SENECA, Mo. — The final touchdown of last Friday night’s 42-7 win over Carl Junction High School was one for the memory book for Seneca High School football.
Jude King, a senior for the Indians, caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brodie Probert. King caught the ball inside the 20 and sprinted the rest of the way to the end zone with no Bulldogs around. It was the first varsity touchdown of his career.
“I was just hoping I didn’t drop the ball. … I was really worried about making sure I don’t get caught and don’t fumble at the 1-yard line,” King said.
The Indians haven’t had trouble scoring this season, but this touchdown was special.
“Kids like that are what I want Seneca football to be all about. That’s a kid that hasn’t been a starter until he was a senior. He’s had to put in so much work to get to where he is,” Seneca head coach Cody Hilburn said. “He found a way to get himself on the field this year and then, in a game like that, to be able to make the play to kind of seal the deal, that’s what I want Seneca football to be.”
King is getting to see the varsity field for the first time this season, and he made the most out of this opportunity to score.
The Indians had been on the sideline following a timeout. They came back out and knew exactly what play they would be running with King lined up at the tight end position. The play was called just for him — making him king for a play.
“It was 100%. We came out of the timeout and they gave us a certain look they’d been giving us. We kicked it around all night. When we said we were going to do it, our kids got fired up. They wanted it for him, which makes it that much more special,” Hilburn said.
King broke off the line of scrimmage and every Bulldog came down into the box to stop the run for which the Indians are known, and which they dominate with. Typically, Seneca beats teams by winning the battle at the line of scrimmage and then running with Probert or Roman Miller.
That allowed King to break free over the top of the defense with no one around him. Probert lobbed the pass up and gave King plenty of time to get underneath it. The senior reeled it in and looked straight ahead to the end zone.
“It’s really exciting for me. I wasn’t really expecting that tonight and, yeah, I’m pretty happy about that,” King said.
He was showered with celebrations by his teammates for the score, but King wanted to recognize his teammates, as well. He and the rest of the Indians are off to a 6-0 start this season and have big plans in place moving forward for the rest of 2025.
“I’m very proud of my teammates. They work very hard every day, and I just try my best to help my brothers win games,” King said.
Seneca will be at McDonald County High School (4-2) Friday night.
