Indians stun Jags in ‘defining moment’

Steven McBee is ranked No. 1 academically in his senior class at Fort Osage High School.

He’s also No. 1 in the hearts of all Indian football fans as his leadership and never-say-die approach helped Fort Osage claim one of the biggest regular-season wins in school history.

McBee rushed for 167 yards on 25 carries and led the Indians to their lone touchdown – a 28-yard run by tailback Ezra Vaoifi as Class 5 power Fort Osage downed defending Class 6 state champion Blue Springs South 6-0 in a steady downpour Friday night on the Indians’ grass field.

“The kid’s No. 1 in his class and he’s the class of the class,” Fort Osage coach Ryan Schartz said. “A lot of coaches talk about character and that type of stuff, and it’s just lip service. With me, it’s from the heart. We’ve been lucky to have him three years and this year could be pretty special.”

It’s started with back-to-back shutout wins, as the Indians are living up to their preseason hype so far.

“I believe this could be a defining moment in the history of our football program,” said McBee, who did not attempt a pass in the game. “We’ve won some big games, but this is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – I’ve been a part of.

“We played Blue Springs the past two years and lost each one of those games – but those losses showed us how hard we had to work to beat a Class 6 power. And tonight, we played our hearts out and beat the defending Class 6 state champion.

“The coaches, the defense, the offense – everyone – this was a collective effort. I don’t want to leave this locker room. I don’t want this feeling to come to an end.”

When asked if there was a difference maker in the game, McBee nodded in agreement and pointed the spotlight at the offensive line.

“Those guys just blew it up tonight,” McBee said. “(Right guard) Dalton Miller and (right tackle) Logan Stevens were amazing – all our guys were amazing. I didn’t need to throw a pass tonight because of the rain and the way we dominated the line.”

Both linemen said that playing on the natural grass field gave the Indians an advantage.
“It was muddy and it was sloppy and we were used to it,” Stevens said. “Everyone was kind of slipping and sliding, but we were able to create some holes for Ezra and Steven.”

Added Miller: “They played hard, we played hard, and we were able to find a way to score. This is one of those wins you’ll never forget. I’m so proud to be a part of this team.”

Both teams had to overcome miscues, as a bad snap prevented the Indians from kicking an extra point and a bad exchange on a reverse helped the Indians recover the ball following a fumble by McBee that gave the ball over to South.

Blue Springs South (1-1) showed the small, but enthusiastic crowd, what it was made of by driving the ball from its 15-yard line to the Indians’ 15-yard line with 22 seconds left in the game.
But on a fourth-and-10, quarterback Dalton Brewer threw a pass that missed his target and the celebration began on the Indians sideline.

“That’s a very good team,” South coach Greg Oder said. “We both shot ourselves in the foot a few times, but they were able to respond better than we did tonight. I’m sure the weather had some role in the game, but we both played in the same conditions.”