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Leblond linebacker Justin Schott (85) refuses to let Mid-Buchanan running back Tyler Marable (20) get additional yards Friday night during the first quarter of play at Mid-Buchanan.

FAUCETT, Mo — Mid-Buchanan leaned on Alex Whitmore on Friday night, and Whitmore’s three rushing touchdowns handed the Dragons the edge in a 32-6 victory against Bishop LeBlond.

The Dragons wasted no time as they mounted a 12-play opening drive, which Whitmore capped with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Dragons led 6-0 after a failed conversion.

The Golden Eagles’ first drive wasn’t as successful when starting quarterback Mike Lierz threw an interception on LeBlond’s first play — Lierz’s first attempt — and the Dragons capitalized with a field goal.

The second quarter wasn’t kind to the Eagles, either. Mid-Buchanan hammered the Eagles for a safety after a botched snap in the end zone, and the Dragons also added another rushing touchdown by Whitmore in the quarter, building an 18-0 cushion.

“We decided early on that we were going to try and get Alex involved as much as we could,” said Mid-Buchanan coach Dave Rapp. “He is our running back, and he is going to be our workhorse. We really feel like he is going to carry us offensively, and we then can kind of work some other people off of him.”

The Eagles had a glimmer of hope at the end of the second quarter when they drove down to the 2-yard line with just under 10 seconds left in the half — only to get stuffed by the Dragons’ defense. With no time outs remaining, the Eagles were forced to go into halftime down 18-0.

“I would like to have the play right before half back, because we are down 18-0 but if we score there we go into half 18-7 and are right back in the game,” LeBlond coach Steve Vertin said. “Then we got the first possession of the second half, and we can play with a little more fire in our pants.”

Whitmore, who had 127 yards on 17 carries, set the tone for the Dragons on the ground while enabling quarterback Drew Gray to run for a 31-yard touchdown on a sweep to the left side of the field for Mid-Buchanan’s final score. The Dragons led 32-0.

“Boy, we never really did stop the jet sweep, and Drew Gray is just an exceptional athlete,” Vertin said. “We also had some breakdowns and some injuries we were dealing with also.”

LeBlond was able to finally get on the board after putting together a drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, ending with a touchdown pass down the middle from Lierz to Justin Schott to end the game at 32-6 after a failed 2-point conversion.