By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
FAUCETT - East Buchanan broke a 14-14 tie in the third quarter on their first possession of the second half with a long touchdown drive
The Bulldogs (10-1) strung together another long scoring drive after that to go up 28-14 late in the third quarter and eventually top Mid-Buchanan, 35-21, in a Class 1 District 8 semifinal in Faucett Friday.
After both teams punted on their opening possession, Mid-Buchanan got the scoring started midway through the first quarter. Starting a drive at the Bulldog 39, the Dragons (10-1) kept it on the ground and polished off a six-play, 39-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Rawlins Brant.
On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore Trevor Klein returned the kick 81 yards the other way to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:19 to go in the first.
Mid-Buchanan responded, going 74 yards on 14 plays and again leaning on Brant in the run game. Brant, again, scored on a one-yard touchdown run to give the Dragons a 14-7 lead early in the second.
After being on the field for just three plays in the first quarter, the East Buchanan offense finally got its chance to get established, putting together a 13-play, 65-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 23-yard touchdown run by Klein.
With the game tied 14-14 at the break, the Bulldogs started the second half with the football, and they would keep it for much of the third quarter. East Buchanan started the second half with a 10-play, 63-yard march that ended with a one-yard touchdown run from senior Cru Conaway.
The Bulldogs had their first lead at 21-14 with 8:53 to go in the third.
Mid-Buchanan went three-and-out on their opening possession of the second half, but a good punt by senior Blake Hunter pinned the Bulldogs deep at their own 12.
A 52-yard run by Klein, however, quickly got East Buchanan into Dragon territory. Junior quarterback Conner Musser later punched it in on a one-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal to put the Bulldogs up 28-14 with 2:47 to go in the third.
Mid-Buchanan got their ground game going again late in the third, and Hunter found the end zone on a 14-yard scramble to make it a 28-21 ballgame entering the fourth.
East Buchanan turned the ball over on downs while driving in Mid-Buchanan territory, and the Dragons got the ball back down seven with 6.5 minutes still to play.
The Dragons did not achieve a single first down in the fourth quarter, and turned the ball over on downs with 4:45 to go. Taking over at the Mid-Buchanan 33, Conaway broke free on a 32-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs ahead 35-21 with 4:31 left.
Mid-Buchanan had one more possession, but it, too would end in a turnover-on-downs after four plays.
Klein led the Bulldogs on the ground with 20 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 58 yards. Conaway toted the ball 13 times for 95 yards and a pair of second half touchdowns.
Conaway also caught four passes for 27 yards. Musser completed 9 of 13 passes for 103 yards while also rushing for a score.
Brant, in his final game as a Dragon, had 21 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed 7-of-16 passes for 93 yards. Hunter, also playing in his final high school football game, accounted for 124 yards of offense - 64 on the ground and 60 on the receiving end.
Senior Caiden Bailey caught two passes for 30 yards.
East Buchanan, who got their first win in Faucett since 2017 and broke a six-game losing skid in head-to-head matchups with the Dragons, move onto the Class 1 District 8 championship, where they await the winner of University Academy Charter (7-3) and West Platte (8-2).
University Academy and West Platte play in Kansas City on Saturday at noon. As the 1-seed, University Academy would host the district title with a win. If West Platte wins, the district title would be in Gower on Nov. 12.
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