The last time Carthage and Joplin met on the football field, the Eagles came away with a goal-line stand on a two-point conversion with 10 seconds left to preserve a 56-55 win in Week 3 of the 2019 season.
With the amount of points each team has put up in 2020, it’s quite possible Joplin and Carthage fans are in for another fascinating football game.
“When they came here two years ago, we had a good game and came out on top,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “Last year, we went to their place and came up about half a yard short on that two-point conversion. We’ve had some really good ball games the last two years, so we’re excited for this one as well.”
“Carthage is a really good team,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “Anytime we get to face an area opponent, it carries a little more weight with it, naturally, because of the fact the kids all know each other. A lot of these kids have been playing against each other since the third grade. … I know I am excited for the kids, and I know they are excited. I am sure Carthage is the same way. It should be a fun night.”
TIGERS OUTLOOK
Carthage, the top ranked team in Class 5, has yet to take a loss this season, holding a 5-0 record and coming off a dominating 42-7 win against Willard.
“To be honest, I don’t feel like we have played our best and most-complete football game yet,” Guidie said. “I think there is still some room to improve, which is a good thing. We don’t feel like we’ve had everyone fully healthy at the same time. We always seem to be missing a starter or two. … I still think there are a lot of ways we can improve, with things to build on.”
Of course, having an unblemished record while feeling like there is still room for improvement as the returning Class 5 state champions means the Tigers have done a good job of staying focused and overcoming any setbacks they’ve faced to this point in the season.
“It says a lot about our kids and the character they have,” Guidie said. “I think a lot of that stems from a year ago. They had some very good experiences in the playoffs, overcoming adversity, and I feel like we have had to do that this year. We’ve had to battle back in a few games and overcome some things. … This is a pretty resilient group.”
Part of that resiliency has been overcoming turnover issues that plagued Carthage early in the season. The Tigers turned it over four times in Week 1 against Ozark and five times in Week 2 against Carl Junction. Carthage has since limited its turnovers to two total in the last three games, including a clean slate last week against Willard.
“The early weeks we definitely experienced some issues there,” Guidie said. “We had to battle through those and we came out on top. It’s just been an all-around concentrated effort to take care of the football.”
With the Tigers doing a good job recently limiting the turnovers, it will be key to continue that trend against Joplin. Particularly if you look at last year’s contest, when Carthage held the momentum and the lead nearly the entire game before turning the ball over to start the fourth quarter, which eventually led to a Joplin touchdown to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.
“That was one possession where we didn’t score and it came back to get us,” Guidie said. “Turnovers and penalties will be huge in this game between two evenly-matched football games. We have to be focused on what we are doing.”
EAGLES OUTLOOK
Joplin travels to David Haffner Stadium with a 3-3 record, coming off perhaps their most-complete performance of the season in a 41-14 win over Republic.
“I thought we did a good job of getting better from the previous week,” Jasper said. “That is our goal every week. Defensively, I thought we made a lot of strides, and offensively, I thought we were able to find more consistency. We did a good job of cutting penalties down, too, which always helps. All in all, I thought it was a good effort from all three phases.”
For the Eagles, bringing that consistency from last week’s win will be key against Carthage. Joplin opened with a Week 1 win against Webb City before falling to Nixa and Ozark. The Eagles beat Carl Junction, then lost to Willard before getting back in the win column against Republic.
“We talk about that all the time here, getting better each day,” Jasper said. “We want to add a good on top of a good. That is where our focus is.”
Joplin’s defense is coming off its best performance of 2020, limiting Republic to a score on the opening drive and a score late in the second quarter. Joplin pitched a shutout in the second half for the first time this season, which was a welcomed sight.
The Joplin offense bounced back in a big way last week against Republic. After turning it over three times against Willard, Joplin had just one turnover against Republic, while picking up nearly 600 yards of offense.
Much of that success offensively was due in part to stronger play by the offensive line, according to Jasper. Joplin went with a new rotation against Republic, with Alex Curry transitioning from left tackle to center. Dontrell Holt started at left tackle. Davis Ramsey held down the right tackle spot, with Dawson Phillips and Stone Karcher at the guard spots.
“We knew after the Willard game that we had to be more physical up front,” Jasper said. “We have to win at the point of the attack, and I think that is especially true for this week (against Carthage). We have to make sure we win at the line of scrimmage.”
RECENT STATS
Carthage picked up 447 yards of offense against Willard, with 373 of those coming on the ground. The Tigers got a pair of rushing touchdowns from running back Luke Gall and quarterback Patrick Carlton. Cale Patrick added a 49-yard touchdown run, with Ashton Lancaster adding a touchdown late.
Against Republic, Joplin quarterback Always Wright completed 26-of-28 passes for 302 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Running back Nathan Glades returned from a knee injury to pick up 172 yards on 23 carries, while adding five receptions for 108 yards and a receiving score. Keaton Renfro caught 12 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
