MOKANE - A relatively tame first half transformed into a frenzied final 24 minutes between the South Callaway Bulldogs and the South Shelby Cardinals.
No. 2 seed South Callaway and No. 3 South Shelby combined to break out for 58 points in the second half as the Bulldogs survived for a 43-36 victory over the Cardinals in the Class 1, District 6 semifinals Friday night.
"Thank goodness the offense came to play and did a great job tonight," South Callaway head coach Zack Hess said. "It really was a team win, a team effort, because if we didn't play good defense in the first half, then we wouldn't be in the position we were in, in the second half.
"We didn't finish the game with the defense that we wanted to -we've got to figure out what's going on there and make some adjustments. Offensively, I couldn't be more proud - the guys fought all night and they finished the game really well."
The Bulldogs (5-6) now move on to a District 6 title showdown at top-seeded Brentwood (6-5) next Friday night in suburban St. Louis. Brentwood advanced by easily handling No. 5 seed Harrisburg 43-0 in Friday night's other District 6 semifinal.
"I'm just real proud of how our guys have gone through ups and downs this season," Hess said. "It took us a while to kind of figure out our identity and maybe just the rhythm of the season.
"It means a lot to do something special like this, and to get a chance to play for a district championship is a big deal. It's a lot of fun and I'm just really happy for these guys."
South Callaway finally appeared to be in control early in the fourth quarter Friday night. Senior quarterback Cole Shoemaker's second 1-yard touchdown run of the game gave the Bulldogs a 43-22 advantage with 11 minutes, 32 seconds left in the contest.
However, South Shelby refused to concede. The Cardinals narrowed the gap to 43-30 on junior running back Marcus Wiseman's 9-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion with 6:54 to play.
South Shelby's defense then came up with a big play after a lengthy South Callaway drive, recovering a fourth-down fumble by the Bulldogs at the Cardinals' 14-yard line. Senior quarterback Daniel Burke immediately connected with junior wide receiver Phillip Dodd on an 80-yard catch-and-run.
Burke then followed with a 6-yard touchdown run but failed on the two-point conversion attempt, leaving South Shelby down by seven points with 2:04 remaining.
The Cardinals attempted an onside kick, but South Callaway covered the ball at their own 45. The Bulldogs ran out the clock to preserve their spot in the District 6 championship.
A bold play call by South Callaway offensive coordinator Tucker Bartley as halftime neared was the catalyst for the Bulldogs' outburst that carried over to the second half and proved to be the difference in the game.
South Shelby had just pulled within 8-6 on Burke's 5-yard touchdown pass to Dodd with :28 to play. South Callaway returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 42 and instead of settling for the two-point lead at the break, Bartley opted to take a shot at another score.
Off a perfect play fake on first down, Shoemaker dropped a pass into the hands of senior wide receiver Brandon Stoker behind the Cardinals' secondary. Stoker did the rest, gaining enough separation from a lone South Shelby defender to sprint 58 yards for a touchdown with :12.5 left.
Freshman kicker Caleb Pezold added the extra point to send the Bulldogs into halftime with a 15-6 lead.
"It was a good time to call it because the other team's probably thinking that we're going to do the same thing, we're going to sit on it, and you catch them off guard a little bit," Hess said. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
"That time it worked and he (Bartley) looks like a genius for calling it."
The daring score was a thrilling appetizer for what would be a breathtaking back-and-forth between South Callaway and South Shelby in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and quickly drove 89 yards in just four plays to increase their lead. Senior running back Devin Borghardt and junior running back Hayden Vaught peeled off respective gains of 37 and 41 yards to help set up senior running back Nick Mealy's 8-yard touchdown run at the 10:48 mark.
The Cardinals countered with an 11-play, 60-yard scoring drive, topped off by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Burke to Dodd with 5:43 to go. Burke supplied the two-point conversion on a run to bring South Shelby within 22-14.
South Callaway had a snappy response three plays later when Vaught darted 48 yards for a score with 4:21 remaining in the quarter. South Shelby needed only five plays to answer with an 8-yard touchdown run from Wiseman and a Burke run for the two-point conversion to make it a seven-point game with 2:16 to play.
Vaught, though, promptly punished the Cardinals again when he grabbed the ensuing kickoff and bolted 85 yards for a touchdown. Pezold's extra point put the Bulldogs up 36-22 with 2:02 left in the quarter.
"We just scored so doggone fast and it's awesome, but at the same time that's where we've got to figure out defensively how do we make stops right after that," Hess said. "It's just a balance and I'm not going to complain about it."
Vaught rushed for a game-high 139 yards on 12 carries and Borghardt had 76 yards in 10 attempts. South Callaway accumulated 395 yards of total offense, including 299 yards rushing.
"You look at Hayden Vaught and some of the plays that he made, the kickoff return for a touchdown and a couple of big, long runs, and Devin had some nice runs," Hess said. "I definitely want those guys to keep being explosive and being great athletes, and making plays."
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.