East Buchanan heads to Class 1 Show-Me Bowl wanting 'a gold one'
Dec. 4—GOWER, Mo. — Just moments after a 34-6 semifinal rout of Thayer last Saturday, East Buchanan assistant coach Ron Musser approached his group of Bulldogs, circled up in their own end of the field.
With the program's second championship berth just clinched, Musser lifted his right hand and pointed to his ring finger.
"I've got a silver one," the 2004 head coach of the Bulldogs said, pointing to his runners-up ring from that season before raising his voice.
"I want a gold one," he exclaimed.
East Buchanan (13-1) will face Marceline (12-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Faurot Field on the campus of the University of Missouri for the Class 1 championship. A win would be the first title by the program in the second year under Dan Ritter.
The Bulldogs knew it would be a tough road ahead entering the season.
"If you had told me the very first game of the year that we'd be playing for a state championship, I'd be like, maybe, but I wouldn't have believed you, probably," Ritter said. "These young men have definitely played past their ability and done some great things."
The biggest and first challenge stood Mid-Buchanan and the KCI. The Dragons knocked off the Bulldogs in the regular season, but East Buch earned revenge in the postseason in the form of a 35-21 district semifinal win.
The Bulldogs then had to go to University Academy, the top seed in Class 1 District 8, and handled business 38-12.
A rematch with Hamilton followed with a second 22-12 win on the season before Saturday's dismantling of Thayer.
In the end, the two closest postseason games came against their own conference foes.
When asked if he believed a championship run was possible, senior quarterback Conner Musser emphasized what would've had to happen throughout the year at practice.
"I would've had faith in it, but I knew it was gonna take a lot of hard work and countless hours of that stuff and believing in my teammates," Musser said.
As the year has gone on, East Buchanan has shined in the brightest and most-watched moments. And at the right time of year, everything is clicking.
"That's been proven to be true, I think, with this bunch," Ritter said. "Once we hit the playoffs, we played our best football. I have no doubt we'll come ready to play on Saturday and we'll have a good game."
East Buchanan has reason to be confident in the two-headed offensive monster of Trevor Klein and senior Cru Conaway and the weapons around Musser. But the defense that hasn't allowed more than 12 points in the last three weeks has been the driving force in the playoffs and will face its toughest test Saturday.
Marceline quarterback Jacob Stallo has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns with five receivers eclipsing 200 yards with multiple scores. Hunter Nelson has added 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Playing on the same field as Mizzou, the focus remains on exaggerating what the Bulldogs do best and remaining in system.
"Every time we step on that field, we're here to have fun," junior AdamStephen Engnes said. "That's what this game's about. What's the fun if you're not having fun? To us, it's just another football game.
"If we treat this game any different, the outcome's gonna be different. We've just gotta go in and be like we're playing on a high school field."
As for how it would feel to lift a championship trophy and put on the ring they've spent the week visualizing, the Bulldogs will let 48 more minutes of football do the talking.
"We're not even gonna talk about a ring until after that game," Ritter said. "I think we just take one play at a time, live in that moment, and good results will come after."
Brandon Zenner can be reached at brandon.zenner@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowZenner.
