By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Reeds Spring quarterback Blandy Burall isn’t shy about taking a risk.
The same goes for his head coach.
So after holding Sullivan on downs inside the 20-yardline with seven seconds remaining in the first half, the Wolves weren’t ready to concede a halftime tie just yet.
Instead, Reeds Spring dialed up its best play on Saturday afternoon – getting the ball in wide receiver James Dowdy’s hands.
“You have to be risky sometimes,” Burall said. “The coaches wanted to take a risk and I wanted it, too. We all wanted it.”
The Burall-to-Dowdy connection paid off, as the latter leapt over two Sullivan defenders to haul in a pass near midfield. Dowdy raced the rest of the way for an 81-yard touchdown that put Reeds Spring up 21-14 at halftime.
“I knew Blandy was going to throw it to me deep. He usually loves to do that,” Dowdy said. “Once I caught it and turned, I saw the safety hit the cornerback and I knew I was going to go all the way. I just had to come back toward the ball and catch it.”
A back-and-forth game up to that point became a second-half drubbing as Reeds Spring dominated the final two quarters to win 49-20 in the Class 3 semifinals at Carl Langley Field.
“I thought we could score,” Reeds Spring coach Andy McFarland said of the play call. “I wanted another touchdown before halftime. Whenever you’re getting the ball after halftime, you can trust your guys to take a chance and see if maybe something crazy could happen like it did today and you can double-up on points.”
Dowdy had a huge impact in all three phases of the game. He had seven catches for a school-record 226 yards (unofficially) and two touchdowns. Dowdy added an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half – after Sullivan had drawn within 28-20 – plus a victory-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Unbelievable impact by him,” McFarland said. “Whenever you can impact the game in more than one way, you’re an extremely valuable part of your team.”
Dowdy, also the holder on extra points, is one of several Reeds Spring players who rarely come off the field. As a Class 3 school, ironman football is a necessity.
“We have a lot of guys playing both ways (offense and defense),” McFarland said. “When you’re in Class 3 and you get into the playoffs this far, where you may have had some younger guys in on special teams before, some of your guys just aren’t going to come off the field now. We had eight or nine guys who probably played the whole game today. I’m so proud of them.”
Reeds Spring (11-2 overall) will face undefeated and top-ranked Cardinal Ritter (13-0 overall) next Saturday in the Class 3 state championship game. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Faurot Field in Columbia.
“It’s going to be a crazy week, but we have to stay in the right mindset,” Burall said. “We gotta have a business trip. It’s not a field trip.”
The Wolves have already made history. No Reeds Spring boys’ team has ever competed in a state championship game.
Until Saturday, the Reeds Spring football team hadn’t played in a state semifinal since 1980.
“We had so much to be grateful already to this point, but we couldn’t be more grateful to have been able to do what we did today in front of our home crowd,” McFarland said. “God held the rain off long enough and we were able to get the game in.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our coaches and I couldn’t be more proud of our players. It was an amazing day.”
Burall bounced back after throwing a first-quarter interception. He finished 11-for-18 for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Preston Blubaugh added 13 carries for 120 yards.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE GAME
Linebacker Adam Lewis returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown that put the Wolves ahead 42-20 late in the third quarter.
Five of Reeds Spring’s seven touchdowns on the day went for 35 yards or longer.
“We’ve been pretty explosive at different points of the season and certain games,” McFarland said. “Sullivan played a lot of man coverage and we talked about what we were going to do if they did that today, how we were going to respond. We maxed our protection and took some shots down field. We have a lot of very, very talented skill players on offense and a quarterback who’s not scared to let it rip. He did that today.”
Reeds Spring 49, Sullivan 20
Sullivan 0 14 6 0 — 20
Reeds Spring 0 21 21 7 — 49
Second quarter
Sullivan – Gabe Dace 3 run (pass failed)
Reeds Spring – Burall 1 run (Campos kick)
Sullivan – Gabe Dace 1 run (Ransom run)
Reeds Spring – Dowdy 52 catch from Burall (Campos kick)
Reeds Spring – Dowdy 81 catch from Burall (Campos kick)
Third quarter
Reeds Spring – Cobb 10 catch from Burall (Campos kick)
Sullivan – Gavin Dace 44 run (pass failed)
Reeds Spring – Dowdy 80 kick return (Campos kick)
Reeds Spring – Lewis 35 fumble return (Campos kick)
Fourth quarter
Reeds Spring – Abshire 36 catch from Burall (Campos kick)
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