Joplin quarterback Always Wright accounted for five total touchdowns while the JHS defense allowed a single score in four quarters to lead the Class 6 third-ranked Eagles past Willard 56-7 on Friday at Junge Field.
“We enjoy being around each other, and not just the coaches or players but the whole group,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said when asked about the chemistry his football team is showing this year. “They are a loose group for sure. There are times I scratch my head, but I enjoy every second I am with them. I am going to relish it.”
Joplin’s offense totaled 459 yards on the way to eight total touchdowns, while the Eagles’ defense limited Willard to 96 total yards of offense and forced the Tigers to punt six times.
“They came out and ran some stuff that they hadn’t shown on film and I thought we did a good job lining up to it, understanding our assignments and tackling well,” Jasper said. “Both sides of the ball are playing off each other well. … The guys are executing well (on offense). … It is nice to have all of those chess pieces.”
The win pushes Joplin to 5-0 on the season, while the loss sends Willard to 0-5. Joplin is in a tie atop the Central Ozark Conference with Carthage (5-0), while also holding the second ranking in Class 6 District 3 with 43.34 points. Lee’s Summit North (5-0) is first in the district rankings with 45.91 points.
GAME ACTION
After a quick series on defense that ended in a three-and-out for the Tigers, Joplin’s offense took over at their own 49 and needed just three plays to find the end zone in less than 1:30 of game action.
Wright had all day in the pocket to throw on first down before finding WR Terrance Gibson up the middle for a 42-yard completion down to the 9. After an 8-yard run to the 1 by WR Bruce Wilbert, RB Quinton Renfro carried the ball across the goal line for a score.
“They are our backbone,” Wright said about Joplin’s play on defense. “They are playing great right now.”
Willard got near midfield on the ensuing drive before being forced to punt, with Wilbert returning the ball 50 yards to the Tigers’ 28. On the ensuing Joplin drive, Wright scrambled right on third-and-long and took it to the house, breaking multiple tackles at the goal line, for a 26-yard touchdown to push the lead to 14-0 with 4:24 left in the opening quarter.
Willard got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, aided by a couple of penalties by Joplin, when Owen Bushnell scored from 2 yards out to make the score 14-7 with 10:02 left in the first half.
Joplin answered quickly as Wright, who bought enough time floating around the pocket to smoke a brisket, heaved the ball downfield on third down to Gibson, who went over a nearby defender before taking it to the house for a 77-yard touchdown to make the score 21-7 with 8:15 to play in the first half.
“I could have eaten a bowl of cereal back there real quick,” Wright said with a laugh. “Without my offensive line, a lot of these plays don’t happen. I love those guys to death. … I knew I could trust Terrance to go deep. He’s a big receiver, so I know I have a lot of room to throw it up to him and let him go and get it.”
“It was kind of crazy because I didn’t think he was going to make that throw,” Gibson said. “The play got busted so I just ran deep, cut him and cut again and Always just threw it high enough to where I could get it.”
Wright added his third touchdown of the game on the following Joplin drive, scrambling right for 16 yards for a score to push the lead to 28-7 with time dwindling in the second quarter.
The Eagles didn’t slow down in the second half, as Joplin marched down the field on the opening drive before Wright found tight end LT Atherton for a 9-yard touchdown on third-and-goal to make the score 35-7.
After a Tiger punt, the fifth of the game to that point, Wright broke loose on the ground again for a 52-yard rushing score to push the lead to 42-7 and start the running clock.
Chavis Coleman added a 5-yard rushing touchdown with 6:49 to play before Kaden Gilmore scored from 12 yards out to wrap the scoring for the Eagles.
STATS
Wright completed 12-of-15 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball four times for 95 yards and three touchdowns.
“I thought our offensive line did a great job of protecting him and he did a really good job of moving around in the pocket,” Jasper said of his quarterback. “He didn’t force anything. … We have seen defenses try to do two different things—try to cover well and force him to pull it down and tackle him, or bring people on every play and try to get the ball out of his hands. I think Always handles both pretty well.”
Gibson caught two passes for 118 yards and a score, while Atherton caught two passes for 21 years and a touchdown. Drew VanGilder rushed seven times for 69 yards, while Renfro added nine carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.
UP NEXT
Joplin hits the road for a matchup with Republic (3-2) on Friday.
