Smith-Cotton retains Silver Tiger

KNOB NOSTER — Andrew Byrd’s 343-yard, five-touchdown rushing performance helped the Smith-Cotton football team overcome a slow start.

The Tigers climbed back from a 10-7 halftime deficit with 27 unanswered points in the second half to win 34-10.
They captured their third straight Silver Tiger Trophy and their second consecutive West Central Conference championship with their senior night victory.

After allowing 90 points in its previous two games, Smith-Cotton’s defense put together a shut-down performance, forcing two turnovers and allowing a mere 59 rushing yards.

Warrensburg starting quarterback Layton Moore passed for 188 yards and a TD on an 18-for-30 effort, but the bulk of his damage came on the game’s opening drive.

Afterward, Smith-Cotton buckled down and allowed only a field goal, making a goal-line stand to end the first half and shutting down Warrensburg in the final 24 minutes.

“I thought the second half, our kids came out and played really well,” Smith-Cotton coach Mark Johnson said. “We were expecting one thing and didn’t expect them to pass the ball as much. We had to struggle a bit, but I figured out what they were doing along with our kids and our defense executed the game plan and the offense took over.”

Warrensburg’s defense, despite holding Smith-Cotton to a touchdown in the first half, couldn’t contain Byrd.

The 5-foot-6 senior dazzled on senior night. He broke Solomon Watkins’ single-game rushing yards record (305) on only 21 carries a week after setting the school single-game record for touchdowns (6) against Grain Valley.

All five of his scores came from more than 30 yards out.

“I had to come with a lot of fight tonight,” a teary-eyed Byrd said after hugging Johnson. “To finish with three Silver Tiger Trophy wins back-to-back, it feels great.”

Johnson added, “The kid knows how to finish and he just did a great job following his blockers and making plays. He’s still upset over his performance against Harrisonville, but he closed out the season as a leader with great performances.”

The stage was set for a competitive finish after Warrensburg put together a disciplined effort on both sides of the ball in the first half.

Moore orchestrated an 80-yard drive off the opening kickoff, connecting with Alex Kostas for a 46-yard touchdown on a short screen pass that put Warrensburg up 7-0.

Smith-Cotton (8-2) answered late in the first quarter with a 30-yard TD run by Byrd, who set up the drive with an interception at Warrensburg’s 45-yard line.

With the game knotted at 7, Smith-Cotton failed on two fourth-down conversions  late in the half and Moore split the uprights with a 20-yard field goal to give Warrensburg a 10-7 lead.

Smith-Cotton needed little time to answer after halftime. On the first play from scrimmage, Byrd took a handoff 56 yards, breaking four tackles on his way to his second TD of the night.

After Jacquelene Greer missed a point-after kick, Smith-Cotton’s defense forced a three-and-out.

The Tigers again turned to their senior back. After gaining 21 yards on four carries, Byrd punched it in from 37 yards out to put the Tigers up 20-10.

Byrd was a force on the defensive end, sacking Moore on fourth-and-7 on the next set of downs to set up the run game again.

Byrd rumbled up the left side into the end zone from 59 yards out, and later added a highlight-reel 75-yard run up the right side to give Smith-Cotton the victory.