MOUNTAIN GROVE – Hours before playing the third-ranked team in the state, Houston coach Chris Edwards was en route to the hospital. One of the Tigers’ top players, senior Josh Dixon, had overturned and totaled his vehicle.
“I was driving to the hospital and had no idea what I was driving into,” Edwards said. “To get there and find out he was OK was a pretty big relief. Fortunately, we were able to give the kids good news.”
With their teammate injured but in good condition, the Tigers turned their attention to undefeated Mountain Grove. Although Houston lost 42-7 Friday night for the program’s 17th consecutive defeat, Edwards hardly faulted his team’s effort against the third-ranked team in Class 2.
Not to mention the emotion of a near tragedy.
“You lose a game 42-7, it’s tough to say, ‘Wow, you played well,'” Edwards said. “But we were playing one of the top-ranked teams in the state and had to deal with some adversity of our own. We didn’t come out on top, but the kids played hard and never quit.”
The big-play Panthers, without suspended senior Aaron Charlson, were forced to grind out a victory against Houston to clinch the SCA championship. Mountain Grove (7-0, 6-0 SCA) was held well below its season average of nearly 500 total yards. The Panthers had just three plays over 20 yards before Brant Landon galloped into the end zone on a 46-yard run with just over one minute left in the game.
Houston (0-7, 0-3 SCA) stunned the Mountain Grove homecoming crowd when two plays after Ty Scheets hauled in a tipped Casey White pass for an interception on the Panthers’ first play, he fought his way into the end zone on a 9-yard touchdown pass from David Weybright.
“I think we surprised a lot of people by the way we came out and played,” Edwards said.
Edwards was concerned how his team would respond to Dixon’s accident, which happened not long after school was dismissed Friday. He said Dixon’s demeanor helped the situation.
“One of his first questions was who was going to take his place,” Edwards said, “and he tried to get the nurses to hurry up so that he could get to the game.”
Edwards said he didn’t know if Dixon, who escaped serious injury with only whiplash and soreness, would play again.
“If he doesn’t get to play, in the grand scheme of things he’s lucky to be here,” Edwards said. “We’re thankful for that right now.”
After punting on its first possession, Houston caught a break when a tipped pass landed in the hands of Scheets on the Panthers’ 17-yard line. Following a Schmidt run and Mountain Grove penalty, Weybright hit Scheets on a short slant. He was able to carry a defender past the goal line for his team-leading fifth touchdown of the season.
The Tigers held their ground defensively until Mountain Grove’s third possession, which covered 68 yards and ended with Logan Williams’ 19-yard run down the left sideline.
A tipped fourth-down pass that landed in the hands of Karl Tesch for a 20-yard gain kept the Panthers’ next drive alive. Logan Williams scored two plays later.
A partially blocked punt with 3:03 left in the half gave Mountain Grove another scoring opportunity. White covered 54 yards with four consecutive passes, the last a 7-yard touchdown toss to Tesch.
Evan Williams scored from 2 yards out late in the third quarter to put the Panthers ahead 28-7. He added a 5-yard score midway through the fourth.
Houston, which failed to convert a third down, is still looking for a victory. But three close calls against St. James, Salem and El Dorado Springs have the Tigers believing they can make a run in districts.
“When you’re 0-7, it’s hard to say you have momentum,” Edwards say. “I would just say that every week our kids believe we have a chance. If the kids believe you have a chance to win, then you do.”