirksville drove 77 yards in six plays in the waning moments of the second quarter. Dempsay connected on 4-of-5 passes on the series and found Copeland on a jump ball just inside the pylon for an 18-yard touchdown to put the Tigers on top 24-20 at the half.
The Hornets rolled a man defense out to combat the Tigers' potent pass attack, but Copeland still managed to produce. The rangy receiver finished with eight catches for 144 yards to lead all players.
"Honestly, I don't think we could've run a different defense and done a better job on that kid," Barrow said. "He's 6-(foot)4, he goes up and gets it, he runs good routes and their quarterback puts the ball where only he can get it - like 10 feet up in the air."
The second half featured a trio of drives Fulton would want back. Henderson immediately set the Hornets up to take the lead with a 67-yard kickoff return to open the third quarter.
Two plays later, McNeil had the ball knocked out and Kirksville recovered at the Tigers' 11. Following a three-and-out, McNeil immediately flipped the field with a 67-yard run to set the Hornets up at the Kirksville 12, but the Hornets ended up turning the ball over on downs.
After forcing another punt by the Tigers, Kirksville recovered another McNeil fumble on the play at the Fulton 23. Five plays later, Snyder turned the miscue into an 8-yard touchdown run to push the Tigers' lead to 31-20 with 4:33 left in the quarter.
One week after showing signs of breaking out, McNeil tallied a game-high 218 yards on 28 carries.
"Our line did a good job gashing their defensive line, but one thing (McNeil) has to work on is holding on to that ball," Barrow said. "He finishes runs, he ran north and south, he just had that thing pop out a few times."
Foster and Henderson connected on 34-yard touchdown pass to bring the Hornets within 38-26 in the fourth quarter.
Dempsay, however, clinched the victory for Kirksville on his 7-yard touchdown run with 3:44 to play.
Fulton returns home this week for an NCMC clash against the Moberly Spartans (2-1). The Spartans suffered their first loss of the season to Lafayette County (Higginsville) 21-14 on Friday night in Moberly.