KINGDOM CITY, Mo. - The North Callaway Thunderbirds left a little too much time.
Jackson Sartain's 17-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 14 seconds to play put Southern Boone in front for good and the state-ranked Eagles resisted North Callaway's upset bid by rallying for a 15-12 win in Friday night's season opener.
Seth Mueller ran in the two-point conversion after Sartain's score to give Southern Boone - tied for 10th in Class 3 - its three-point victory.
The Thunderbirds had taken a 12-7 lead on junior running back Jordan Delashmutt's 2-yard touchdown burst with 7:30 remaining in the contest. North Callaway failed on the two-point conversion attempt.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Thunderbirds broke on top 6-0 on senior running back Adam Reno's 16-yard touchdown run with 5:47 to go in the first half.
The score remained that way until Southern Boone's Cooper Mange busted free for a 14-yard scoring run at the 9:53 mark of the third quarter. Parker Boyce's extra point gave the Eagles a 7-6 advantage.
Reno gained 115 yards on 20 carries as North Callaway - which had two turnovers - accumulated 167 yards in 38 attempts on the ground. Delashmutt supplied 59 yards on 12 carries.
Sophomore quarterback Tully Thomsen, making his debut as the Thunderbirds' varsity starter, was 8-of-11 passing for 51 yards and no interceptions. Senior wide receiver Austin Edwards had five catches for 40 yards.
Southern Boone - which committed one turnover - logged 221 yards rushing on 36 carries after being limited to just 49 yards on the ground in the first half. Mange picked up a game-high 130 yards on only 10 carries and Sartain added 88 yards in 15 attempts.
Mueller completed only 3-of-11 passes for 52 yards and an interception.
North Callaway remains at home this Friday night for a matchup with Tipton. The Cardinals cruised to a 34-20 win at home over St. Paul Lutheran (Concordia) in their season opener Friday night.