COLUMBIA — Patrick Carlton and Kale Schrader had executed the passing route hundreds of times before, whether during practice or games.
Just a simple out route to the flat. That was the featured route on the play Carthage dialed up on a pivotal third-and-long situation in overtime against Jackson in Saturday's MSHSAA Class 5 Show-Me Bowl.
And Carlton and Schrader may as well have been blindfolded.
"I know everything about that play, and it works almost every time," Carlton said. "Kale was wide open, and I know he's not going to come down without a fight."
Sure enough, the junior quarterback delivered a pass straight to the breadbasket of Schrader, who then sprinted 23 yards down the sideline before bulldozing his way to the Jackson 2-yard line.
One play later, Carlton put the nail in the coffin with a short plunge into the end zone, prompting a wave of royal blue and white to storm Faurot Field in celebration of Carthage's 27-21 victory over the Indians for its first state title in program history.
"These guys just found a way to do it, and throughout the entire game it felt like something good was going to happen," Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. "That's to these guys' credit. They just won't die and they just won't quit. I'm so blessed to be able to coach these guys."
A back-and-forth clash between No. 5 Carthage (12-2) and No. 2 Jackson (13-1) required overtime after regulation ended in a 21-21 tie. The Carthage defense was on the field for the overtime period first and ultimately got a fourth-down stop with a quarterback sack on fourth-and-19.
The overtime stop capped yet another pivotal playoffs performance for the Carthage defensive unit, which limited a potent Jackson offense to 239 yards with a pair of takeaways.
"They certainly are very good at what they do," Guidie said of the Jackson offense. "Their scheme is really good and plays right into the hands of their players. It starts with their quarterback (Cael Walker), and we knew we had to contain him."
And there were only a handful of plays that Welker managed to free himself and the Indians' offense of Carthage's defensive stranglehold. The final occasion came in the form of a 76-yard drive capped by 13-yard touchdown pass to knot the game up at 21 in the fourth quarter.
Welker finished as Jackson's leading rusher (57 yards) and passer (132 yards).
From the get-go, the Tigers were opportunistic on defense as they built a 14-7 advantage in the first half, generating a pair of takeaways and holding Jackson scoreless on five of six drives.
Following a 10-yard touchdown run by Tyler Mueller that put Carthage up 7-0 on the final play of the first quarter, the Jackson offense seemed primed to respond on its next drive as it marched 70 yards in its first 11 plays. But the drive was spoiled by a Welker fumble that was recovered by Schrader at the Carthage 17-yard line.
The first takeaway didn't lead to any Carthage points, but Jackson's turnover woes weren't over. On the Indians' next possession, Welker was stripped by Carthage defensive lineman Oscar Campa near the Jackson sideline, giving the Tigers possession deep in Indians' territory. Carthage capitalized one play later with Carlton delivering a strike to the speedy Marcus Huntley for a 36-yard touchdown pass.
The Jackson offense managed to end its dry spell on final drive of the second quarter. Following a short Carthage punt, the Indians drove 38 yards in nine plays to cut the Tigers' lead to 14-7. Welker accounted for the touchdown on a four-yard keeper.
The momentum for Jackson continued at the start of the second half when defensive back Matthew Stroder intercepted a Carlton pass and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 14.
"This game was really indicative of our season in a way," Guidie said. "The season has been full of ups and downs, obstacles and having to bounce back. … Because of the way our season unfolded, our kids just didn't care (when confronted with adversity). They just battled through it."
The Tigers responded to the game-tying score on its very next drive and went 84 yards in 14 plays to reclaim the lead at 21-14. Carlton accounted for the touchdown on a 1-yard run.
The Tigers finished with 344 yards of offense and were led by Carlton, who rushed for 132 yards on 28 carries and threw for 100 yards on 5-of-10 accuracy.

Carthage Tigers 27, Jackson Indians 21
Carthage     7       7    7    0    6 - 27
Jackson       0      7     7    7    0 - 21

Scoring Plays
First Quarter
C-Tyler Mueller 10 yard run, Marcus Huntley kick
Second Quarter
C-Huntley 36 yard pass from Patrick Carlton, Huntley kick
J-Cael Welker 4 yard run, Logan Bruns kick
Third Quarter
J-Blake Blackman 11 interception return, Bruns kick
C-Carlton 1 yard run, Huntley kick
Fourth Quarter
J-Michael Schneid 13 yard pass from Welker, Bruns kick
Overtime
C-Carlton 2 yard run, no kick