MOKANE - Regardless of the rough route it took to reach this point, the South Callaway Bulldogs are in position to prove it was meaningful.
Surviving an 0-3 start and two losses to close the regular season, No. 2 seed South Callaway will seek a Class 1, District 6 championship when it travels to suburban St. Louis tonight to face the top-seeded Brentwood Eagles. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs (5-6) advanced to the title game by outlasting No. 3 seed South Shelby in a 43-36 semifinal victory at home last week.
"I think, as a coaching staff there's a little bit of justification that, hey, we're doing some good things," South Callaway head coach Zack Hess said Wednesday afternoon. "The season - as a body of work - didn't really turn out like we had hoped going into the season.
"But now that we're at this spot right here, everything's meant to happen for a reason. You've got to feel like it's been a long process, it's been good, it's been a lot of hard work, but at the same time it's been worth it."
Brentwood (6-5) reached tonight's championship with a 43-0 semifinal blitz of No. 5 seed Harrisburg last week. The Eagles have outscored their two District 6 opponents by a combined 84-0.
The Bulldogs' defense will be tested by Brentwood's speed that is showcased in a double-wing offense.
Jon Danford - a 5-foot-8, 130-pound senior running back - has rushed for a team-high 14 touchdowns on 600 yards (6.7 average) for the Eagles.
"He's just a very explosive player," Hess said. "He gets the ball and he's squirmy - he dances around, finds a hole and shoots (through) it. He's super-fast.
"He's not very big and that's what we told the guys - he's not a guy that's going to pull a bunch of (defenders) and get three extra yards. He's a guy that we've got to contain. If he has an open area, he's going to be hard to catch."
Freshman running back John Clay (5-11, 175) leads the Eagles in rushing with 701 yards (6.6 average) and has four touchdowns.
"He's a bigger body - he's kind of the opposite of No. 3 (Danford)," Hess said. "Not that he's not fast, but he's just not as explosive. He's more of a power back, he's more of a straight-line type of guy."
Sophomore running back Cole Gino (5-10, 160) has also gained 498 yards (6.6 average) and scored four times for Brentwood. Senior quarterback Reggie Jeffery (5-11, 165) is 19-of-49 passing for 259 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Senior tight end Jaylon Shields (6-0, 170) paces the Eagles with nine catches for 112 yards (12.4 average) and two scores.
South Callaway's defense surrendered 422 yards of total offense in last week's victory over South Shelby, but 312 yards of that output came in the second half as the Cardinals put up 30 points.
"I felt like defensively we were lights out in the first half," Hess said. "I think we got gassed at some positions (in the second half), I think our fundamentals kind of went downhill.
"When we do that, we lose focus mentally and maybe we line up in the wrong spot."
In trying to counter Brentwood's double-wing tonight, Hess acknowledged that the Bulldogs may be forced to devise a hybrid scheme.
"You can't really line up in a 4-4 or a 3-4, or an odd stack," Hess said. "We can't do our regular things and be successful. I don't want to say you create a brand-new defense, but you have to be creative in some of the things that we ask the kids to do."
As far as the Eagles are concerned on the defensive side of the ball, Hess expects to see a 4-4 alignment. Junior defensive end Michael Jones (6-5, 230) has logged a team-high 84 tackles (58 solo) and eight sacks.
Senior cornerback Josh Danfort anchors the Brentwood secondary with six interceptions, followed by Shields with four picks from his safety position.
"They don't really adjust a whole lot," Hess said of the Eagles' defensive unit. "They stick to what they do, they believe in it and they're just really good at it."
The Bulldogs produced 395 yards of total offense last week, including 299 yards rushing. Junior running back Hayden Vaught rushed for a game-high 139 yards on 12 carries and scored on a 48-yard run, while also returning a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.
Senior quarterback Cole Shoemaker scored on a pair of 1-yard runs for South Callaway. Shoemaker's 58-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Brandon Stoker just before halftime gave the Bulldogs a 15-6 lead.
"We have to take advantage of (Brentwood's) alignments on defense," Hess said. "We've got plays and we've got schemes built in to our offense that if they're doing this, then we can do this.
"If we do those really well, I think we have a chance to move the ball."
Ryan Boland can be reached at (573) 826-2422, or on Twitter @FultonSunSports.