COLUMBIA, Mo. - Zack Hess emerged from the exhaustive blur and exhaled in relief.
Hess had just watched his state-ranked South Callaway Bulldogs stage an improbable escape, punctuating a 25-19 comeback victory over Father Tolton in Friday night's season opener when senior running back Kaden Helsel scored from 1 yard out in the second overtime.
The stirring win seemed unlikely until South Callaway - ranked eighth in Class 2 - blocked a Tolton punt in the end zone and smothered the ball for a touchdown with 59 seconds left in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 19-all. The Trailblazers did their part to force overtime by blocking the Bulldogs' extra-point attempt.
And if that wasn't enough excitement, throw in a lightning delay late in the third quarter that took the teams off the field for 35 minutes.
"I'm still trying to take it all in, to be honest," said Hess, who is entering his third year as South Callaway head coach. "There's so many ups and downs, and that's what makes football fun, especially when you're playing a high-quality opponent - a team that's very tough with a lot of great athletes.
"It was like a boxing match, one punch right after another. You take some and you give some. Fortunately, we were able to give more at the end than we were taking."
The Bulldogs' outlook appeared bleak when they forced Tolton to punt from the back of its end zone with just over a minute to play in regulation. The Trailblazers' problems started when they floated the snap back to the punter, whose kick was then blocked by South Callaway junior linebacker Bradyn Belcher.
The ball sailed high into the air and to the right, landing in the arms of junior defensive lineman Dustin Loucks in the end zone and allowing the Bulldogs to pull even. South Callaway had a chance to take the lead, but junior kicker Tyklen Salmons' PAT was blocked.
"Things were looking pretty dim at that point," Hess said. "We were going to get the ball back with no timeouts, who knows where on the field - it was going to be very difficult to score. We had not been able to do a whole lot on offense the whole game, so you can't rely on one-minute drives with no timeouts.
" That special-teams play was the game, that was the difference in the game. That's just a credit to him (Loucks), being aware of where the ball was and finding it. We're just glad it worked out."
The Bulldogs received the ball first in overtime, but senior quarterback Landon Horstman was intercepted on fourth-and-5 from Tolton's 8-yard line. The Trailblazers were able to reach the South Callaway 2 on their first series, but junior running back Ben Breitwiser fumbled after being taken down for a 2-yard loss and South Callaway recovered.
Tolton got the ball to begin the second overtime and moved to the South Callaway 7 on an 18-yard pass from junior quarterback Robert Hunter to junior receiver Jack Washer. After a run for no gain and two incomplete passes, Hunter was sacked by Loucks and the Bulldogs took possession.
A 2-yard run by Horstman on fourth-and-1 at the Trailblazers' 16 extended South Callaway's drive and Helsel dashed for 10 yards down to the Tolton 1 on second down. On the next play, Helsel beat defenders to the left edge and squeezed himself inside the pylon for the score that sent the Bulldogs and their fans into a state of euphoria.
"The overtime session was indicative of what the game was like, I mean it was back and forth," Hess said. " It was almost one of those things where it was meant to be. I'm really excited for these guys - my joy comes from watching their happiness here at the end."
South Callaway was down 13-6 at halftime, but had some momentum after junior free safety Peyton Leeper intercepted Hunter late in the third quarter. The Bulldogs had driven to the Trailblazers' 35 when lightning snaked across the sky, suspending the game with 3:31 to go in the quarter.
The unexpected break seemed to spark South Callaway. After play resumed, Leeper raced for a 29-yard gain and Helsel followed with a 4-yard carry. Horstman then topped off the drive on a 1-yard touchdown plunge at the 2:39 mark and Salmons' PAT tied the game.
"We tried to sell (the delay) as a good thing, we tried to sell it as a blessing," Hess said. "The way our team is built right now, there's not a lot of subs coming in. Those guys are gassed.
"We used that time to get off our feet, eat a snack, talk over some stuff on the whiteboard, just regather ourselves."
The Bulldogs' normally dynamic offense - which returns all of its talent from last season - encountered more than its share of difficulties Friday night. South Callaway turned the ball over on downs four times inside Tolton's 30, as well as committing turnovers twice inside the Trailblazers' 10.
The Bulldogs' first score came on a gimmick when Leeper threw an option pass to Helsel for a 63-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter. South Callaway finished with 293 yards of total offense.
Helsel rushed for a game-high 65 yards on 15 carries and had two catches for a game-high 90 yards receiving. Horstman completed just 6-of-22 passes for 52 yards and two interceptions.
"That's a great question, I don't know," Hess said in trying to explain the Bulldogs' offensive hardships. "We had high expectations. (Tolton) did a great job up front and they made it hard for us to establish a running game.
"We were able to get to the perimeter a few times, which was good, and their athletes in the backfield (secondary) came up in run support and did a great job. We just weren't clicking in the pass game very well. Our throws were off and Landon didn't have a lot of time back there - that's something we're going to have to clean up."
South Callaway's defense game-planned last week to face senior Steven Devine at quarterback for the Trailblazers, but Tolton pulled a bait-and-switch and went with Hunter instead. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hunter delivered by going 21-of-39 for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
Hunter connected with sophomore receiver Jevean Brown on a 47-yard touchdown pass with 6:41 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 6-all. Hunter then found senior receiver Nick Beckett for a 24-yard score at the 5:27 mark of the second quarter to help put the Trailblazers on top 13-6.
Hunter paired up with Brown again on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 7:52 to play in the fourth quarter to give Tolton its 19-13 edge. The Trailblazers were limited to a meager 39 yards in 30 attempts.
"We felt like we were doing a good job with their run game, and that was the game plan," Hess said. "We wanted them to throw the ball - we didn't really expect them to be as successful throwing it.
" In the second half they did a good job with their pass game and found some open windows, and exploited us a little bit."
The Bulldogs play their home opener this Friday night against Milan. The Wildcats kicked off their season Friday night with a 28-14 home loss to Mark Twain.