North Callaway had lost three consecutive overall football games to South Callaway but was even less successful on South Callaway’s turf field.

The Thunderbirds started this season in the win column with a 20-8 victory over their Callaway County rival. North Callaway had a 12-0 halftime lead and was able to hold off the Bulldogs despite a third-quarter touchdown that made it 12-8 North Callaway.

Head coach Kevin O’Neal said he had never beaten South Callaway on the road but felt good about the kids’ attitudes going into this matchup. He was proven right with his team’s mentality.

“We had a great week of preparation,” O’Neal said. “The atmosphere on the sideline was amazing. Every one of our kids that touched the field gave maximum effort tonight.”

The Thunderbirds’ effort shined the brightest in the second half after South Callaway opened the second half with a touchdown before North Callaway then ended their next offensive drives with a turnover on downs and a lost fumble. However, unlike previous seasons, O’Neal said his kids didn’t submit to the adversity.

O’Neal said he wanted his kids to “play fast and not think” so the defensive game plan was kept simple for the first week. He said keeping his players focused on their individual assignments helped the defense, which forced three turnovers and held South Callaway to 176 rushing yards.

“That whole second half, our kids never folded and never doubted each other,” O’Neal said. “It was very crucial. We knew they were going to break a long play and were going to score eventually. I was anxious to see how we responded as a team, because last year, we didn’t respond very well in those situations.”

Jaiden Galbreath completed a scoring drive that put North Callaway ahead for good with a few minutes left in the game. Defensive lineman Galbreath ran for 195 yards – of the Thunderbirds’ 307 total rushing yards –  and two touchdowns on 31 carries.

South Callaway was physical on defense and loaded the box, O’Neal said, but Galbreath was not going to be stopped. O’Neal said he is confident in the team’s veteran offensive line and thought tight end Carter Moore also did a good job blocking.

“They were big boy yards too,” O’Neal said. “He had a lot of strong runs in between the tackles. Our veteran guys up front on our line, they did a good job of playing physical at the line of scrimmage.”

North Callaway has its home-opening game against Macon (0-1), who lost 35-0 to Kirksville, at 7 p.m. Friday. O’Neal said Macon can’t be overlooked following a rebuilding season but likes how his team looks in the early going.

“I’m very excited for this football season,” O’Neal said. “It’s been a couple years since I’ve been this excited for a season. These kids – with just their attitude, their effort and the way they go about their business – have fun at practice and do everything we can ask them to. It’s a different feel from this team.”