Instead of watching football on TV on Thanksgiving weekend, Basehor-Linwood will be playing for a state championship.

The Bobcats continued its perfect season with a 28-21 win over St. James Academy on Friday night to advance to its first ever state title game. Basehor-Linwood (12-0) will face Salina Central in the Kansas Class 5A state championship on Friday at 2 pm at Emporia State.

St. James (10-2) built a 14-0 by halftime lead, but Basehor-Linwood finally got some offense going along with big defensive plays after intermission.

The Bobcats comeback started when St. James fired a pass to the left sideline, which was intercepted by Lex Stanion at the Thunder 40 with 5:58 left in the third period. Basehor-Linwood drove inside the St. James 5, but gave up the ball on downs.

However, three plays later, the Bobcats picked off another pass at the 15, this time by Jacob Sharp, who ran the distance into the end zone for a 14-7 deficit with 1:23 left in the third quarter.

A St. James three-and-out led to a punt attempt blocked and set up the Bobcats at the Thunder 25 with :33 left in the quarter. Two minutes later, sophomore Gavin Mitchell rumbled in from two yards out for a 14-14 tie with 10:52 remaining.

The Bobcats again held St. James, resulting in a punt to the BLHS. Basehor-Linwood embarked on a 90-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 40-yard keeper by quarterback Carson Dixon down the left sideline to the SJA 20. Then Dixon whipped a pass to Nash Morrison over the middle for a 13-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead with 6:30 left.

But St. James wasn’t dead yet, as facing a fourth-and-seven from the BLHS 22, quarterback John Hornback fired a pass over the middle to Cory Kirchner, who shed a tackle at the 5, and jaunted into the end zone for a 21-20 deficit. But a low kick on the PAT was blocked, and preserved the BLHS lead with 2:00 remaining.

After a St. James failed onsides kick attempt, Mitchell took the handoff off left tackle, broke free and rumbled 51 yards for a 28-21 lead. The Thunder’s last drive was intercepted at the Basehor 30 to end the game.