Excelsior Springs went to Class 3 No. 1-ranked Odessa on Friday night and ended the Bulldogs win streak at 31 games.
And it was never in doubt.
The Class 4 Tigers led throughout -- and by as many as 30 points -- on the way to a 36-20 victory.
Chance Moreland scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper in the final minute of the first quarter to end the 0-0 deadlock. From there, the Tigers (4-2, 2-2 Missouri River Valley Conference West) rolled.
Moreland added TD runs of 5 and 6 yards and finished with 94 yards rushing.
Lukas Shelton led all runners with 108 yards, while Amani Robinson rushed for 107 and a touchdown.
Ayden Dolt also scored a touchdown as Excelsior Springs ran for 340 yards total -- and attempted just one pass, which was incomplete.
Odessa (7-1, 4-1), which last lost on the field on Nov. 17, 2018, in a Class 3 quarterfinal to Maryville (the Bulldogs vacated their place in last year’s Class 3 playoffs before the district final due to the COVID-19 pandemic), had multiple close calls in recent weeks: by 7 points at Oak Grove on September 17; 27-24 to Pleasant Hill a week later; then by just a point last week against Center.
Against Excelsior Springs, the Bulldogs managed just 235 yards of offense and went 4-for-15 on third and fourth downs, falling behind 22-0 and 36-6.
Garrett Bayless passed for all three Odessa touchdowns, two of which went to Boston Sanders in the fourth quarter -- well after the game was decided.
