WEBB CITY, Mo. — On a Friday night where defensive stops were at a premium, Webb City upended Ozark 63-48 in a Central Ozark Conference shootout inside Cardinal Stadium.
“We won the game, but I don’t feel good about giving up 48 points,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “You play to try to win games and fortunately we had more than 48 tonight.”
The Cardinals, who improved to 5-3, recognized their seniors before the game.
Webb City scored 19 unanswered points in the first quarter before the two teams combined to put up 92 points in the final three frames.
“Senior Night is always special,” Roderique said. “I thought we came out with a lot of energy and excitement. Offensively, we hit some quick scores early in the game. Defensively, we shut them down early in the game. So I was really pleased with that. Then it was just trading scores back and forth. We still have to get better.”
NAMES & NUMBERS
Ranked fifth in Class 5, Webb City had 539 yards of offense, with 397 on the ground and 142 through the air.
Senior Cade Wilson led Webb City’s running attack with 205 yards on 13 carries with four touchdowns. Fellow senior Dupree Jackson added 138 yards on 13 carries with three scores.
Landon Johnson completed 6 of 8 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dante Washington caught two passes for 74 yards and a TD.
Washington also had three kick returns for 152 yards.
Senior linebacker Cooper Crouch was credited with 16 tackles with two sacks.
Ozark (2-6) recorded 546 yards of offense, with 318 passing and 228 rushing.
Jace Easley had 78 rushing yards and Jack Bowers added 62 for the Tigers.
Brady Dodd completed 16 of 19 passes with three touchdowns and also ran for three scores. Easley had 102 receiving yards.
Ozark ran 70 plays to Webb City’s 44.
GAME RECAP
On the first play from scrimmage, Wilson sprinted 65 yards to the end zone. Wilson’s 3-yard scamper made it 12-0 with 7:53 left in the first period.
Webb City’s third drive ended when Wilson sprinted 57 yards to the house, as his third touchdown and Crouch’s PAT kick made it 19-0.
Ozark got on the board early in the second quarter, but the Cardinals answered immediately, as Jackson broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers responded with a pair of scores, a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jace Whately and a 3-yard QB keeper by Dodd.
That trimmed Webb City’s lead to 25-21 with 2:14 left in the second quarter.
Wilson’s fourth TD of the night, a 15-yard run, followed by a two-point conversion, gave Webb City a 33-21 advantage at the conclusion of the high-scoring opening half.
The second half was nearly even, as both teams had two scores apiece in both the third and fourth quarters.
Webb City’s third quarter scores came on a 20-yard pass to Jonah Spieker and 1-yard run by Jackson.
The Cardinals led 49-35 entering the fourth quarter, but the Tigers pulled within seven with 9:30 remaining on a QB keeper from Dodd.
The hosts put the game away with a pair of unanswered touchdowns. Jackson scored on a 5-yard run and Washington hauled in a 39-yard pass from Johnson, extending Webb City’s lead to 63-42 with just 2:26 left on the clock.
Ozark’s Easley caught a 20-yard TD reception with 1:15 remaining for the final margin.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City ends the regular season at Willard (0-8) next Friday.
WEBB CITY 63, OZARK 48
Ozark 0 21 14 13 — 48
Webb City 19 14 16 14 — 63
SCORING SUMMARY
WC: Cade Wilson 65 run (Kick failed)
WC: Wilson 3 run (Kick failed)
WC: Wilson 57 run (Cooper Crouch kick)
OZ: Jake Beets 3 run (Jace Easley kick)
WC: Dupree Jackson 46 run (Kick failed)
OZ: Jace Whately 20 pass from Brady Dodd (Easley kick)
OZ: Brady Dodd 3 run (Easley kick)
WC: Wilson 15 run (Jackson run)
OZ: Will Scheer 39 pass from Dodd (Easley kick)
WC: Jonah Spieker 20 pass from Johnson (Pass to Trey Roets)
OZ: Dodd 1 run (Easley kick)
WC: Jackson 1 run (Pass to Kaden Turner)
OZ: Dodd 1 run (Easley kick)
WC: Jackson 5 run (Washington kick)
WC: Washington 39 pass from Johnson (Washington kick)
OZ: Easley 20 pass from Dodd (Pass failed)
1 thought on “PREP FOOTBALL: Webb City upends Ozark on Senior Night”
That Bowers kid ran on a broken foot that whole game! I feel as if Ozark had this game if defense hadn’t let up as many 1st quarter scores.