WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City made key plays in all three phases of the game in the first half and then held on late for a 28-14 Central Ozark Conference win over Carl Junction on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, the Cardinals (4-1) won for the fourth straight time.
And unlike their previous three outings, the Cardinals were forced to make crucial plays in the fourth quarter to hold on.
“That was an exciting game,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “We did what we needed to do…we found ways. I thought our defense did an outstanding job. I thought Carl Junction played really well. They’re really good. Forget about their record, that’s a good football team. It was a good football game, and we feel good about the win.”
Simply put, Webb City got the job done in a number of key moments in the first half.
The Cardinals came up with a key defensive stand on fourth down late in the first quarter, forcing a turnover on downs. In a game-changing span of the second quarter, the Cardinals put together a 96-yard scoring drive and then recovered a pooch kick that led to a two-score advantage.
Although the Bulldogs (1-4) kept coming until the end, the early lead was one the Cardinals would never relinquish.
Despite the loss, Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Buckmaster said. “I’m really proud of our offense. They played so well and kept us in the game. I’m really proud of how we played. Our defense finally finished a game. We were within one touchdown in the fourth quarter.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City compiled 335 yards of offense, with 297 rushing and 38 passing.
Senior running back Devrin Weathers ran 20 times for 139 yards, while junior Cade Wilson had 13 carries for 81 yards and three touchdowns.
Webb City quarterback Cole Gayman ran 12 times for 78 yards and completed 3-of-9 passes with one score. Jacob Shonk caught two passes for 21 yards and Mekhi Garrard hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass.
Lucas Ott made eight tackles, Matt McDaniel had seven, while Shane Noel and Treghan Parker added six tackles apiece.
Carl Junction recorded 327 yards, with 220 through the air and 107 on the ground.
Senior quarterback Alex Baker completed 22-of-34 passes, with Cole Stewart catching seven for 99 yards and Noah Southern hauling in 10 passes for 79 yards. Brady Sims ran 22 times for 79 yards with two scores to lead CJ’s ground attack.
Jack Colgin made nine tackles to lead the CJ defense, while Southern had seven and Jesse Cassatt and Carter Kennedy made six apiece.
GAME RECAP
The Bulldogs put together a nearly 10-minute drive to begin the game, but the Cardinal defense forced a turnover on downs after CJ came up 1 yard short on fourth and six from the 14-yard line.
“That was huge,” Roderique said of the stop. “You always tell your kids that until they get into the end zone, they get no points so don’t get your head down. When you can stop somebody on fourth down, that really develops some confidence.”
In the second quarter, a Carl Junction punt pinned the hosts deep, but the Webb City offense marched 96 yards on 13 plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Wilson at the 5:22 mark of the second quarter.
Next came a key play on special teams, as Webb City’s Billy Wolfe recovered the ensuing pooch kickoff, and the hosts scored three plays later on a 22-yard sprint by Wilson.
“A lot of times you get the wind in your face you want to hang the ball up a little bit or spot kick it a little bit,” Roderique said. “Coach (Trey) Derryberry has a lot of different types of kicks we use with Cameron (Clark). That was a great play. And then scoring there was big. Getting up two scores was big for our confidence.”
Carl Junction got on the board with 2:56 left in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Sims. The score was set up by a 48-yard pass from Baker to Stewart.
Webb City responded with an eight play, 69-yard drive, as Gayman completed a nifty 17-yard touchdown strike to Garrard, giving the hosts a 21-7 cushion.
Webb City’s Bradyen Hollingsworth grabbed an interception to halt CJ’s final drive of the first half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Sims capped a 19-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 6:24 remaining to pull the Bulldogs within a score.
With the pressure on, Webb City was able to pick up a couple of crucial first downs to extend the ensuing drive.
Weathers ran for a first down on a fourth-and-4 play, and a few plays later, Wilson charged into the end zone with 36 seconds left for the final margin.
“I told our guys we needed about a 6 minute, 24 second drive,” Roderique said. “We were just trying to get a first down.”
The Cardinals won despite being limited to one score in the second half.
“We kind of struggled offensively in the second half,” Roderique said. “But our defense held up. I thought both sides of the ball played well at times.”
The Bulldogs were left wondering what might have been.
“We had two opportunities where we didn’t score and we had another possession where we were moving the ball, but didn’t score,” Buckmaster said. “We’ve played so well on offense the last two weeks, we just need to start scoring points. But I saw a lot more effort in finishing blocks and pass protection. I thought Brady Sims ran the heck out of the ball and our receivers did a nice job. I’m really proud.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City travels to Branson in Week 6, while Carl Junction is at Neosho next Friday.
WEBB CITY 28, CARL JUNCTION 14
Carl Junction 0 7 0 7—14
Webb City 0 21 0 7—28
Scoring Summary
WC: Cade Wilson 4-yard run (Kick failed)
WC: Wilson 22-yard run (Wilson run)
CJ: Brady Sims 2-yard run (Xavier Perkins kick)
WC: Mekhi Garrard 17-yard pass from Cole Gayman (Cameron Clark kick)
CJ: Sims 1-yard run (Perkins kick)
WC: Wilson 9-yard run (Clark kick)
