CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Joplin’s first three-game skid in the Curtis Jasper era didn’t reach four games as the Eagles got back on track against Carl Junction with a 37-13 win over the Bulldogs on Friday at Bulldog Stadium.
Joplin (4-3) scored on its first three possessions of the first half to build a 20-7 lead over Carl Junction (1-6) by the intermission. The Eagles’ defense held the Bulldogs’ offense off the scoreboard in the second half as the Joplin offense held the pace to get back into the win column.
“I just felt like our preparation during this week in practice—and really our demeanor as a whole—was better,” Jasper said after his team’s win. “The guys made a concerted effort to do the little things much better this week. They wanted this streak to end and they made it happen. All the credit to them.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Joplin took the opening possession and marched down the field before RB Quin Renfro broke a pair of tackles on the way to a 5-yard touchdown run on second-and-goal for a 7-0 lead with 7:50 on the clock in the first quarter.
Carl Junction converted on third and fourth down several times while orchestrating a methodical drive in response that culminated in RB Johnny Starks finding the end zone from 3 yards out to cap a 16-play drive that ate up the last seven-plus minutes of the first quarter and the first several minutes of the second period, tying the game at 7-7 early in the second period.
“I thought early on when our kids were full of energy, we were getting off the ball and picking up their blitzes,” Carl Junction coach Todd Hafner said of his team’s opening drive. “As the game went on, we just weren’t doing those things. Once the blitzes started working, they started doing them more and we just weren’t picking them up.
“I think maybe, as the head coach and play caller, maybe we’re doing a little too much. We might need to dial it back and get back to the basics a little bit. We will look at it and see where we are at, and hopefully we will put our kids in a better spot to be successful.”
Joplin struck for the big play on the ensuing possession when WR Davin Thomas took the touch pass around the end, made a move outside before cutting back inside away from would-be tacklers on the way to a 36-yard touchdown with 6:37 left in the first half.
After a CJ punt on the Bulldogs’ second possession, the Eagles went back to work on offense, going to the air early with a 20-yard completion from QB Hobbs Gooch to WR Aidan Sampson and a 10-yard reception from Gooch to Thomas. The drive ultimately ended on the ground when Renfro crossed the goal line from 10 yards out with 2:12 left in the second period for a 20-7 lead.
Joplin and Carl Junction traded turnovers before the end of the half when Carl Junction QB Dexter Merrell was picked off in plus territory by Joplin DB Chavis Coleman before Gooch was picked off by Starks on the very next play to give the Bulldogs the ball near midfield with less than a minute to play.
The Bulldogs were supposed to have the first possession of the second half, but the Eagles recovered a squib kick to start the third quarter to give Joplin the ball at the CJHS 35-yard line.
Joplin turned the extra possession into three points after kicker Toby Ipsen converted from 35 yards out to push the lead to 23-7 with 8:11 left in the third quarter.
“I thought special teams were huge tonight,” Jasper said. “Not only getting the squib kick and the field goal, but CJ has come up huge on special teams, especially Starks, who has six blocked kicks this year. … I thought we did a good job of covering well.”
Joplin’s second turnover of the game came late in the third quarter with the Eagles in plus territory when the snap went through Gooch’s hands, with CJ’s Starks picking up the loose ball and sprinting to the end zone for a 65-yard scoop-and-score touchdown to trim JHS’ lead to 23-13 with less than four minutes on the clock.
“The kid is amazing,” Hafner said of Starks. “He is an outstanding football player. And that is what he is—a football player. That play gave our whole team a shot in the arm. The plays that he’s made like blocking kicks and punts earlier in the season as well as the plays he makes on a weekly basis are amazing. He is just a great football player.”
Joplin atoned for the giveaway on the next drive, though,punching it in when Gooch found Renfro for a 6-yard touchdown reception with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter to push the lead up to 30-13.
“Credit to the kids there,” Jasper said. “They still want to have a really good year, and for us to do that, they knew they needed to answer back right away and they did that.”
Joplin and Carl Junction again traded turnovers early in the fourth quarter when Gooch was intercepted on a tipped pass before Merrell was picked off on a deep ball on the next play by DB Cordell Washington.
“Outside of that first drive, I thought we did a really good job of tackling,” Jasper said of his defense pitching a second-half shutout. “The defense did a good job of responding, flying to the football and causing turnovers. They really played well.”
Joplin put the game out of reach when Thomas caught a pass from Gooch in the flat and crossed the goal line for a 3-yard touchdown to make the score 37-13 with 8:14 left in regulation.
BY THE NUMBERS
Joplin gained 465 yards of offense on 59 plays (7.9 yards per play), with 276 of those yards coming on the ground. Gooch completed 13-of-18 passes for 189 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing three times for 15 yards and a fumble. Renfro rushed 25 times for 187 yards and scored three total touchdowns (one receiving), while Thomas caught eight passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Jones rushed nine times for 57 yards.
Carl Junction, which won the turnover battle 3-2, gained 199 yards off offense on 49 plays (4.1 YPP). Merrell completed 9-of-18 passes for 106 yards and two interceptions, while carrying the ball 15 times for 33 yards. Starks had six carries for 27 yards and two total touchdowns (one defensive).
UP NEXT
Joplin hosts Carthage in Week 8.
Carl Junction is at Willard in Week 8.
