This is the seventh straight bye week to start a postseason for Carthage, giving the Tigers’ coaching staff a firm handle on how to use the extra time off as they prepare the team for the Class 5 District 6 semifinals.
“I thought it was productive,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “We gave them a couple of days off and then hit it hard the other three. We really just focused on ourselves and got back to some fundamentals, trying to improve on some things we needed to improve on.
“We are kind of used to it and know what we are doing here. We were beat up a little bit at the end of the regular season following that Nixa game. It did give us an opportunity to heal up and shift gears a little bit from season one to season two, and that’s how we approached it.”
The Tigers earned that bye week and the top seed in the district after following up their Class 5 state title from a year ago with an 8-0 regular season. Of course, the unblemished regular season wasn’t a task accomplished easily. Aside from the adversity on the field, Carthage also dealt with it off of the gridiron. The Tigers were unable to take the field for their scheduled matchup with Webb City in Week 4 of the season because a large number of players were in isolation due to COVID-19 protocols.
“I am very proud of the kids with all of the uncertainty coming in and the different challenges COVID presented,” Guidie said. “They did everything we asked them to do. We had that one week where 25 kids were quarantined. A lot of that, in large part, was anything they did. They were just sitting by someone who tested positive in school, where they simply could not help the situation.
“Overall, I am really pleased with how these guys have handled everything, including the pressure of coming off the state title game last year. You never know how kids are going to act when they are on top of the mountain and everybody else is trying to get there. I was really pleased and happy with how they handled themselves.”
Carthage graduated a lot of experience following last season’s surge to a state title. But there is plenty of experience back from that run as well, which has been instrumental for the Tigers in terms of trying to repeat that success. With a group of players who largely have big-game experience, including rallying back for wins against Carl Junction and Nixa this season, the leadership for Carthage has been second to none.
“I think (that experience) is huge,” Guidie said. “Our kids have been there and done that. They have played in many big games, including the biggest game.”
The Tigers’ first step to getting back to the state title game starts with a district semifinal matchup against COC-rival Branson. The Tigers defeated the Pirates in Week 5 33-10 in their first game back from the COVID postponement with Webb City. While the final score alone is enough to say it was a good win, the fact Carthage wasn’t able to get back on the field for practice until the Thursday before the game made it even more impressive.
“We were really basic offensively because we didn’t want to overwhelm them with anything,” Guidie said. “But as long as your defense plays well, then you have a chance. And I thought we had some kids really step up defensively in that game.”
And while you might think it is easier for a coach to prepare for a team the second time around in the same season, especially after such a convincing win, you’d be mistaken.
“If you win, it’s a lot more difficult,” Guidie said with a laugh. “If you lose, you are able to see what you did wrong and make adjustments. It’s definitely a challenge, and I don’t think anyone likes playing a team twice. But you have to go back, look at things you did well and anticipate things that they’re gonna change on their end that we are going to have to deal with.”
In the loss, Branson, averaging more than 30 points a game on offence over the last month of play, was led by Cristian Berumen’s 117 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts. Brady Blackwell added three receptions for 44 yards.
“Branson is very good at what they do,” Guidie said. “They have veteran offensive line and big, physical kids. They have several athletes. … They do some nice things offensively.
“They are really explosive and love the big play. You have to have good eye discipline and be able to communicate what you see.”
Carthage, gaining 344 yards of offense, was led by Luke Gall’s 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns, with Patrick Carlton adding 128 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
“They blitz more than anyone else in our conference,” Guidie noted about Branson’s defense. “They are at least 70 percent, maybe more, in their blitz. You have to be really good up front. That was another area I felt good about after playing them on one day of practice—I thought we did a really good job of picking that stuff up.”
The key for the Tigers’ offense particularly will be communication in handling the blitz.
“You have to protect the quarterback, but you also have to be solid in the run schemes as well when they bring the blitz,” Guidie said. “Otherwise, you are going to end up with negative-yardage plays, and that is not a recipe for us. We don’t want to get behind the sticks and play catch-up that way.”
For the Tigers, who are looking to make a repeat run at the Class 5 state title, it all starts with getting off to a strong start to set the tone. That starts with making sure they are playing sound football against the Pirates.
“I think it will be big,” Guidie said. “You definitely don’t want to change who you are when you have had some success. It will be big to continue to try and run the football, hit some play-actions and play solid defense. … You want to come out and be really sharp off the bat. It will be big to establish what you want to do early.”
