With the final seconds winding down and their first trip to the Missouri Class 1 State Championship in school history long sealed, the Mid-Bucnanan (13-0) players and coaches began celebrating their 63-13 semifinal victory over Adrian on Saturday, November 28.
In the midst of the hugs and high fives was Dragon head coach Aaron Fritz, crouching down, taking in the moment, contemplating his team's journey to the promised land – his first year in 2015, when he took over a winless team; Mid-Buchanan's one-win season in 2017; falling just short in the semifinals the next two years.
Each of these moments led to this, his team finally reaching the end game – playing for a state championship.
“I was really just trying to soak everything in,” Fritz said. “I am the last person to talk about feelings or emotions, but there was a lot going through my head and I just wanted to try and take it all in because I was so proud of what we had just done.”
In what was a vast contrast in styles, the Dragons' speed, athleticism and tenacity won the day.
After two weeks in a row where they were held scoreless in the first quarter, Mid-Buchanan made sure that wasn’t the case this time around, emphatically scoring 35 points in the opening frame, en route to a dominant victory.
“Starting fast was huge for us. We talked all week about playing our style against Adrian and playing as fast as possible,” Fritz said. “We thought our tempo could be a deciding factor in the game and it definitely played to our advantage. The past two weeks we did not play as fast as we wanted to and that was something we wanted to get corrected.”
TJ Runyan got the scoring barrage kicked off quickly, scoring on a 23-yard touchdown run during Mid-Buchanan’s first possession. He wasn’t done scoring in the first quarter, as the senior running back added touchdown runs of 63 and two yards, pulling off the early hat trick.
Foreshadowing how the day would unfold for the Adrian defense, each touchdown run developed from a dominant performance from the Mid-Buchanan offensive line.
The “War Daddies,” as Coach Fritz calls them, seniors Joel Kiger, Chase Davidson, Creed Webster, John Robinson, along with junior Cage Burns, may have been out-sized by the massive Adrian defensive line, but they controlled the line of scrimmage the entire game.
“Those guys up front, on both sides of the ball, were outstanding and I am very proud of them,” Fritz said. “We were clearly undersized but our effort was unbelievable, and the way in which our guys played is something I will not forget anytime soon. You definitely saw a group of guys who did not want that to be their last game.”
When asked about their performance and whether they played with a chip on their shoulders, Robinson was very adamant about having something to prove.
“Some people said we didn’t have it in the trenches. Today we came out and proved how good we are in the trenches. We showed them who was the boss and came out with the win,” Robinson said.
It's an opinion with which his brother on the front line, Kiger, agreed.
“We pushed ourselves, because we believed we struggled in this game the past two years. We made sure we pushed ourselves further to get the job done this year.”
The Mid-Buchanan offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage against Adrian. (Slideshow)
Up 21-0, the Dragons weren’t done scoring in the first quarter.
Seniors Javan Noyes and Lane Ellison connected for a 60-yard touchdown pass before Noyes and Runyan connected with a short swing pass touchdown, extending the first quarter lead to 35-0.
The scoring assault continued in the second quarter, when the Dragons rattled off 21 points to go into halftime leading 56-6. Senior Butch Walters got in on the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run before Runyan crossed the goal line two more times.
Runyan, in the final home game of his high school career, proved why he is one of the top backs in Missouri Class 1, carrying the ball 18 times for 217 yards and six touchdowns.
With a running clock, MId-Buchanan’s only score of the second half came on a touchdown pass between Noyes and junior Blake Hunter.
Noyes was once again a dual threat, completing seven of 12 passes for 157 yards with three touchdowns. He also carried the ball seven times for 98 yards. His leading receivers were Lane Ellison with two catches for 84 yards and one touchdown, and junior Rawlins Brant, who hauled in three catches for 39 yards.
A tenacious Dragon defense put on one of their finest performances of the season, holding Adrian to 194 total yards of offense. Coming into this contest, the Blackhawks were averaging 271 yards on the ground.
The Mid-Buchanan defense had one of its finest performances last Saturday during their 63-13 victory over Adrian in the Missouri Class 1 Semifinals. (Slideshow)
Leading the defense was Butch Walters and Creed Webster, both finishing with eight tackles. Rawlins Brant finished with seven tackles and a sack while Joel Kiger had five tackles of his own.
Mid-Buchanan caused three turnovers, with Lane Ellison recovering a fumble and hauling in an interception. Sophomore Jackson Wahlgren recovered the Dragons’ other fumble late in the fourth quarter.
With the semifinal wall finally broken, Mid-Buchanan turns their focus to winning a state championship. This Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blair Oaks High School, the Dragons take on the Windsor Greyhounds (14-0).
“I am very excited for our kids to get to experience everything that comes with this week, with practices and preparing for this game,” Fritz said. “I know everyone on our team is going to take full advantage of this opportunity knowing that this is the last week this 2020 football team will ever get to practice and play together.”
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