The Seneca football team did not expect it to unfold any other way.
After two state championship losses, an injury-riddled year and a last-second defeat in the final game of the regular season, the Indians adopted the motto, ‘Don’t flinch.’
But even the battle-hardened Indians had to feel a little twitchy after losing two fumbles at the one-yard line during the Class 3 state championship game against Lift for Life.
“It’s been the year of adversity,” Seneca coach Cody Hilburn said. “This stuff has happened all year long and we’ve just had to overcome it.”
Seneca overcame untimely turnovers, explosive plays and a feverish, final possession to defeat Lift for Life 33-26 to win the Class 3 Show-Me Bowl at the Missouri State High School Activities Association championships Friday at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
Seneca (13-1), which had lost in the Class 3 state title game the previous two seasons, won its elusive third football championship and first since 1995.
“These guys have had heartbreak. This group of seniors won 50 football games, four district championships, four conference championships, but lost two state championship games. They had one more shot at it,” Hilburn said.
Lift for Life (10-5), which was making its first state title appearance, went toe-to-toe with Show-Me Bowl staple Seneca and had the ball inside Indians’ territory when the final buzzer sounded.
“We fought. We left it all out on the field. We can’t be upset about that.” Lift for Life senior Seven Jackson said.
Leading 33-26 late in the fourth quarter, Seneca appeared poised to put the game on ice with a short touchdown run. But on the 11th play of the drive, Indians’ quarterback Brodie Probert fumbled at the three-yard line, Lift for Life linebacker Aiden Barber recovered at the one, and the Hawks took possession with 1:18 remaining and 99 yards to go.
“We had an opportunity,” Jackson said. “I definitely thought we were going to pull it off.”
Lift for Life quarterback Phoenix Isaih found TJ Woolfolk for a pair of completions that moved the ball to the 40. A 17-yard pass from Isaih to Dashaun Moss moved the ball past midfield.
“I wanted to get the ball in my athletes’ hands fast,” Lift for Life coach Tony Woolfolk said. “I was optimistic because any of them can break it at any time.”
But Seneca continued to make open field tackles, and when defensive back Aiden Crane corralled Lift for Life junior Kee Henderson at the 36 yard-line, time had expired on the Hawks.
“I’d like to say we didn’t lose, we just ran out of time,” Jackson said.
Running was the mode of ball advancement from the start for Seneca, which called running plays on 57 of its 59 offensive snaps. The Indians rushed for 390 yards, with Probert and Roman Miller each eclipsing 180 yards on the ground.
“We watched film and noticed (the linemen) weren’t just trying to push, they wanted to turn you and create a crease. They’re very physical,” Woolfolk said.
Seneca powered down the field on its first two possessions, and Miller capped off each drive with one-yard touchdown runs.
The Lift for Life offense showed it had a variety of ways to move the ball. While South Dakota State commit Jay’Veon Scott barreled through the Seneca defense for 128 yards, Isaih selectively took shots downfield. He found Dashaun Moss on a 45-yard go route down the left sideline to slice the deficit to 14-12 midway through the second quarter.
“We knew they were well-balanced, and that’s a tough offense to defend when you can’t make them one-dimensional,” Hilburn said.
It appeared like Miller was cruising in for his third touchdown of the first half, but he lost control of the ball at the goal line and fumbled it through the back of the end zone. Originally calling it a touchdown, the officials went to the first video review in Missouri state championship history and reversed the call, giving Lift for Life the ball on a touchback.
Six plays later, Isaih scrambled to his right and launched a pass that Moss hauled in for an electric, 44-yard touchdown to give Lift for Life its first lead, 20-14, with 53 seconds remaining until intermission.
“We could have hung our heads and took it into halftime, but we didn’t do that,” Hilburn said.
Probert escaped for 10 yards, Miller broke away for 34 more, and Seneca moved the ball to the Lift for Life 12-yard line with 15 seconds remaining. With wide receiver Drew Sherwood lining up at left tackle, Probert rolled left and threw a jump pass to Sherwood in the end zone for his only completion of the day to give the Indians a 20-18 halftime lead.
“It was a special play we put in just this week. We knew we were going to use it in a big moment and we executed it,” Hilburn said.
With Seneca leading 33-26 early in the fourth quarter, Lift for Life embarked on a possible go-ahead drive, but the Hawks were stuffed on both third-and-1 and fourth-and-1, and the Indians took over. The Seneca defense, which was gashed on long bombs in the first half, did not allow a reception for more than 17 yards in the second half.
“We knew that they were very explosive. Our plan (after halftime) was to make them snap it again. Make them run a lot of plays to score,” said defensive tackle Jace Renfro, who also won a 190-pound, state wrestling championship last year.
Seneca drove within a few yards of a game-clinching touchdown, but Probert fumbled, Lift for Life recovered and the Indians had the chance to show the resiliency that had become part of their DNA.
“We never hung our head when bad things happened. It shows the character of these guys,” Hilburn said.
For Lift for Life, the magical run to the state title game, which included two victories secured in the final minute, has already done wonders for their football program and prompted thoughts of a return to the championship stage.
“With this (experience), you add even more tenacity to it next time. You know you have to go out and take it,” Woolfolk said. “(Seneca) went out and took it, and that’s how football goes sometimes. I’m proud of my guys, and I’m happy for Seneca as well.”
Isaih added, “We left everything out there, and unfortunately, we just came up short.”