Fourth-seeded Joplin football’s season came to an end after the Eagles fell 56-42 to fifth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar in the Class 6 District 3 quarterfinals on Friday at Junge Field.
The Eagles fell down into a two-touchdown deficit early and were never able to recover and gain the lead. Joplin tied the game up at 14s but ultimately trailed 28-21 by the intermission. The Panthers scored out of the halftime break to push the lead back to two scores and never relinquished the advantage en route to the district-opening win.
“I thought they just made more plays than we did, honestly,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “The playmakers on both teams showed who they were. … They have good players. There is no doubt about that, and they are a well-coached team. I thought it was a pretty even matchup, they just made more plays than we did.”
The Eagles finish the season with a 7-3 record with Joplin graduating 22 seniors from this year’s squad.
“I told the seniors that I enjoyed the heck out of coaching them this year,” Jasper said. “I told them the sun will come up tomorrow and life goes on, all of those cliches, but I just loved being around those kids. They make coaching a joy every single day. It’s truly a blessing and a privilege to be their coach, and not just the seniors but the whole team.”
Ray-Pec improves to 6-4 and advances to the district sectional round with a matchup against Nixa on Friday.
GAME ACTION
Ray-Pec halted Joplin’s opening drive in Panther territory and forced a punt before going to the air early to find success on offense, using a 43-yard reception from QB Zander Dombrowski to WR Jaden Reddell set up a 33-yard touchdown pass from Dombrowski to WR Jaidyn Doss with 8:46 on the clock in first quarter for a 7-0 advantage.
Joplin again drove the ball down into Ray-Pec territory before a block-in-the-back penalty stalled the drive and forced the Eagles to punt again. Dombroski again found success in the air, completing a 41-yard pass to Doss before RB Thomas Fager ripped off a 16-yard rush and followed up with an 8-yard rushing score to push the lead to 14-0 with 1:49 left in the first quarter.
Joplin reached the scoreboard as the clock hit 0.0 in the first quarter on a 61-yard touchdown score on a flip-pass from QB Hobbs Gooch to WR Davin Thomas on the jet sweep to trim the deficit to 14-7.
The Panthers committed the first turnover of the game when a Dombrowski pass over the middle was tipped and picked off by Joplin DB Cordell Washington. The Eagles’ offense took advantage with Gooch finding Thomas over the middle for a 56-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14s with 10:12 to play in the first half.
The Eagles’ defense forced a Panther punt, but JHS muffed the return with Ray-Pec taking over at the Joplin 27-yard line. On third-down of the ensuing possession, the Panthers jumped back on top after Zombrowski kept the ball on an option on the way to a 21-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 21-14 advantage near the midway point of the second quarter.
Joplin tied the game up on its next possession when Gooch hooked up with WR Terrance Gibson for a 40-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-21 with 3:30 left in the first half, but it didn’t last long. Ray-Pec drove back down the field and got into the end zone with 8.4 seconds left in the first half on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Dombrowski to Reddell for a 28-21 advantage into the locker room.
The Panthers took possession first out of the intermission and marched down the field before Dombrowski found Fager on a short pass, with Fager breaking tackles on the way to the sideline and into the end zone on the far side of the field for a 35-21 lead with 8:34 to play in the third quarter.
“We were down one score and for them to get a twofor after scoring on the last possession before the half and then come out and score first is exactly what we like to do,” Jasper said of the momentum swing at the change of the half. “We needed a stop on one of those drives and didn’t get it.”
Joplin answered back when RB Quin Renfro hit the edge for a 38-yard touchdown run with 7:20 on the clock in the third period to make the score 35-28, but once again Ray-Pec responded instantly when Doss returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to push the lead back out to two scores, 42-28, with 6:43 to play in the third quarter.
A 23-yard completion to Gibson set up a 3-yard touchdown for Renfro with 3:02 left in the third to trim Joplin’s lead to 42-35 before Ray-Pec used a 9-yard pass from Dombroski to Reddell for a touchdown to kick the lead to 49-35 with 11:43 left in regulation.
Dombroski added a late touchdown from 12 yards out to seal the win for the Panthers with 2:27 left.
Joplin got on the scoreboard for the final time this season when Gooch completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Thomas.
STATS
Ray-Pec gained 543 yards of offense on 61 plays with Dombroski completing 18-of-23 passes for 308 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He also added 86 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Fager carried the ball 23 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Doss caught eight passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, while Redell hauled in six passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
Joplin picked up 532 yards of offense on 60 plays with Gooch completing 16-of-25 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns. Renfro gained 205 yards on 28 carries, while Thomas caught nine passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Gibson caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
