MARYVILLE, Mo. - As his team took a knee with 1 second remaining, Maryville coach Chris Holt finally allowed himself to exhale.

Breathlessly, he watched his Spoofhounds build a sizable lead before giving up a series of big plays that threatened to end their season on their home turf. Thanks to some last-minute heroics, Maryville staved off a challenge from a feisty Hogan Prep squad and claimed a 35-32 victory in their Class 2 quarterfinal clash.

Seconds after Maryville quarterback Marcus Grudzinski took a knee to end the game, Holt led the parade of players, coaches and fans onto the field to celebrate the win.

"Until then, I wasn't breathing easy at all," Holt said. "We saw the film last week. We knew that they had big-play ability."

The Spoofhounds advance to the semifinals for the second straight season and travel to Lamar next Saturday in hopes of reaching the state title game for the fourth time in program history.

Hogan Prep made Maryville (12-1) earn the return trip, though, after the Spoofhounds looked ready to turn the contest into a blowout early on.

Running backs Derek DeMott and Gavin Talmadge each reeled off a rushing score on Maryville's first two drives of the game to stake their team to a 14-0 lead. Then the defense got in on the action.

On the first play of the Rams' second drive, junior Tyler Peve broke up a running back screen by intercepting the pass. After a slight bobble, Peve held onto the ball and raced 29 yards the other way - untouched - to give the 'Hounds a 21-0 first-quarter advantage.

"It just kind of stuck to my hand, and I took off," said Peve, who notched his second pick-six of the season. "That was big. It gave us a lot of momentum to start the game."

Hogan Prep (11-2) started their comeback effort shortly thereafter.

The Rams reeled off 18 second-quarter points with the elusive backfield duo of running back Maurice Sneed and quarterback Dawon Cummings. Both seniors routinely eluded Maryville tacklers with their shifty running styles on the way to a combined 272 rushing yards.

Hogan Prep cut the lead to three points - 28-25 - after Sneed chugged 37 yards for his third touchdown early in the third quarter.

"It's just the character of the kids. We just teach them to never give up," Hogan Prep coach Phil Lascuola said. "We always feel like no matter what the conditions are, we can overcome them."

Maryville responded in emphatic fashion. The Spoofhounds took the ball on their own 30-yard line and marched the length of the field - chewing up nearly 7 minutes of clock. DeMott capped the statement drive with a 3-yard sprint to the right pylon that helped Maryville reestablish control and open a double-digit lead once again.

On the pivotal drive, the Spoofhounds earned four first downs - including a fourth-down conversion near midfield.

"If we didn't have that drive, it would have been a lot closer, and they would have had a lot more time with the ball," DeMott said.

Hogan Prep still made things difficult for the Spoofhounds down the stretch during a wild fourth quarter that included:

- A missed field goal by the Rams

- Cummings' spectacular, tackle-breaking touchdown run with 1 minute, 36 seconds left that cut the Spoofhounds' lead to three

- A failed Hogan Prep onside kick that skipped into the arms of Maryville's Will Twaddle

Needing only one first down to punch its ticket to the semifinals, Maryville couldn't move the chains and was forced to punt with less than 10 seconds remaining. But Sneed muffed the punt, and Cole Lawyer of Maryville recovered to give his team possession with just one tick left on the game clock.

"Our kids have been just making those plays all year," Holt said. "This was just an exclamation point of what we've been doing all year. Whenever we need to make a big play, kids just seem to make a big play."

With his two touchdowns, DeMott led Maryville's diverse rushing attack with 141 yards on 18 carries, while Talmadge and fullback Anthony Groumoutis combined for 115. Sophomore Tyler Walter also came up big by catching a pair of passes for 53 yards, the second of which went for a 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter from backup Sam Snyder.

Maryville rolled through last year's semifinal contest against Fair Grove and hope to do the same against Lamar (7-6), which finished second to last in the Big 8 Conference standings. Lamar defeated Fair Grove in Saturday's quarterfinal action.

"We've just got to keep moving," DeMott said. "I don't want to happen what happened last year where we came up two points short. I just want to actually finish it and get it done this year."