AMORET, Mo. - With the season down to one play, David Welchert lined up under center and followed Jordan Strandell into the end zone.

Now, St. Joseph Christian can keep going all the way to St. Louis.

The Christian senior's touchdown plunge on the final play Friday night against Miami (Amoret) secured a 42-40 victory in their 8-man semifinal at Miami High School. In a wild finish, the lead changed hands five times in the final 4 minutes, 2 seconds - three times in the final minute.

Welchert scored four second-half touchdowns to lead the Lions back from the brink.

The dramatic win earned Christian a return trip to the 8-man Show-Me Bowl, scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend in St. Louis. The Lions (10-2) face a rematch with Mound City (10-1) in the title tilt.

Welchert's second touchdown run gave Christian a 28-26 lead with 4:02 remaining, but Miami came back with a long touchdown drive to recapture the lead at 32-28 with 1:35 left. The scoring was far from over.

Christian moved 65 yards on three plays with Welchert scoring from 12 yards out with 52.2 seconds left. Welchert's 2-point run put the Lions up 4.

A deep kickoff forced Miami to start its final drive at its own 10. After an initial incompletion, Dylan Fink found Garrett Gutshall behind the defense, and the Eagles' leading receiver went 70 yards for a go-ahead score with 34.7 seconds left.

However, Gutshall - who finished with 134 receiving yards - made a critical mistake, unnecessarily diving over the goal line and drawing a 15-yard penalty.

That infraction was enforced on the kickoff, and Christian returned the kick into Miami territory. Starting at the Eagles' 33 with 24.7 seconds left, Christian moved to the 20 with 9.1 left on a 19-yard Daniel Gregory run.

Welchert went 18 yards on the next play, and Christian used its last timeout with 1.8 seconds left.

On the final play, Welchert followed 260-pound Strandell into the end zone with no time remaining on the clock.

Early Miami mistakes helped Christian build a first-half lead.

After scoring on their opening possession on a Fink 39-yard option keeper, the Eagles fell behind after Fink threw interceptions on two-out-of-three possessions. Luke Mathes intercepted Fink then scored from 31 yards out on a scrambling run off of a botched snap to tie it.

Miami's next drive ended with a punt attempt, but an errant snap led to a 29-yard loss and put Christian first-and-10 at Miami's 16.

The Lions didn't take advantage and turned it over on downs, but Fink's pass on the next play ended up in Welchert's hands. He returned it 7 yards for a score, and a 2-point pass made it 14-6 at Christian - a lead they took into the half.

Miami then scored 20 unanswered to open the third quarter.

Dakota Ryles' scored on a 41-yard on the first play of the second half, and Mathes fumbled it away on Christian's opening possession. Miami took advantage with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Fink to Ryan Good.

Welchert then fumbled it away again, and with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, Miami went up 26-14, using a long completion to Gutshall and converting a fourth-and-3 inside the 10 before Good scored from 1 yard out. The Eagles wouldn't score again until taking the lead back with 1:35 remaining.

That score set up the unbelievable, frenetic closing.