A lightning bolt flashed just outside the Battle High School football stadium Friday evening, and it sent Fort Osage and Battle scurrying into their respective locker rooms before their Missouri Class 5 state semifinal game.

The weather delayed the kickoff.

It couldn’t halt Fort Osage’s frantic start.

Bailey Williamson returned the opening kick 99 yards for a touchdown, and Fort Osage never trailed on its way to a 49-12 victory over Battle, the defending state champions.

Fort Osage will play in the Missouri Class 5 state championship at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

“Right off the bat,” Fort Osage coach Ryan Schartz said. “You can’t ask for a much better start than that.”

The Indians will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Chaminade and Carthage for the state title.

Fort Osage, 12-1, has not won a state title in program history. It finished as runner-up in 2009 and 2012.

Williamson sparked a third try with his kickoff return, during which he shot up the middle of the field untouched.

A foreshadow.

Battle required just two offensive snaps to match Williamson’s score, when quarterback Brevinn Tyler ran through arm tackles for a 75-yard touchdown. But while Fort Osage held up its end of the early shootout, Battle ran out of bullets.

Senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, a Kansas State signee, ran for three touchdowns. The third came with 18 seconds left in the second quarter, giving the Indians a 35-6 halftime lead.

“The kickoff return set the tone, especially for me,” Thompson said. “Having seven points on the board before you ever step onto the field takes the pressure off.”

The only Indians’ hiccup was a Thompson fumble midway through the second quarter. But in a microcosm of the evening, Indians senior linebacker Jesse Reser intercepted Tyler on the next snap, setting up a Thompson touchdown.

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