SMITHVILLE, Mo. — Fighting for its playoff life and facing a 4th-and-24, Chillicothe needed someone to make a play.

It was fitting that Alex Thompson rose to the occasion.

The Hornets’ junior tight end hauled in a 28-yard completion from senior quarterback Jared McCauslin, and three plays later, McCauslin dove into the end zone from the 1-yard line, the finishing salvo in a 29-22 victory against Smithville on Thursday night at Warrior Field.

With the victory — and just as importantly, the seven-point margin of victory — Chillicothe finished No. 2 in a three-way tiebreaker with Savannah and Cameron to earn the second Class 3 District 16 playoff seed.

“I was pleased with our kids’ effort,” said Chillicothe coach Phil Willard. “I wasn’t pleased with our execution.”

The Hornets (8-2 overall, 2-1 district) needed every ounce of effort to fight back against a Smithville squad that still had playoff aspirations despite on 0-2 start to district play. The Warriors (4-6, 0-3) tossed a 75-yard touchdown pass to senior Andrew Townsend on their first play from scrimmage and followed up with a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive on their next possession to take an early 14-0 lead.

However, Smithville — playing aggressively due to its own tiebreaker scenarios — began to falter, while Thompson heated up.

Thompson first hauled in a 9-yard scoring pass from McCauslin midway through the second quarter to put Chillicothe on the scoreboard. Then, on the second play of the fourth quarter, he went to work on defense, picking off a pass from Warriors sophomore quarterback Eric Gromacki and returning it 72 yards for the go-ahead score.

Still, it was his fourth-down play following Smithville’s answer that may have been the biggest of the night.

“We’re just fortunate the quarterback and receiver made a play there,” Willard said.

Conversely, it was another case of the fourth-quarter doldrums for the Warriors, who for the fourth time this season allowed an opposing offense to drive more than 70 yards and put the winning points on the board inside the final two minutes. And that doesn’t count a triple-overtime loss at Pleasant Hill in the opening week of the season.

“It’s appropriate,” said Smithville coach Greg Smith with a twinge of gallows humor. “The positive spin that we can put on it is the kids found a way to respond after every week.”

Chillicothe opens the Class 3 state playoffs next Wednesday on the road against the still-to-be-decided top seed from District 15.

“Anything can happen,” Willard said. “It did tonight.”