By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MOUNTAIN GROVE – A pair of key turnovers helped propel Mountain Grove football to a 28-21 victory over Clever in the Class 3 District 5 championship Friday night.
Kayden Murphy’s interception late in the first half allowed Mountain Grove to take the lead, and Aden Estep’s pick with 1:30 remaining in the game killed a late Clever rally to seal the victory.
The 10-1 Panthers needed all the help they could get to fend off a pesky Clever squad that simply would not go away.
“Clever played really good tonight,” Mountain Grove head coach Dan Swofford said. “Their defensive effort was so good it probably gave us more struggles than anybody had all year long, so we are grateful for what we got – our kids played so hard and just kept battling.”
An 84-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter from Brayden Baker to Lucas Peebles got Clever on the board first; however, Mountain Grove was able to rally late in the half with a pair of scores.
Two plays after a 16-yard touchdown run from Eli Golden tied the score at 7, Murphy’s pick gave the Panthers excellent field position at the Clever 15-yard-line.
Braydon Curtiss then scored on a five-yard run to give Mountain Grove a 14-7 lead heading into the half.
For Swofford, it was vital for his team to remain calm and focused after the early deficit.
“We always say this before the game – if adversity strikes early, it’s a long game,” Swofford said. “It’s important for coaches and our leaders to be rocks in that situation, so we just tried to be a rock, knowing we’d come back. A lot of people kind of start panicking, and we just weren’t going to panic tonight.”
The Panthers stretched their lead in the third quarter after a 48-yard punt fake run from Estep set up a second Curtiss touchdown plunge from the three.
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Down but not out, Clever responded with a 15-play, 78-yard drive capped by Quintin Lemmer’s five-yard scoring run.
Mountain Grove again tried to break the game open at the start of the fourth quarter when Curtiss broke through the line and rumbled for a 48-yard score.
Curtiss piled up 175 yards on 25 carries in the game with three touchdowns. Many of his runs featured multiple broken tackles behind and near the line of scrimmage for crucial gains to keep drives alive.
“I mean, four yards and a cloud of dust – that’s the way I live, and that’s where I roll,” Curtiss said. “I ain’t the shiftiest guy, but I’ll put my head down and I’ll hit a hole. Them boys up front – they really opened her up tonight. They get on a guy and let me get three yards, at least, and then I can carry a few kids after that.”
Down two scores, once again Clever found a way to rally.
A Kendall Piper 11-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 28-21.
The Blue Jays momentum kept rolling when an Estep fumble gave Clever the ball back and an opportunity to send the game into overtime.
“I fumbled – make no mistake, that’s on me,” Estep said. “First thing that happened when I stood up is I had five guys from my team around me telling me to keep my head up and let’s get going, and I knew they were right. There wasn’t time to fold – I had to keep going.”
Cue Estap’s game-saving heroics and redemption.
Struggling to keep Clever’s final drive going and under constant duress from pressure in the backfield, Baker let a throw sail a bit over the middle.
Estep didn’t waste the opportunity.
“We were in cover four over the top, and I didn’t really have anybody in my zone,” Estep said. “I was just kind of sitting, and (Clever) ran a crossing route. I was coming up to make a play just in case he caught it, and the quarterback threw it out in front. I was just right place, right time and made the play.”
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While Clever finishes its season at 9-3, the upstart Blue Jays and head coach Mac Whitehead have plenty of reasons to celebrate.
After enduring a second-straight winless season in 2023, Clever managed to notch five wins in 2024.
Whitehead believes his program has completed a significant culture shift this season and has a new outlook and expectations to live up to moving forward.
“I feel like we have put ourselves on the map as a football school,” Whitehead said. “I don’t think anyone’s going to overlook us anymore, which is a compliment to our seniors, so I’m super proud of them. They played hard all four quarters, and they never quit. We were right there, and we just kind of ran out.
“It’s an amazing story, but this is what we talked about tonight – this is now the expectation for our program, to be in district championships and getting that loser mentality out of our minds. This is our tradition now, and this is where we start to build.”
Up next for Mountain Grove (10-1) is a quarterfinal round matchup next Saturday against Seneca (10-1). The Indians defeated Cassville 47-14 to capture the District 6 title.
“We’re just grateful to be able to play such a great team like Seneca,” Swofford said. “When you get to this point, it’s just like a little extra dessert, you know? I know my guys will be ready to play, and I know theirs will, too.”
Class 3 District 5 Championship: Mountain Grove – 28, Clever – 21
First quarter scoring
Clever – Lucas Peebles 84-yard pass from Brayden Baker – 0-7
(Tavis Lemmer kick)
Second quarter scoring
Mtn Grove – Eli Golden 16-yard run – 7-7
(Damion Martin kick)
Mtn Grove – Braydon Curtiss 5-yard run – 14-7
(Martin kick)
Third quarter scoring
Mtn Grove – Curtiss 3-yard run – 21-7
(Martin kick)
Clever – Quintin Lemmer 5-yard run – 21-14
(Tavis Lemmer kick)
Fourth quarter scoring
Mtn Grove – Curtiss 48-yard run – 28-14
(Martin kick)
Clever – Kendall Piper 11-yard run – 28-21
(Tavis Lemmer kick)
