By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Gower, MO- The defending Class 1 state champion East Buchanan Bulldogs are heading back to Columbia for a second consecutive year, after defeating Duschene on Saturday in the Class 1 semifinals 41-14.
The Bulldogs came out quick to start, receiving the ball to begin the first half. While the Pioneers did whatever they could to avoid kicking to star Junior running back Trevor Klein, Carson White would have a good return to set East Buchanan in good position. After that the offense would get going.
Klein orchestrated runs of 2, 33,6, 11, and 2 as part of a 70-yard touchdown drive that final two-yard run resulting in the touchdown with 9:28 left in the first. Senior Carson White also had a big 19 yard catch from Junior Gage Busby.
Duschene would answer though immediately. The Pioneers would use the run game as well with a deadly combination of Senior running back Jamond Mathis and Senior wide receiver Amorion Oliphant, driving down to knot the game up at 7-7, the touchdown coming on a 15 yard catch by Senior Ethan Kissell.
East Buchanan wouldn't score again until late in the first quarter, after a drive that ended with a 35-yard missed field goal, the Bulldog defense would force a fumble setting up Klein to get his second score of the game, a 26-yard touchdown reception with just 18 seconds left in the quarter.
Then head coach Dan Ritter would pull out the tricks. On the ensuing kickoff East Buchanan kicked an onside kick, which ended up recovered by Senior Adam Stephen Engnes. That would allow Klein to find the endzone for a third time, this time rushing in from three yards out to make it 21-7 in the second quarter.
After a Duschene drive stalled, the Bulldogs would get the ball again before disaster struck. As Klein attempted to take the ball to the outside, the ball would slip out allowing the Pioneers to take the fumble back 30 yards for a score, what would end up being their final score of the game.
Klein didn't let the fumble affect him though, soon after the kickoff making a massive 31-yard catch, which set up his eventual three-yard touchdown run, his fourth score of the game. Klein says while the fumble was heartbreaking, you just have to move on.
"That was huge in the game because it made them back down by 14, close the gap, and we just came out scored like we should," Klein tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post after the game.
Klein would go on to score two more touchdowns, a six-yard run and a seven-yard run respectively, for the final two scores of the game. The game became sealed when Mason Brown intercepted the Pioneers for their third turnover of the game. On the day, Klein compiled over 200 all-purpose yards.
Head coach Dan Ritter was proud of the way his team played all around in the game.
"First I'll talk about defense, really we held them to seven points, that other one was a turnover on a fumble, and just to be able to hold a really dominant team like that to seven I was proud of that," Ritter said following the game. "But we’ve got to talk about the offense, obviously Trevor Klein doing work, but our line stepping up when they really needed to, last week we had a rough game,"
"And for them to bounce back and put over 40 on the board, I was so proud of these young men."
During the playoffs alone, East Buchanan's defense has been the story, outscoring opponents 184-20. Klein says the defense has been playing great.
"We knew they'd be good at the beginning, but they're just shutting out teams we shouldn't be shutting out, allowing them to two scores, they've just done a great job," Klein says. "All the lineman, Ethan (Bailey), Chase (Meers), and the linebackers like Nick (Klein) and Riley (Parker) just stepping up and filling the holes."
Next up for East Buchanan will be a return to Columbia at Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field, taking on an Adrian team that's coming off a 32-16 win over previously undefeated Monroe City. Kickoff is set for 3pm and the game will be broadcast on StJosephPost.com.
Going into the game, Ritter says he knows they are going to have a good run game ahead of them to try to contain.
"We know they can run the ball; we know they're really good at running and they have a pretty good running back and a dominant scheme, apparently if they can score 32 on Monroe City who was undefeated," Ritter says. "Speaking of pounding the rock, they could, so to hold them down like we could we're going to have a tough game on our hands, so we're going to try to be ready for Adrian and learn little bit about them and be ready for them come Saturday."
