Inside Nixa football's game-winning drive to beat Lee's Summit North in Class 6 quarterfinal (2024)

LEE'S SUMMIT—All season long, Nixa practiced two-minute drills with its starting offense facing its starting defense. Eagles coach John Perry said the offense never won.

It was somewhat fitting that Nixa took over the ball at its own 11 with 2:04 left while trailing by six to Lee's Summit North in the Class 6 state quarterfinal.

Perry never lost faith.

"We didn't have a choice but to go two minutes and get 89 yards," Perry said. "We didn't look great for a while but how you finish matters."

Perry watched the Eagles march 89 yards down the field, capped off by sophomore quarterback Adam McKnight's perfect 19-yard pass to senior receiver Wyatt Vincent in the endzone with 10.4 seconds to go.

Nixa held on for a 21-20 victory, advancing to its first state semifinal game since 2014.

"You see that in the movies," McKnight said. "Words can't express. I was crying on the field and everything. It was awesome. It was brotherhood."

Nixa football offense struggled before the game-winning drive

Every good movie script puts the hero in an adverse situation.

McKnight and his offense got in a groove early when the game plan was to run the ball behind the Eagles' elite offensive line. It worked when building their lead up to 14-7 but the Broncos caught on, loaded the box and prevented Nixa star running back Dylan Rebura from controlling the game.

Nixa's first two second-half drives resulted in interceptions, including one from McKnight, and a turnover on downs with 4:40 left.

The Eagles had to rely on their defense and it came through, holding Lee's Summit North to only a field goal in the second half. On third and 6 from the Broncos' 32, the Eagles tackled Ka'Mori Moore for a loss of four, forcing a punt with just over two minutes left.

What Nixa coach John Perry told Adam McKnight before the drive

McKnight wasn't having his best day throwing the ball but the Eagles had no choice but to air it out when needing to drive 89 yards in two minutes. Up to the final drive, he was 3 for 7 for 66 yards and an interception as the Broncos student section chanted he was incapable of throwing the ball.

Perry's message to McKnight was simple.

"Let's go do it," he said. "A two-minute drive revolves around the quarterback, period. You gotta go make it happen."

Nixa's drive started with a McKnight run for eight yards while getting the no-huddle. He completed a quick pass to Rebura for five yards and the first and then a nine-yarder to Keivon Flint. Rebura quickly scampered for eight and McKnight ran for nine, giving Nixa the ball at midfield with 31.7 seconds left.

Adam McKnight's 31-yard scramble ended with him twisting his ankle

Out of a Lee's Summit North timeout, McKnight dropped back to pass but couldn't find anything open. The Broncos appeared to have him dead to rights but he somehow snuck out, got one-on-one with a defender in the open field, made a cut and kept running.

McKnight made three tacklers miss before being tackled for a 31-yard gain to the Lee's Summit 19.

"I just had an instinct to get out and run," McKnight said. "When there are some big ol' boys chasing after you? I was just trying to get out of there."

McKnight wasn't quick to get up. He was tackled from behind as his foot got caught in the turf causing a twist when the tackler landed on his leg. Blood stains seeped from his sock and he admitted his ankle was swollen.

"He's just a dude," Perry said.

Adam McKnight's game-winning pass to Wyatt Vincent

Out of a timeout with 15.8 seconds left from the Broncos 19, McKnight received a play called "Empty Brady" where Rebura has a choice-route between running across the middle or running up the seam. McKnight had other ideas.

McKnight saw that Rebura occupied the safety, meaning he'd have a one-on-one fade to Vincent in the back of the endzone. Vincent, a future centerfielder at Missouri State, is as fast as they come at the wide receiver spot.

At the snap of the ball, McKnight watched Vincent beat his man and he threw up what he called a 50-50 ball. Lee's Summit North defensive back Bryce Rudolph reached for it and got a piece of it but not enough.

The ball landed in Vincent's hands but not cleanly. He didn't possess it for a moment while in midair but he trapped the ball against his waste, had full possession and the referee threw his hands up to signal the touchdown.

"There was no feeling like it," Vincent said. "I just had to make sure that I came down with it. I heard their sideline go silent and then I heard ours go crazy."

"Players make plays," Perry added. "If you're not sure who to throw it to, throw it to a dang player and Wyatt is a player."

Nixa football celebrates Class 6 quarterfinal thriller

After Braden Kahmke kicked the go-ahead extra point, Lee's Summit North had the length of the field to go with just 10 seconds left. The Broncos needed a miracle out of four-star receiver Isaiah Mozee, a Nebraska commit, but it was a tall task even for him.

Nixa didn't let anyone get behind it. Both passes fell incomplete. Nixa stormed the field with a 21-20 win while getting over the state quarterfinal hump where their season had ended in three of the previous four years.

"We put our Thanksgiving practice on the schedule back in December and said that you're supposed to spend Thanksgiving together," Perry said. "We're going to do that for the first time."

Nixa's Thanksgiving practice will come two days before their state semifinal game against Kirkwood which beat Jackson 45-35 on Friday night. The two will play on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Nixa for a trip to the MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl.

It wouldn't have happened without Nixa overcoming the most adversity it's faced all year. With the season on the line, Nixa's sophomore quarterback grew up in front of everyone while the Eagles never stopped believing.

"When adversity hits you, how are you going to bounce back?" McKnight said. "Our whole offense did. Our defense got the stops. We all bounced back and we just fought together."

Story updated to reflect change of time and date for Class 6 state semifinal

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Nixa football beats Lee's Summit North in Class 6 playoff thriller