CLARKSVILLE - The North Callaway Thunderbirds survived quarterback issues, both internally and externally.
Senior fullback Mason Wortman's 1-yard touchdown run with 1 minute, 25 seconds left in the third quarter put North Callaway in front to stay as the Thunderbirds turned away the Clopton/Elsberry IndianHawks 46-29 in the Eastern Missouri Conference opener for both teams Friday night.
Wortman added a pair of 1-yard scores in the fourth quarter to help North Callaway (2-1) pull away for its second straight victory.
The Thunderbirds were forced to overcome the loss of senior starting quarterback Jadon Henry, who took a hit to the head late in the first half while playing defense at his outside linebacker position. Henry sat out the remainder of the game as a precautionary measure.
Freshman backup quarterback Braydn O'Neal performed admirably in replacing Henry, completing 4-of-5 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in the second half. O'Neal connected with junior running back Cody Cash for a 50-yard score to help give North Callaway a 24-22 lead with 9:38 to play in the third quarter.
The Thunderbirds also had to withstand a 366-yard, three-touchdown passing effort by Clopton/Elsberry quarterback Shawn Yates in outlasting the IndianHawks (1-2). Yates also ran for a score.
"I'm very proud of the way the team came back to win this game," North Callaway head coach Don Boulware said. "(Braydn) did a great job taking over the quarterback position and handling the pressure."
The Thunderbirds grabbed an early lead on sophomore running back Trevor Ray's 10-yard touchdown run with 9:19 to go in the first quarter. Wortman tacked on the two-point conversion on a run to make it 8-0.
Clopton/Elsberry closed within a point following Yates' 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zakk Eivins with 3:22 remaining in the quarter. The IndianHawks added the extra point.
Yates then put Clopton/Elsberry in front when he found wide receiver Kyle Martin on a 23-yard scoring throw at the 10:37 mark of the second quarter. Yates' run for the two-point conversion gave the IndianHawks a 15-8 advantage.
North Callaway was able to regain the lead after Cash darted 67 yards for a touchdown with 6:21 left in the first half. Henry hooked up with junior tight end Christian Griffith for the two-point conversion to put the Thunderbirds on top by a point.
Yates, though, sent Clopton/Elsberry into halftime with a 22-16 lead when he scored on a 4-yard run with :04 to play.
North Callaway went back in front on O'Neal's touchdown pass to Cash early in the third quarter. Yates - who finished 23-of-41 passing and was intercepted once - then gave the lead back to the IndianHawks at 29-24 on a 26-yard touchdown pass to Eivins at the 4:24 mark.
Wortman put the Thunderbirds on top to stay with his short scoring burst late in the quarter and followed that with another 1-yard touchdown run with 7:51 remaining in the game. He added the two-point conversion to give North Callaway a 38-29 advantage.
Wortman then sealed the Thunderbirds' victory on a 1-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion with 4:50 to go. He ended up with 142 yards rushing on 23 carries.
Cash gained 145 yards in 12 attempts as North Callaway rolled up 353 yards rushing as a team. Ray contributed 68 yards on nine carries.
The Thunderbirds come home this week to square off against the Wright City Wildcats (2-1) in an EMO game. Wright City launched conference play with a 38-18 home victory over Van-Far/Community on Friday night.
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.