ELDON, Mo. - It was a tale of two halves for the California Pintos, erasing a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Eldon 34-23.
The Pintos improve their record to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in the Tri-County Conference. Eldon falls to 1-3 overall, 0-2 in the conference.
Trailing 16-6 at the break, California held the Mustangs to a three-and-out on their opening drive. After a short punt, California used 11 plays to travel 52 yard for a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Wolken found Landon Mouse on the sideline for the 4-yard score to cut Eldon's lead to 16-12.
The Pintos' defense held the Mustangs to another three-and-out on their next drive, then California moved 65 yards on six plays to take a 20-16 advantage.
During that drive, Wolken convert a fourth-and-1 on a 4-yard rush, and two plays later, Wolken heaved a long pass downfield that bounced off two Mustang defenders. The ball landed in Mouse's hands and he scampered for the 52-yard score.
On the next California drive, Wolken found senior Josh Woodruff for a 53-yard touchdown to give the Pintos a 27-16 lead. Then early in the fourth, California extended that to 34-16. Again, Wolken found Woodruff, this time for a 32-yard touchdown.
Eldon scored on its next possession with 4:40 left in the fourth to cut the lead to 34-23, but its onside-kick attempt failed.
California will host Hallsville on Friday, while Eldon will host Warsaw.
Follow California Democrat sports writer Camal Petro (@CDemocratSports) on Twitter for updates during games.
See also:
Missouri high school football scores for Friday, Sept. 11, 2015