As he screamed around the left end, Adam Keeney wanted more than a sack. He wanted to send a message.

Lafayette's senior linebacker accomplished his goal with a vicious hit that rattled Excelsior Springs quarterback Preston Lewis and allowed the Fighting Irish to breathe easy Friday night during a 13-7 victory at Alumni Stadium.

With his second sack of the game, Keeney was just one cog in a ruthless Lafayette defensive unit that forced three turnovers and opened the door for another run to the postseason.

"I just hit him as hard as I could," Keeney said of his bone-crunching sack. "It felt great being on senior night. It was amazing. It was a dream come true."

Thanks to the win and a Benton loss against Kearney, the Fighting Irish moved to 1-1 in Class 4 District 16 play and would advance to the postseason for the second straight year with a victory against the Cardinals next Thursday.

But victory against Excelsior Springs didn't come easily in sloppy conditions.

Both squads struggled to gain any momentum until Lafayette (4-5) marched into the end zone from its own 33-yard line with a drive that chewed up more than 8 minutes. Midway through the second quarter, senior Bryston Cook capped the drive with a 3-yard run - the first of his two rushing scores.

Lafayette quarterback DJ Adams also overcame a rash of turnovers against Kearney last week by holding on to the ball all night and accounting for 125 yards of total offense.

"To get out of here with a 7-point win, we're happy. That's fine," Lafayette coach Paul Woolard said. "It's a great way to send the seniors out (at home)."

Little came easy for the Irishs offense, however, as a series of fumbled snaps counteracted a consistent push up front.

With the offense often moving backward, Lafayette's defense seemed more than happy to rise to the occasion. Excelsior Springs (2-7) managed only 108 yards of total offense - including 20 total rushing yards - and racked up just four first downs.

But the Tigers only found themselves down one score in the fourth quarter after Caleb Stratton's tackle-breaking touchdown catch of 35 yards on the opening play of the fourth quarter.

The Excelsior touchdown appeared to spark a stagnant Irish defense that did not allow a first down the rest of the way.

"It kind of made me mad, and we knew we had to stop them. We just knew it," Keeney said.

Following Cook's second score with 4 minutes remaining, the Irish went into a frenzy. First senior Brett Gilpin and junior Ian Toalson combined to drag down Lewis. Then Keeney took his turn teeing off on the Tigers' quarterback.

But it was Corey Cunningham's second interception - Lafayette's third pick of Lewis - that finally sealed the deal and let the Irish kneel the clock out.

Next week's game provides more than a path to the playoffs for Lafayette's long-struggling program. A win against Benton would hand the Irish their first .500 regular season in 15 years.

"It's sets up win and get in," Woolard said. "It'll be an interesting game, and we'll see what happens. We're playing for a lot next week."

Sports reporter Andy Meyer can be reached at andymeyer@npgco.com