The North County Raider football team shocked the entire county in their last home game of the year. Senior night 2009 was a night to remember; it had all the elements of a dramatic game.
The Raiders were hosting the Desoto Dragons, who were 6-2 on the year. They were the clear favorite in this contest. But North County wasn’t about to go down without giving a fight first. They weren’t about to go winless at home.
Once again, the game was wet, cold, and rainy, but that didn’t slow the two teams down. The Raiders drew the first blood as Seth Caldwell capped off an 82 yard drive with a 7 yard touchdown run. North County went up 6-0 as Desoto blocked the extra point. The Dragons wouldn’t be down for long as their senior quarterback ran the ball 35 yards for a touchdown and went up 7-6.
On the ensuing possession, it only took the Raiders three plays to get the ball into the end zone, as Jake Smith threw a 63 yard pass to Seth Caldwell. Senior Aaron Parker tacked on the extra point and North County went up 13-7. But, like before, Desoto was quick to strike back. Once again, the Dragon’s senior quarterback ran the ball in from three yards out to make the game 14-13. With no scoring in the second quarter, as both defenses stood their ground, that would be the score leading into the half.
The Dragon offense came out in a fury to begin the second half as their running back ran the ball 51 yards on the first play for a touchdown. They went up 20-13, but little did they know that would be the last time they would score.
Both offenses were stuck at a stalemate until the Raiders went on their longest drive of the game. North County went 70 yards on 15 plays with a one yard touchdown run by Jake Smith. Down 20-19, North County needed the extra point to tie the game. The ball was snapped well, the hold went perfectly, Parker kicked it with precise form, but the ball bounced off the crossbar and was no good. The scoreboard read, “Visitors- 20 Raiders-19.”
Faced with a tough decision, Coach Jeremy McDowell decided to go for an onside kick. The ball bounced ten yards and deflected off a Dragon, and sophomore Ryan Gibson recovered it. The Raider offense would take the field once again. On the fifth play, Jake Smith hooked up with Seth Caldwell once again for his second touchdown pass of the game. Instead of trying for the extra point in bad conditions, the Raiders decided to go for the two point conversion. The conversion was successful and the Raiders went up 27-20.
Desoto got the ball with only 4 minutes left and couldn’t break through the tough Raider defense. The Raiders got their first win at home in dramatic fashion.
The big men in blue then had to travel to Windsor to take on the Owls. It was the Raider’s day as they pulled out with their biggest win all year. They defeated the Windsor Owls 43-8, and with Festus defeating Desoto, the Raiders got a berth in the state playoffs. For the first time since 2004, North County has a spot to win a state championship. They will travel to Sikeston Wednesday to take on the undefeated Bulldogs.