MOKANE - Junior running back Hayden Vaught and the South Callaway Bulldogs charged into the postseason.
Vaught rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns, and South Callaway gained 428 yards on the ground as a team as the No. 2 seed Bulldogs roughed up No. 7 Westran 55-7 in the Class 1, District 6 quarterfinals Friday night.
South Callaway's defense limited Westran (2-8) to 101 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers as the Bulldogs (4-6) halted a two-game losing streak. South Callaway will remain at home for a District 6 semifinal clash with No. 3 seed South Shelby (4-6) next Friday night.
South Shelby advanced by outlasting No. 6 seed Mark Twain in a 28-20, double-overtime victory in Friday night's quarterfinals.
"I'm incredibly proud of our team," South Callaway head coach Zack Hess said after the Bulldogs' convincing win Friday night. "The offense was clicking on all cylinders and playing well, and the offensive line played great up front.
"The defense played with great intensity and swarmed and punished."
Vaught - who needed just six carries to produce his big night - put South Callaway on the scoreboard on a 20-yard touchdown run with 8 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first quarter. Vaught then made it 14-0 on a 39-yard scoring burst with 2:26 to go in the quarter.
Senior running back Devin Borghardt followed with a 2-yard touchdown run with 8:04 remaining in the second quarter. Borghardt gained 95 yards in 10 attempts.
Senior running back Nick Mealy scored on another 2-yard run at the 5:04 mark and Vaught bolted 96 yards for a touchdown with :18 to play as the Bulldogs raced into halftime with a comfortable 34-0 lead.
Senior running back Noah Reece got South Callaway off to a fast start in the second half when he sprinted 66 yards for a score just 18 seconds into the third quarter. Senior quarterback Cole Shoemaker's 48-yard touchdown pass to sophomore running back Brendon Mealy later in the quarter put the Bulldogs up 48-0.
Sophomore running back Trace Helsel accounted for South Callaway's final score on a 3-yard touchdown run with 10:14 left in the game.
Westran's lone score came on a 39-yard touchdown run by junior running back Kolby Dale with 1:58 to go.
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.