Speaking with Carthage coach Jon Guidie leading up to his team’s playoff matchup with Branson, he was aware of the possibility the Tigers might come out a little rusty after earning a first-round bye in the district playoffs.
Though the final score may not show it, the Tigers and Pirates were in a dogfight before Carthage pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 55-35 win. The Tigers had a pair of turnovers in the first half, which eventually turned into two touchdowns for the Pirates, but held a 28-21 lead by the intermission. After both teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the third, Carthage scored 13 unanswered in the final frame to seal the win.
“I didn’t think we played as well as we could have, or should have, and if you ask the kids, I think they will tell you the same,” Guidie said. “You go back and watch the film, and we just made way too many mistakes. A lot of it was effort and mental mistakes, things that I think we can fix.
“That is what has been frustrating, but also pleasing. We’ve had to overcome some things. You are frustrated because we are making those mistakes, turning the ball over early on, and then we would come out, put it together and overcome those things. This late in the season, we don’t want to be making those same mistakes.
“I think the kids, for the most part, understand why it is frustrating to coaches when we put a game plan together, practice it all week and then don’t go out and execute it as well as we want. Every team, starting now, is going to be better than the last one we faced. So, you can’t be making those same mistakes. We’ve been happy to overcome them, but it’s going to get tougher and tougher.”
Carthage quarterback Patrick Carlton led the way with six total touchdowns in the win. He was 8-for-9 passing for 155 yards and three scores, while carrying the ball a team-high 20 times for 101 yards and three more touchdowns. Running back Luke Gall added 16 carries for 135 yards, a touchdown and a fumble, while WR Justin Sneed caught two passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Rylee Baker added two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.
While the team may not have been satisfied with its performance in the playoff opener against Branson, in the end, Carthage did earn the win in somewhat convincing fashion to advance to the district finals.
“In the second half, we made a couple of adjustments offensively and hit a quick one, had a pick and scored again,” Guidie said. “Those two really quick ones felt like it swung the momentum in our favor, but we didn’t keep it. It felt like we lost it there again in the second half. We just couldn’t get out of our own way. We just kept plugging along offensively and kept that lead. Fortunately, it was enough.”
In the Class 5 District 6 finals, it is a matchup much of the area couldn’t wait to see in the regular season—the reigning Class 4 state champion Webb City Cardinals taking on the reigning Class 5 state champion Tigers. Unfortunately, COVID protocols prevented it from happening, as Carthage was forced to pull out of its Week 4 matchup with 25 players forced into quarantine.
“It was tough on everyone—the kids, the coaches and the community,” Guidie said. “To have those kids quarantined, and not being able to practice all week, it was tough on all of us.
“Certainly, with the players, that is a huge game for them. They wanted to go out and compete. Missing that opportunity, especially for the seniors, it was tough on them. But, here we are, we’ve stayed the course and now we get that opportunity.”
As previously stated, this is no ordinary district finals matchup. Aside from both teams being reigning state champions, Carthage (9-0) and Webb City (9-1) are also the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Class 5, according to the Missouri Media football rankings. The production has not dipped from either team in its quest to repeat as state champions.
“Just basing it on this year alone, this feels like two heavyweights going to battle,” Guidie said. “(Webb City) is really impressive again this year. You can see their improvement from Week 1 to now. They are very athletic, fast and physical, and they are playing at a really high level. I think we are, too. I think we have made strides since the start, and we have had to deal with injuries and overcoming those types of things, and I think it has made us better. We have become more cohesive as a unit, allowing us to rely on each other in those tough times.”
Webb City is coming into the game averaging 41.5 points per game on offense, while allowing 14.1 points of defense. Carthage is scoring 40.8 points per game, allowing 17.1 on defense.
“You have to be disciplined against them,” Guidie said of the team’s keys on defense. “I think that is where you get in trouble. If you are not disciplined with your eyes and with your fits, that’s when they take advantage of you. That’s what we addressed every day in the practice this week.”
“They have been really good,” Guidie said about his offensive line and their importance to the offense. “They are playing at a really high level. It seems like every week, we always go back and put it on our offensive linemen, ‘If you guys can go out and have a great game, we have a chance.’ Those guys accept it every week and know how important they are. I would put our tight ends in that conversation as well.”
Of course, the biggest difference between the matchup scheduled for Week 4 and the district finals is the location. Week 4 was scheduled to be played in Webb City, while this week will be played at David Haffner Stadium.
“We are very excited and very much looking forward to it,” Guide said. “We hope we can perform well for our community. It is going to be a huge atmosphere. There is going to be a huge crowd, and hopefully it will be a good football game.”
