OZARK, Mo. — After being held to two scores in the first half, Webb City erupted for 41 points after the break en route to a 55-40 Central Ozark Conference victory over Ozark on Friday night.
Ranked fifth in Class 5, Webb City improved to 3-2. Class 6 Ozark fell to 1-4.
The Cardinals had three costly turnovers in the first half, and the game was deadlocked at 14 at intermission.
Ozark went up 20-14 before Webb City took the lead for good with 20 unanswered points. The two teams combined for 67 second half points in what turned into a shootout.
The Cardinals grabbed the momentum early by recovering an onside kick to begin the night. Eight plays later, senior quarterback Landon Johnson scored on a 4-yard plunge to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.
But the Cardinals lost a fumble on their second drive, with the Tigers recovering on the 6-yard line.
Ozark made the most of the turnover. Two plays after the fumble recovery, Jacob Kronebusch scored on a game-tying 3-yard TD run with 6:14 remaining in the opening frame.
Webb City turned it over again on the next series, as a Johnson pass was picked off near the goal line by the Tigers.
The Cardinals forced a punt, but the Tigers recovered a loose ball after the visitors failed to corral the kick.
A 1-yard run by Brady Dodd gave Ozark a 14-7 lead with 11:16 left in the second quarter.
Max Stovern’s 5-yard touchdown run, along with the PAT kick by Trey Roets, tied the game at 14 with just over two minutes to play in the first half.
After Webb City’s fourth turnover of the night, Ozark took a 20-14 lead in the third quarter after a 26-yard touchdown pass from Dodd to Ethan Sutherland.
Breckin Galardo’s 32-yard touchdown tied the game at 20 with 6:20 remaining in the third period.
Two plays after recovering an Ozark fumble, the Cardinals took the lead for good on Stovern’s 37-yard touchdown sprint.
Webb City extended its lead to 34-20 early in the fourth quarter when Johnson completed a 17-yard touchdown strike to Roets on fourth down.
The Tigers responded on the next series with a long TD pass to Sutherland, trimming Webb City’s lead to seven with 9:31 left.
Galardo broke free for a 75-yard touchdown sprint, but Ozark’s Kronebusch answered with a 61-yard TD on the first play of the ensuing drive to keep it a one-score game.
Stovern’s 10-yard touchdown run gave Webb City a 14-point cushion with 6:52 left before freshman QB Gabe Johnson scored on a 29-yard sprint to extend Webb City’s lead to 55-34.
Ozark’s Sutherland had a 66-yard TD reception with just over three minutes to play for the final margin.
Webb City hosts Willard next Friday night.
