WEBB CITY, Mo. — In a coaching career that’s featured countless accolades, John Roderique added another item to his already-impressive resume on Friday night.
The hall of fame coach of the Webb City football program, Roderique earned victory No. 300 as his Cardinals rolled past Republic 56-20 in Central Ozark Conference action inside Cardinal Stadium.
“All I can do is think about all the guys that have come through this program,” Roderique said. “And all the parents, the administration and all the teachers. And the No. 1 thing, I think about all the great coaches we’ve had in this program. I think it’s more about the program than what I did. I’m just the one who’s been the head coach. I’m just so thankful. I’m really blessed to have the guys in this program, the coaches and players, and all the support we’ve had.”
Roderique, who has led Webb City to 12 state championships, 21 straight district titles and 10 undefeated seasons, admitted he became emotional when he was recognized with a standing ovation after the milestone victory was official.
“I figured if I looked up in the crowd I’d start bawling like a baby so I tried not to look up too much,” Roderique said.
Roderique’s first coaching victory at his alma mater came in Week 1 of the 1997 season, a 28-14 win over Branson. He’s now 300-29 overall.
As far as the game, Webb City used a fast start and a solid overall performance to hand Republic its first loss of the 2021 campaign.
The Cardinals scored 28 unanswered points to start the game and held a comfortable 49-6 lead early in the second half en route to the lopsided win.
“Our coaches did a great job getting our kids set up and prepared to play this week from an Xs and Os standpoint, but also mentally,” Roderique said. “Our defense set the tone. To be able to stop them right away, get the ball back and go to work, it couldn’t have been scripted any better for us.”
Ranked second in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Webb City improved to 2-1 with what was clearly the team’s best showing of the season.
“Clearly, this is the best we’ve played,” Roderique said. “We had a sense our guys were mentally ready to play. You could tell they were locked in and ready to play. It’s been a good week. We needed to see who we are. We felt like we hadn’t shown who we are yet. Hopefully this is a glimpse of the type of team we can be.”
The hosts led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 42-6 at intermission.
Webb City senior running back Cade Wilson sprinted to a 39-yard touchdown run on the fifth play of Webb City’s opening drive.
Dupree Jackson’s 11-yard touchdown and the ensuing 2-point conversion by Eric Fitch gave Webb City a 14-0 lead with 1:02 remaining in the opening quarter.
Jackson broke free for a 76-yard touchdown sprint early in the second quarter before adding a 35-yard scamper one series later, the third score of the night for the senior running back.
Republic’s Avery Moody plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard QB keeper with 2:42 left in the first half.
The hosts responded on their next drive, as senior QB Cohl Vaden connected with William Hayes for a 41-yard touchdown strike, giving the Cardinals a 35-6 advantage.
Just before the half, Vaden found Trey Roets open over the middle for a 24-yard touchdown. That made it 42-6 at halftime. The Cardinals had nearly 300 yards of offense in the first half alone.
In the third quarter, Wilson (41 yards) and Vaden (1-yard) both had touchdown runs for the Cardinals, while Moody found the end zone for the visitors.
Republic’s Kanon Krol scored on a 2-yard run with just over seven minutes remaining in the game for the final margin.
Republic was coming off wins over Neosho and Willard, but the Tigers were unable to move the football successfully for most of the night. The Tigers punted four times, lost a fumble and had a turnover on downs in the first half.
“I’m really proud of our defense for setting the tone and for setting our offense up,” Roderique said.
Webb City is now 22-0 all-time against Republic in football.
Webb City finished with 427 yards of offense, 362 rushing and 65 passing.
Jackson ran for 161 yards on 10 carries, while Wilson had 105 yards on just six carries. Max Stovern contributed 81 yards on five carries.
Republic had 225 yards of offense, 168 rushing and 57 passing.
In what will be a highly-anticipated Week 4 showdown, Webb City (2-1) travels to rival Carthage (3-0) next Friday night.
WEBB CITY 56, REPUBLIC 20
Webb City 14 28 14 0 — 56
Republic 0 6 6 8— 20
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
WC: Cade Wilson 39 run (Run failed)
WC: Dupree Jackson 11 run (Fitch run)
Second Quarter
WC: Jackson 76 run (Cooper Crouch kick)
WC: Jackson 35 run (Crouch kick)
REP: Avery Moody 1 run (Kick blocked)
WC: William Hayes 41 pass from Cohl Vaden (Crouch kick)
WC: Trey Roets 24 pass from Vaden (Crouch kick)
Third Quarter
WC: Wilson 41 run (Crouch kick)
REP: Moody 2 run (Run failed)
WC: Vaden 1 run (Crouch kick)
Fourth Quarter
REP: Kanon Krol 2 run (Moody run)
