Despite a near-record setting performance by Marionville running back Lee Flood, West Platte was able to hold off the charge and win the 2005 MSHSAA Class 1 Show-Me Bowl with a 35-28 win. Flood rushed for 261 yards, just seven shy of the Show-Me Bowl record. He also became the state’s single-season rushing leader with 3,265 yards. He set the Show-Me Bowl record for carries with 47 and he finished the season with 51 touchdowns.

West Platte grabbed an early lead when senior Ross Rennie came up with an interception on the second play of the game, taking Blake Setzer’s errant pass 29 yards to the end zone. Erick Roe’s extra point gave the Blue Jays a 7-0 lead.

Marionville head coach Rick Scholten seemed content with keeping the ball on the ground—and for good reason. Running back Lee Flood, who had 3,004 yards and 48 touchdowns coming into the game, carried the ball in all seven plays of an 80-yard touchdown drive. The extra point failed and the Comets trailed 7-6.

After holding the Blue Jays to a three-and-out, Marionville got the ball back, with plenty of momentum. But that momentum turned quickly, when Flood fumbled on the second play of the drive. West Platte took over on the 44-yard line and scored six plays later when quarterback Eric Humes hit Rennie for a 15 yard touchdown pass. With the extra point, the Blue Jays led 14-6.

The Lee Flood Show returned on the next drive. Again, he rushed on every play of, taking 11 carries 75 yards for another touchdown. He also scored the two-point conversion on a pitch from Setzer to tie it 14-14.

It stayed tied until late in the fourth quarter. Marionville faced fourth down and less than a yard to go on their own 34. A five-yard punt from Brick Warth gave West Platte the ball on the 39 yard line. Two plays later, Humes hit Roe near the end zone and he angled the ball at the corner to score.

While turnovers hurt Marionville in the first half, it was a West Platte turnover that allowed the Comets to tie it early in the third. Humes was picked off by Marionville junior defensive lineman Kelby Parks and the Comets took over on the 44 yard line. As expected, Flood carried the load and eventually scored from three yards out. Warth’s kick was good and it was tied 21-21.

But on the next possession, West Platte regained the lead, thanks to the legs, not arm, of quarterback Erick Humes. His two runs comprised the entire 63-yard touchdown drive, scoring on a 29-yard scamper down the right side. The Blue Jays kicked the ball off with a 28-21 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, the collective hearts of the Marionville crowd stopped, when Flood was hit and lay on the turf for a couple of minutes. He ran off the field limping, then hopping every few steps because of cramps. After missing one play he returned. However, Flood wouldn’t be the sole carrier of the offense after that. He rushed for just 48 yards the rest of the way. In fact, Marionville tied the game on a pass. Setzer hit Brick Warth on a quick out to the sideline, who stiff armed his defender, then took off for an 80-yard touchdown. Warth converted the extra point and it was tied once again, 28-28.

But the tie didn’t last long, just 1:27 to be exact. West Platte went 59 yards on three plays, scoring on a ten-yard pass from Hume to Rennie. The extra point made it 35-28 with 9:12 to go Surprisingly, in this back and forth battle, that’s where the scoring stopped.

West Platte quarterback Eric Humes finished with 76 yards rushing and a touchdown and he had 151 yards passing with three TD tosses. This was the second state title for West Platte, which also won it in 2001.

Missing even a moment of the game meant the possibility of missing a score. There were nine touchdowns in the Class 1 Championship and none of the drives were longer than 4:43. Only two were longer than 2:40.