WEBB CITY, Mo. — A dominant third quarter propelled Webb City to a convincing 56-14 win over Branson on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
On Senior Night, Webb City was clinging to a two-score lead at halftime.
But the Cardinals took full control with a one-sided third period, outscoring the Pirates 21-0 in the quarter by using big plays on offense and a pair of fourth down stops on defense.
“Coming out of halftime, and getting the ball, the big thing is you want to get points on the board and establish the second half,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “It couldn’t have worked out any better. We scored on the first play of the first drive of the second half and the first play of the second drive. The defense got the ball back for us pretty fast and good things happen when you can do that. We really got the momentum going on our side.”
Ranked sixth in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Webb City concludes the regular season with a record of 6-3.
The defending Class 5 state champion Cardinals have locked up the No. 2 seed for the Class 5 District 6 tournament, which means a first-round bye next Friday.
Roderique noted the importance of the bye week.
“You work on the fundamentals and you start getting some things together on who you might be playing and you go from there,” Roderique said. “Last year was the first bye week we’ve had. And honestly, I thought it was a huge week for us as far as what happened after that.”
GAME RECAP
The regular season finale got off to a stunning start, as the Pirates scored on the first play of the game.
However, the Cardinals responded with three unanswered scores to pull away.
“You always tell the kids that one play isn’t going to define the game,” Roderique said of Branson’s early score. “I thought our offense did a good job of coming back and going to work. That was a big deal. I think it set the tone for the rest of the game.”
Webb City got on the board on junior running back Omari Jackson’s 3-yard touchdown run.
One play after Colton Gordon recovered a Branson fumble, the Cardinals took the lead for good when senior quarterback Landon Johnson completed a 28-yard touchdown strike to classmate Eli Miller.
Lucas Ott’s pick-six from 20 yards out extended Webb City’s lead to 21-7. On the play, Branson QB Luke McCormick was hit by A.J. Bash as he attempted a pass and Ott was there to grab the ball out of the air and scamper into the end zone.
The Pirates answered with a 46-yard touchdown pass from McCormick to Patrick English before Webb City junior Breckin Galardo scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge, giving the Cardinals a 28-14 lead at the break.
The third quarter was all Webb City.
The hosts wasted little time in extending their lead in the second half. On the first play of the third quarter, Galardo sprinted to a 68-yard touchdown run.
After the Webb City defense forced a turnover on downs, Jackson scored on the following play on a 63-yard sprint.
The Cardinals once again stopped the Pirates on a fourth down and one play, forcing another turnover on downs.
“Those were huge,” Roderique said of the defensive stops. “I thought those were two great defensive plays…two great effort plays. That’s when we started playing complementary football. The defense gets a stop and the offense scores quick. I think that got us some confidence and really got the momentum going on our side.”
Jackson’s 14-yard run touchdown run made it 49-14 late in the third period, putting a final exclamation point on a lopsided quarter.
Ethan Baird’s 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter accounted for the final score.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Webb City finished with 421 yards, with 344 on the ground and 77 through the air.
Galardo ran for 153 yards on just nine carries, while Jackson finished with 100 rushing yards on six carries.
Christian Brock finished with seven tackles, while McQuade Eilenstein had six and Kaylor Darnell and Ott recorded five stops apiece.
Branson finished with 214 yards of total offense, 158 rushing and 56 passing. Cade Grimm ran eight times for 109 yards.
WHAT’S NEXT?
After a week off, Webb City will host a district semifinal on Nov. 4 against an opponent to be determined (likely Republic or Parkview).
FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)
