Boonville had one play Friday that gave Mexico trouble.

The Bulldogs lost 27-13 at home in the Class 3 District 5 semifinals after Pirates’ quarterback Colby Caton scored four touchdowns — two in the air and two on the ground — and the offense was shut out in the second half. No. 3 seed Boonville (7-4) found repeated success by having Caton run with the ball to bring No. 2 Mexico’s final record to 4-6 and advance to the championship game this Friday at No. 1 Moberly.

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Caton ran for 197 yards on 37 carries — out of 44 carries for the Pirates — and threw for 103 yards on 8-for-10 passing. Mexico ran for 226 yards on 26 carries, with senior Andrew Runge leading the way with 124 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries followed by senior Anthony Shivers’ 55 yards on 15 carries and senior Morgan Grubb’s 49 yards on seven carries and a touchdown.

Head coach Steve Haag doesn’t blame Boonville for relying so heavily on Caton as the Bulldogs were beaten on quarterback keepers all night after running back Dakota Troost had to go out due to injury.

“We just didn’t have a good answer for the quarterback power sweep,” Haag said. “Some if that is you just got to get after it. You know they’re coming. He’s a good athlete, and that’s what I would do. I don’t think the problem’s tackling. The problem is getting off blocks.”

Mexico’s offense didn’t reach the end zone in the second half, but Haag said that wasn’t because it was completely ineffective against the Pirates. On three occasions, the Bulldogs moved the ball deep into Boonville territory, with two of those trips reaching the red zone (the third trip got as far as the 21-yard line).

At halftime, the game was tied at 13 despite Mexico almost scoring the go-ahead touchdown as time ran out. Runge, who already had a 47-yard touchdown run, caught a pass on the left side after the quarterback Ty Sims faked to right before somersaulting in the end zone. The touchdown was waved off because of an ineligible receiver downfield penalty, and the Bulldogs ended up empty on the trip.

Mexico advanced as far as the Boonville 11-yard line but couldn’t score halfway through the third quarter. After Caton punched in a two-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play drive that included a 48-yard scamper by the Boonville quarterback, Mexico had the ball at the Boonville 21 with just under two minutes left in the third quarter and thought Runge reached the end zone again, only for it to be called off due to an illegal blocking penalty. Boonville scored again after 12 plays, with Caton forcing through the line on a touchdown.

“I think we had opportunities, and we didn’t take them,” Haag said. “I thought the penalty at the end of the half was a big one. Then that penalty (late in the third quarter), we probably should have scored there. There’s another big one, especially when it’s a two-touchdown game.”

After Boonville alternated with Caton and Troost in the running game, Caton lobbed a 15-yard touchdown in the left corner to Ethan Watson.

On their final nights as Bulldogs, Shivers and Grubb led Mexico on a 12-play drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter by regular blocker Grubb and a 7-6 Bulldog lead.

“Morgan did a heck of a job blocking for us all year so it’s good to see him get in the end zone,” Haag said.

The Mexico defense stopped Boonville to force a three-and-out, and then quickly, the Bulldogs increased their lead. In his final points as a Bulldog, Runge broke free for a long touchdown run for the 13-6 advantage with about nine minutes left until halftime.

“Runge is just an explosive athlete,” Haag said. “He showed it there, got through the line, hit outside and goes up to the sideline for a touchdown.”

Caton and the Boonville offense found its groove after several successful keepers settled the Pirates in before Jackson Johns caught an open 12-yard touchdown on an 85-yard drive. Johns found open space in the end zone after Caton faked the power sweep that had worked so well for Boonville all game.

The second rushing touchdown by Caton happened after Mexico stopped him a couple times at the goal line, but the Pirates persisted to a two-possession lead with about seven minutes left in the game. The senior Sims and the Bulldogs were forced to drop back and throw some more only for Sims to be intercepted after hitting a leaping Matt McCurdy in the hands down the middle and to be sacked twice.

“We had our shots,” Haag said. “It’s important to make blocks, it’s important to make the right block, it’s important to make the right read — all of those things become part of the success. It’s not just one thing (that explains the offensive struggles).”

Mexico is losing a talented senior class with reigning all-state linebackers Grubb and Runge and all-state lineman Kendyr Taylor. The Bulldogs will also be without key offensive playmakers like Sims and Shivers and defensive stalwarts like McCurdy. Runge, Shivers, Taylor, Grubb, McCurdy and senior lineman Owen Paden were named to the North Central Missouri Conference team during game week.

Haag said Mexico had to install about six underclassmen into line positions after injuries to senior linemen. He said it’s a tough spot to put those young players in, but everyone on the team needs to work and play with effort as if it is their last game.

“One thing you realize and before you get there (the last game) is get as much of it as you can,” Haag said. “I’ve never had a kid come back to me and say, ‘You know, I worked way too hard in high school.’ They never say that. As I told them, 98 percent of what you do, you can do outside of Mexico High School. The 2 percent you can’t do is get on Hawthorne Heights and play football here, It’s important you take that seriously. We appreciate what the seniors have done, and we wish them well.”