When the game first started, St. Joseph Christian had every reason to think they were turning the corner. Against Stanberry, they were up 14-8 midway through the second quarter before the power went out and the Bulldogs came back to win. And against Worth County, they had a nice drive going before they fumbled it and Levi Cassavaugh took it to the house right off the bat to make it 8-0. No matter; the Lions came right back on the march, getting a big push to get a first down on third and one to the Tiger 38. A short pass and a facemask put the ball on the 20, and then on fourth and ten, Jacob Clabaugh (a cousin of NEN student Chase Clabaugh) aired it out to Cy Carlson to cut it to 8-6. The Lions had put the time in during the offseason; they were bigger and quicker this year, and they were able to move the ball in the early going. The Lions were one dimensional last year, mostly running triple option when they visited Worth County last year and only attempted one pass. But they opened things up this year and showed some capable passing when their line could provide protection.
But then it all fizzled quickly as Levi Cassavaugh ran back the ensuing kickoff to the house and Tyler New ran in the extra points to make it 16-6. Giving up a kickoff return after a hard fought touchdown is a good way to suck all the momentum out of a team, and sure enough, it was Tigers all the way. The Lions were faced with a fourth and two at their own 28, when Dylan McIntyre blew up an option and Worth County took over on the Lions 27. They only needed one play as Levi Cassavaugh ran through the Lions defense like it wasn't even there to make it 22-6.
Cy Carlson ran it back to the 22 and nearly broke one for the Lions, but then a pass was batted down, Levi Cassavaugh came on a blitz and got a sack, and another pass was broken up and Christian was forced to punt. Worth County started on its own 39, and Tyler New was nearly picked off after coming under a heavy rush. New picked up four on the next play, and then Christian tried a stunt on defense, only for Worth County to cross them up with a running play, and Levi Cassavaugh once again ran past the Lions like they weren't even there. He ran in the extra points to make it 30-6 with 4:57 left in the first.
The Lions got a couple of good runs on dive plays, but then a fumbled snap and a false start set up fourth and ten at their own 17. For some reason, the Lions elected to go for it even on fourth and long deep in their own territory, rarely converting and giving Worth County plenty of short fields to work with. This time, Worth County tackled a short pass five yards short of the first down marker at the Lions 22, and a long pass to Dylan McIntyre that was wiped out by a holding penalty only made things more interesting. This time, Worth County went to the same play, and Dylan McIntyre took advantage of the size mismatch and scored from 32 yards out. Braxton Hightshoe caught the extra point pass to make it 38-6 with 3:14 left.
On the next series, Elias Alarcon blew up an end run, Jace Latham blew up a dive, and then Dylan McIntyre jumped a route and got a pick six with 2:06 left. Grant McIntyre made a diving catch in the end zone to make it 46-6.
Once again, Christian tried to go for it deep in their own territory at their own 21, and once again, they came up short on fourth and four as a pass got thrown too far. Braxton Hightshoe took a jet sweep, juked three red shirts, and outran three more to take it to the house with 1:19 left. Levi Cassavaugh caught the extra point pass to make it 54-6.
This time, Christian tried to air it out on fourth and ten, only for Grant McIntyre to blow it up and Worth County took over on downs at the 21. Braxton Hightshoe picked up three, and then Dylan McIntyre, who was double teamed, outjumped both defenders for a score with eight seconds left in the first to make it 60-6.
On its next series, Christian finally found some daylight, completing a 46 yard pass to the Tiger 20 on third and 11. But on the next play, Elias Alarcon got pressure and Braxton Hightshoe picked it off. It was called back to the Lion 29 by a holding penalty, but once again, the Tigers had the ball with a short field. They only needed two plays as Levi Cassavaugh bulldozed his way to the 22 and then Tyler New cut it upfield to the house with 10:30 left to make it 66-6.
The junior varsity took over from there, and Brayden Stevens punched it in with 21 seconds left to make it 72-6 and Dylan McIntyre got a pick to kill Christian's last drive.
Christian tried an onsides kick, but Worth County covered it and Levi Cassavaugh took it to the house with 11:34 left in the third and Dylan McIntyre caught the extra point pass to make it 80-6. Landon Wilmes recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Brayden Stevens showed his running ability as a quarterback, weaving his way from the 22 to 12, and then down to the five. That set up Landon Wilmes' 5 yard run to make it 86-6 with 7:55 left in the third.
A late hit on Worth County set up Christian's last score with 2:23 left, but then Levi Cassavaugh ran back the ensuing kickoff to make it 92-12 for the final score.
As the game progressed and it was getting ever more lopsided in the Tigers' favor, the Lions' broadcast got less and less about the game and more and more about nostalgia for the past, with guest and long-time coaching institution Mark Juhl. There were plenty of good games they talked about. When Christian got their first ever touchdown in 1999 against a good Stewartsville squad, they celebrated like they had won the state championship. Juhl had an established program at Midway-Denton and won four state championships, but as a convert to Christianity in 1989, he was interested in Christian education and he wanted the job when Christian approached him.
There was no football field at the time, and practices had to be held on the parking lot. But everybody was onboard with having a program, and 35 people came out the first year. They had to play games at Benton's Hyde Park and rig up their own goalposts. When they made the playoffs in 2000, after beating Kyle Dubray and Miami of Amoret, they hosted and had to play the semifinal game against Worth County at Union Star; they well remember that game, won by the Tigers and current superintendent Chris Healy, another guest on the broadcast. There were plenty of highs, like the time they beat an undefeated Stanberry squad in the playoffs and the time they won state in 2006. There were some lows as well, like the time they were playing Mound City with the lead with 44 seconds and kicking off. They did some quick calculations and their kicker kicked it into the end zone 60% of the time and they had never allowed the ball past the 40 on coverage. So they elected to kick it deep, only for the ball to land at the one and Mound City to run it back and win the game.
The Lions are pinning their hopes on the future. While they only have 14 out for football this year, they have 27 out for junior high and have much higher enrollment.
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