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PREP FOOTBALL: Short-handed Joplin wins district opener against Lee’s Summit in double overtime

By:
Lucas Davis

Despite playing severely short-handed, second-seeded Joplin overcame the adversity on the way to a 24-21 win over seventh-seeded Lee’s Summit in double overtime in the Class 6 District 3 opener on Friday at Junge Field.

Joplin held 15 players out of the district opener for disciplinary reasons, including seven starters who predominantly played on offense, but the Eagles used a true next-man up mentality in order to earn the win.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said after the win. “It speaks to the offseason and how hard the guys worked and in-season with how hard they practiced to be able to have that many players step up when it was their time.”

ON THE HORIZON

With the win, Joplin advances to the district semifinals with a matchup against third-seeded Nixa at Junge Field on Friday.

GAME SUMMARY

After a scoreless first quarter, Joplin took possession at its own 1-yard line following a punt from Lee’s Summit and fumbled at the goal line on the first play of the drive with Lee’s Summit’s David Wang falling on it in the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 7-0 with 11:16 on the clock in the second period.

It didn’t take long for Joplin to respond, as Donovyn Fowler returned the ensuing kickoff to the house to a 97-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:06 left in the first half.

Joplin DB Donovyn Fowler returns a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in the Eagles’ win over Lee’s Summit on Friday in the opening round of district play. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“I cannot explain how important that kickoff return was, especially with how short-handed we were on offense,” Jasper said. “Donovyn is a Division I athlete in track, and he definitely showed his speed there.”

Joplin took its first lead of the game with five minutes left in the first half after Hobbs Gooch, starting at quarterback for Always Wright, found Terrance Gibson in stride in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-7.

“I’ll have Terrance again next season, and just building that chemistry with him—he is a great player,” Gooch said about relying on Gibson in the passing game. “We just connected tonight.”

Lee’s Summit quarterback Alex Benassi picked up enough yards to move the chains on third-down-and-6 of the following drive before fumbling the ball over to Joplin, with Joe Jasper recovering it.

Joplin made the most of the turnover, with Gooch finding Gibson over the middle for a 4-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the first half to give the Eagles a 21-7 lead into the locker room. 

“He did everything we asked him to do,” Jasper said of Gooch stepping in at quarterback. “He is super coachable and a great young man. I couldn’t be happier for him and what he was able to do tonight.”

“Terrance came up huge in the first half,” Jasper added about his top wideout in the win. “In the second half, they were having to double coverage him the entire time, which pulled a guy out of the box and allowed Drew (VanGilder) to get a few more yards here and there. Terrance was huge.”

After Joplin punted the opening possession of the second half, Lee’s Summit’s Landon Shepard hauled in a tipped pass for a 73-yard touchdown to trim the Eagles’ lead to 21-14 with 7:36 to play in the third quarter.

Lee’s Summit scored the game-tying touchdown with 5:07 left in regulation when Benassi found Devin Andrews in the far flat, with Andrews taking the ball to paydirt to tie the game at 21-all.

Joplin quarterback Hobbs Gooch eyes running room in the Eagles’ win over Lee’s Summit in the Class 6 District 3 opener on Friday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

In the first overtime with both teams getting a possession from the 25-yard line, Joplin took the ball first and fumbled the ball over to Lee’s Summit on the third play from scrimmage. The Tigers took the next possession and missed a potential game-winning field goal from 33 yards out.

Joplin took possession first in the second overtime, with place kicker Joseph Ipsen converting from 28-yards out on fourth down to give the Eagles a 24-21 advantage.

“That man is amazing,” VanGilder said of Ipsen. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without him. He has really stepped up a lot for us.”

Joplin’s defense stiffened up in return, forcing an incomplete pass on a fourth-down heave into the end zone to preserve the win.

“All of the guys who had to step up came together, and we just played our hearts out,” Gooch said. “We worked together as a team and won as a team.”

STATS

Gooch was 8-for-16 passing for 92 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in the win, while Gibson caught three passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns for Joplin, which gained 237 yards of offense in the win.

Joplin wideout Terrance Gibson hauls in a touchdown pass during the Eagles’ win over Lee’s Summit. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

VanGilder carried the ball 33 times for 121 yards to lead the Eagles in rushing.

“I think everybody in the stadium knew he was going to get the ball most of the night and he still battled and fought for every inch he could possibly get,” Jasper said of VanGilder. “And all of those inches mattered in the end.”

“I am so glad that using every last bit of my energy was completely worth it,” VanGilder said. “I knew I wasn’t going to make it easy for Lee’s Summit.”

Benassi completed 17-of-22 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns to lead Lee’s Summit, which finished with 306 yards of offense. Andrews carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards and caught four passes for 24 yards and a score. Shepard caught four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.

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