Defending-champion Fort Osage opens playoffs with 33-8 rout of William Chrisman

The tall, thick, rarely-trimmed grass is a staple at Fort Osage High School. It’s a dead giveaway for the manner in which the Indians prefer to play.

Slow, methodical, earn-every-inch football.

A return to the brute, physical style has prompted a return to recognizable success.

Fort Osage opened the defense of its Missouri Class 5 state championship with a 33-8 playoff win against visiting William Chrisman.

Fort Osage junior Derick Krones ran for three touchdowns in the win — all from 1 yard in front of the goal line.

“It’s my third year on this field, so I’m used to it, but teams, they are so slow on it. It gives us such an advantage,” Krones said. “We were offered turf a couple of years ago, and we turned it down. We just love this field.”

The fortress slowed a William Chrisman offense that topped 30 points in seven of its first nine games. William Chrisman, 8-2, lost just twice in a milestone season for its program. Both were to rival Fort Osage.

In its 23-21 victory against Chrisman earlier this month, Fort Osage tailback Isaiah Iloilo carried the load. On Friday, with Iloilo nursing a shoulder injury, the job was handed to a committee. Krones played the role of a wildcat quarterback in short-yardage situations and ran for three scores. Sophomore tailback Blake Robertson added two more touchdown runs.

Among Fort Osage’s five rushing touchdowns, four came from 1 yard out as it built a 33-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Chrisman quarterback James Bailey threw a 34-yard touchdown to Tre’Vaughn Sisco in the final minute to prevent the shutout.

“The guys in front of me, they’re really physical,” Fort Osage sophomore quarterback Ty Baker said. “They rarely lose that battle. That’s Fort Osage football.”

Well, it is now.

The Indians, 5-5, dropped the first three games in their follow-up to the first state championship season in program history. But a young team has found its formula over the past three weeks — long, slow-developing drives that chew the clock.

“They can’t stop it. Our o-line is amazing,” Krones said. “I give the credit to them. They are so good.”

The Fort Osage defense replicated its offensive game plan — win the battle up front. The Indians pressured Bailey into hurried throws and greeted his runs in the backfield.

William Chrisman managed only 205 yards of offense.

But the Bears won eight games after winning only six over the previous three years combined.

“They were more physical. That’s what champions do,” William Chrisman coach Scorpio Horn said. “We’re still learning how to be champions. We’ll get there. But it’s a process.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Defending-champion Fort Osage opens playoffs with 33-8 rout of William Chrisman."