Four quarters wasn’t enough when Rolla (5-1) traveled to Waynesville looking to disrupt their Homecoming. It may have taken a little longer than they planned, but the Bulldogs were able to run their way to a 34-28 win.

Rolla got off to an excellent start, forcing a turnover on just the third play from scrimmage when Elijah Young grabbed an interception and returned it to the 47-yard line. After a few runs, Jack Hounsom found RJ Alfred on fourth and six and Alfred did the rest, taking it to the house for a 43 yard score. After an offsides call, Rolla went for two on the point after and failed to convert, but still took a 6-0 lead.

The two teams then traded touchdowns for the rest of the first quarter. First Michael Lewis found Kevin Pointsette for a 15-yard score to give Waynesville a 7-6 lead. Rolla came back with a short score by the Choo Choo Train Trey Quick, the first score in what would end up being a big night for the senior back. Waynesville then had the final score of the opening frame when Lewis found Michael Cassidy for a seven-yard score, giving the Tigers 14-13 lead through the first.

Waynesville picked up where they left off in the second, scoring the only points of the quarter on their opening possession. Desmond Dawkins took a handoff and ran with it, going 66 yards for the score, giving Waynesville a 21-13 lead. Rolla had some chances in the quarter, but failed to convert on fourth on a few fourth and short plays. The Bulldogs had one final shot just before halftime when Blayne Yarger intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the 33 with 12 seconds left, but Housom was sacked on the following play and Rolla went into the locker room trailing 21-13.

Rolla cleaned things up in the second half and quickly tied up the game. The Bulldogs had the only score of the third quarter when Hounsom found Elijah Young for a 13-yard score. Muluken Pritchett then found Young on a conversion attempt to lock the score at 21 all. The Bulldog defense then quickly forced a three and out. After that, the Bulldogs ran out the rest of the clock on the quarter, before being forced to punt to open the fourth.

Waynesville opened the quarter by charging down the field and scoring on a touchdown from Lewis to Shen Butler-Lawson. After that, it was all Rolla the Bulldogs got another huge boost from Quick on the ensuing drive, as the big Bulldog back found daylight for a 65-yard score on the ensuing drive. Pritchett buried the extra point, as they were locked at 28. Rolla then seemed to be on their way to victory with just over two minutes left to play in the game, but Quick had a fumble at the two, which was picked up by Waynesville. The Rolla defense stepped up to force a three and out, but Rolla failed to score in the fourth, as Housom was sacked four times in the final minute of regulation.

The Tigers opened the overtime period with the football, but the Rolla defense stepped up again. Josh Morris came up with a big sack for the Bulldogs and Lewis threw three incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs. Quick took it from there for Rolla. He was the only Bulldog to carry the football in the overtime period and he chipped away at the Tigers until he found his way into the end zone on a five yard carry to give Rolla a 34-28 overtime win.

Next up for the Tigers is a trip down to West Plains to face the top ranked team in Class 4. 

Waynesville currently sits in 3rd place in the District Standings, and still has a great opportunity to finish 2nd in District play, which would allow the Tigers to host a 1st round District Playoff game.