As the third quarter of Friday night’s Missouri Class 5 district title game between Staley and Liberty began, the Liberty student section unleashed into the air bags upon bags of baby powder that then hovered over the field at Staley in a thick, sweet-smelling fog.

If their intent was to distract or slow Staley and Julian Ross, it didn’t work.

Ross rushed for four touchdowns —- including three in the third quarter — and Staley rolled to a 36-0 win.

The victory moves the Falcons into the state quarterfinals, where they will play host to Park Hill South.

“We had a great week of prep, and I loved our game plan,” Staley coach Phil Lite said. “The credit goes to our kids for being focused and having a great week of practice, but our coaches had them ready to go and it was evident. We feel like we’re peaking at the right time of the year.”

Staley led 16-0 at halftime, but the third quarter belonged to Ross. The 6-foot senior tailback broke free for a 63-yard touchdown less than a minute into the half and then — five plays after Liberty muffed the ensuing kickoff — scored from 3 yards out to make it 30-0.

He nearly had a 54-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter, but was tripped up at the 4-yard line. Of course, he went ahead and ran it in on the next play.

Ross finished with 205 yards in 20 carries.

“We knew we had to come out and win the second half,” Ross said. “Our offensive line, those guys came out and got some push for us skill players, and we’re sure thankful for them. They’ve done it all year, and I was able to take advantage of what they gave me.”

Success in the running game on both sides of the ball keyed the Falcons’ win. The Staley offense flexed its speed, thwarting early blitzes and then taking advantage when the Liberty defense was forced to back off.

The Falcons’ defense, meanwhile, completed the impressive feat of keeping Liberty running back Robert Rawie out of the end zone. The junior came into the night with 22 touchdowns and finished the season averaging 191 yards per game. He gained 33 yards in 14 carries on Friday night.

“We knew coming in that we were going to have to stop their tail back,” Lite said. “He’s an awfully good player. We ran and rallied to the ball.”

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