The Savannah football team pulled away late Tuesday night against Kearney to win their Class 4 second round playoff game at Excelsior Springs High School, 37-16.
With the win, the Savages improve to 11-1 and will travel to Harrisonville for the Class 4 Quarterfinals on Saturday.
Savannah began the game Tuesday down 7-6 with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter as it was postponed from Monday night after two lightning delays.
It didn’t take long for the Savages to take the lead for good.
Savannah forced a turnover on downs and cashed in with a one-yard touchdown run from Blake McFadden.
After another Kearney punt, the Savages then pulled off a miracle as McFadden went back in punt formation and was about to get his punt blocked, but he pulled it down the threw to Tyler Wilt for a 76-yard TD that made the score 21-7.
Kearney made it 21-10 at halftime and then turned Savannah over on downs before driving 54-yards and pulling to within 21-16 after a Colby Davis one-yard run.
That was the score after three quarters and then it was all Savannah.
The Savages went up 24-16 early in the fourth quarter on a 34-yard field goal by Andy Myers and then McFadden found Wilt again from 23-yards away to go up 30-16.
Kearney turned the ball over on downs again and Myers put the game away with a 42-yard TD run with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
McFadden finished the game 11-for24 for 241 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 47 more. Myers had 68 yards on the ground, while Blake Deal had four catches for 117 yards and Wilt added three receptions for 103.
The Savages had 386 yards of offense, and held Kearney to 274 and just just 79 in the second half.
Savannah will kickoff at Harrisonville at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Also Tuesday, East Buchanan advanced to the Class 1 Quarterfinals with an impressive 34-14 victory over West Platte at Missouri Western’s Spratt Stadium.
The Bulldogs improve to 11-1 and they play defending state champion Wellington-Napoleon Saturday at 1:30 p.m. int the Quarterfinals.