Cody Guthrie added his second score of the game with the clock ticking away Friday at Hamilton, Mo. The score for West Platte’s senior quarterback earned a comeback win for the Bluejays — a 32-28 upset of Class 1’s No. 2 ranked team.West Platte (4-1) finally caught the attention of the voters, although debuting at No. 7 with five points less than now sixth-ranked Hamilton (4-1).
In a rematch of a Class 1 quarterfinal from a year ago, West Platte earned its first win against Hamilton since the Hornets joined the KCI conference prior to the 2012 season. They won both meetings a year ago.
This time, West Platte ran 32 offensive plays to Hamilton’s eight in the second half to mount a comeback from a 22-12 halftime deficit.
Guthrie’s 8-yard touchdown run with about five minutes to play capped the scoring, and Hamilton senior running back Kellen Overstreet — committed to play at Division I Wyoming — lost a fumble on the next possession, allowing West Platte to run out the clock.
“Keeping Overstreet in check was our main game plan,” West Platte coach Nate Danneman said. “With the time of possession we had, we pretty much took him out of the game. I never would have expected him to fumble with 3½ to go, but it definitely gave us a lot of confidence to go out and get a few first downs to secure the win.”
Already Missouri’s all-time leader in yards from scrimmage, Overstreet finished with 181 yards rushing on 18 carries, but the Bluejays kept him quiet in the fourth quarter while scoring the game’s final 12 points.
Guthrie finished with 103 yards rushing on 27 carries with two touchdowns, including a 5-yard dash in the second quarter to bring the score to 7-6. The senior signal-caller also dialed up 126 yards through the air on 8-for-13 passing attempts.
Brett Shepardson and Justin Rhodes, who finished with 62 yards on the ground with two scores, combined to knock the ball loose from Overstreet on the game’s pivotal play. Mike Devers recovered the fumble, one of four lost for the Hornets.
“I think this win shows that we can play with anyone,” Danneman said. “Hamilton is a very good football team and to beat them at their place gave our kids a big boost in confidence. Going into the game, we knew we would be able to run the ball on them, but I was really surprised at how well we threw it.”
West Platte’s lone loss came to Class 2-ranked East Buchanan, now 5-0. The Bluejays play at Mid-Buchanan this week before closing with home dates against Plattsburg and Lawson.
Lathrop 48, North Platte 13
The Panthers could not get out of a second-quarter funk, and Lathrop took full advantage Sept. 26 at North Platte High School in Dearborn, Mo.
James Knifong opened the scoring for the Mules halfway through the first quarter, but North Platte quarterback Anthony Hernandez found Austin Shanks from 19 yards out on a corner route to the score at 7 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. Lathrop tallied the next 41 points.
A Jake Brock catch on a pass from Deryk Thompson from 35 yards out gave Lathrop (1-5, 1-3 KCI) the lead for good 90 seconds after the Panthers tied the game.
“If we have a bad play or two, we just can’t seem to rebound,” North Platte coach Jim Brockhoff said. “Somewhere we’ve got to dig down deep and find something. We’ve got to find some positive plays and put them in a row.”
Lathrop earned its first win of the season after an 8-1 record a season ago. Thompson finished with 138 yards through the air with two touchdowns. His second came in the third quarter to make it 34-7.
North Platte tacked on a consolation score in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Landon Montgomery connected with Ben French on a 45-yard go route. The Panthers (1-5, 1-3) have now lost three straight and close with three games against opponents which have been ranked this season — at East Buchanan, vs. Hamilton and at Plattsburg.