WEBB CITY, Mo. — John Roderique insists there were no magic words at halftime.
The veteran Webb City football coach added there was no yelling or screaming, either.
But whatever words were uttered in the Webb City locker room during intermission, they definitely worked.
Ignited by a big third quarter, and taking advantage of six turnovers, Webb City rolled to a convincing 42-14 victory over Lebanon in a Class 5 quarterfinal on a rainy Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
The Cardinals (11-1) advanced to the semifinals, where they’ll host Platte County (11-1) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
A spot in the Final Four was not a given at the break. Webb City was clinging to a 14-8 lead after a not so great end to the first half.
“It was kind of a dead locker room,” Roderique said of halftime. “The kids didn’t really know what to think. They’d been getting beat up on the field. That was one of those times there was no sense of yelling or screaming. They probably felt bad enough. You just try to calm them down a little bit and tell them to go do their job and go play.”
The Cardinals did their jobs all right, as Webb City scored 21 unanswered points after the break to turn a close one into a rout.
“The attitude was, ‘If you don’t think we can win, stay in here,'” Webb City senior linebacker Eli Goddard said of halftime.
Webb City outscored Lebanon 28-6 in the second half.
“We needed to get our defense off the field,” Roderique said. “We couldn’t stop them. They were impressive. Hats off to them. We don’t have a big, physical defensive line. We made some adjustments at halftime and put some different kids on the field. I thought we played a lot better defensively in the second half as far as slowing them down. Defensively, we’re proud they came back in the second half and played a lot better.”
The one-sided third quarter gave the hosts a comfortable 27-point cushion heading into the final frame.
“I thought our offense really did a great job in the second half,” Roderique added. “You have to be able to possess the ball and put it in the end zone. I was proud of our guys on the offensive side for doing that.”
Winners of 11 straight games, the Cardinals are in the semifinals for the fourth straight year and the 12th time in 13 years.
“We’ve been so blessed here,” Roderique said. “I’m just proud of our kids. When you get to this point, you start thinking about where you were at the start of the season. You want to improve every week. That’s something we preach. Just to go from where we were in Week 1 to where we are now is a big difference. I’m proud of our kids and our coaches for staying the course and continuing to work.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City racked up 270 yards on 37 plays, with 214 rushing and 56 passing.
Senior running back Devrin Weathers ran 16 times for 112 yards with three touchdowns, while junior Dupree Jackson added 107 rushing yards on nine carries with two scores.
Quarterback Cole Gayman completed 4-of-7 passes, with Cohl Vaden, Mekhi Garrard, Gary Clinton and Weathers hauling in one pass apiece.
Treghan Parker and Brayden Hollingsworth made 10 tackles apiece. Goddard, Christian Kinney and Zetthew Meister all recovered fumbles, while Parker, Goddard and Cale Stephens all had interceptions.
Utilizing a ground and pound running attack, the Yellowjackets recorded 290 yards on 78 plays, with 280 rushing and 10 passing. Drew McBride ran 29 times for 103 yards, while Nathan Bartell had nine carries for 69 yards.
Lebanon lost three fumbles and threw three interceptions.
“That was the difference in the game,” Roderique said. “Any time you get that many turnovers you’re going to have a chance to be successful. That was a huge difference in the game for sure.”
GAME RECAP
In the first meeting between the schools since 1999, Lebanon put together a 16-play drive to start the night, all short gains on the ground. But the promising series, which lasted 8 minutes and 15 seconds, ended when McBride fumbled in the end zone, with Goddard recovering.
After the Cardinals were forced to punt, the Yellowjackets fumbled on the first play of the ensuing drive, with Kinney recovering.
Two plays later, Weathers sprinted 31 yards to the end zone, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.
A 1-yard touchdown plunge by Weathers finished off a seven-play, 75-yard drive and made it 14-0 with 10:31 left in the first half. A 29-yard pass from Gayman to Vaden and a 25-yard scamper by Weathers set up the touchdown.
The Yellowjackets struck late in the first half, aided by a pass interference call on the Cardinals that kept the drive going.
Lebanon got on the board with 1:09 left in the first half on McBride’s 2-yard run and a two-point conversion, cutting the hosts’ lead to 14-8.
The Yellowjackets recovered an onside kick and threatened to score, but Webb City’s Parker picked off a pass.
In a key play that ended the first half, Gayman lost the ball, Lebanon lineman Garrett Childers recovered and took off. After scampering more than 40 yards, Childers was tackled from behind by a sprinting Jackson just outside the end zone, preserving a 14-8 halftime advantage.
“That was the play of the year for us,” Roderique said. “The whole complexion of the game could have changed on that one play.”
In the first half, Lebanon ran 47 plays, while Webb City ran just 14.
The Cardinals pulled away for good in the game-changing third quarter.
Jackson’s 38-yard run made it 21-7. After another Lebanon turnover, Weathers reached the end zone for the third time on a 2-yard run, giving the Cardinals a 20-point lead with 5:17 remaining in the third period.
Next, Goddard’s pick-6 pushed Webb City’s lead to 35-8. Goddard sprinted 24 yards to the end zone after the interception.
Lebanon’s final score came with 7:28 left, as Bartell charged in from 5-yards out.
Webb City’s Jackson recorded a 4-yard touchdown run with 4:58 remaining for the final margin.
The Yellowjackets finished the season with a 7-4 record.
REMATCH IS SET
Platte County defeated Grain Valley 31-28.
Webb City defeated Platte County 48-0 in last year’s Class 4 title game. Now, the rematch will determine who plays for the Class 5 crown.
“It means everything,” Goddard said of being back in the semifinals. “This is where you want to be every year. We have a great opportunity.”
CLASS 5 QUARTERFINAL
WEBB CITY 42, LEBANON 14
Scoring Summary
Lebanon 0 8 0 6—14
Webb City 7 7 21 7—42
First Quarter
WC: Devrin Weathers 31 run (Cameron Clark kick)
Second Quarter
WC: Weathers 1 run (Clark kick)
LEB: Drew McBride 2 run (Cordell Zebel pass from Peyton Mitchell)
Third Quarter
WC: Dupree Jackson 38 run (Clark kick)
WC: Weathers 2 run (Clark kick)
WC: Eli Goddard 24 INT return (Clark kick)
Fourth Quarter
LEB: Nathan Bartell 5 run (Run failed)
WC: Jackson 4 run (Clark kick)
FRIDAY’S CLASS 5 QUARTERFINALS
Jackson 63, Chaminade 22
Fort Zumwalt North 35, Battle 14
Webb City 42, Lebanon 14
Platte County 31, Grain Valley 28
SEMIFINALS
Jackson at Fort Zumwalt North
Platte County at Webb City
