Tag: football

WEBB CITY, Mo. — A dominant third quarter propelled Webb City to a convincing 56-14 win over Branson on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.

On Senior Night, Webb City was clinging to a two-score lead at halftime. 

But the Cardinals took full control with a one-sided third period, outscoring the Pirates 21-0 in the quarter by using big plays on offense and a pair of fourth down stops on defense.

“Coming out of halftime, and getting the ball, the big thing is you want to get points on the board and establish the second half,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “It couldn’t have worked out any better. We scored on the first play of the first drive of the second half and the first play of the second drive. The defense got the ball back for us pretty fast and good things happen when you can do that. We really got the momentum going on our side.”

Ranked sixth in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Webb City concludes the regular season with a record of 6-3.

The defending Class 5 state champion Cardinals have locked up the No. 2 seed for the Class 5 District 6 tournament, which means a first-round bye next Friday.

Roderique noted the importance of the bye week.

“You work on the fundamentals and you start getting some things together on who you might be playing and you go from there,” Roderique said. “Last year was the first bye week we’ve had. And honestly, I thought it was a huge week for us as far as what happened after that.” 

GAME RECAP

The regular season finale got off to a stunning start, as the Pirates scored on the first play of the game. 

However, the Cardinals responded with three unanswered scores to pull away.

“You always tell the kids that one play isn’t going to define the game,” Roderique said of Branson’s early score. “I thought our offense did a good job of coming back and going to work. That was a big deal. I think it set the tone for the rest of the game.” 

Webb City got on the board on junior running back Omari Jackson’s 3-yard touchdown run. 

One play after Colton Gordon recovered a Branson fumble, the Cardinals took the lead for good when senior quarterback Landon Johnson completed a 28-yard touchdown strike to classmate Eli Miller. 

Lucas Ott’s pick-six from 20 yards out extended Webb City’s lead to 21-7. On the play, Branson QB Luke McCormick was hit by A.J. Bash as he attempted a pass and Ott was there to grab the ball out of the air and scamper into the end zone.

The Pirates answered with a 46-yard touchdown pass from McCormick to Patrick English before Webb City junior Breckin Galardo scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge, giving the Cardinals a 28-14 lead at the break.

The third quarter was all Webb City.

The hosts wasted little time in extending their lead in the second half. On the first play of the third quarter, Galardo sprinted to a 68-yard touchdown run.

After the Webb City defense forced a turnover on downs, Jackson scored on the following play on a 63-yard sprint.

The Cardinals once again stopped the Pirates on a fourth down and one play, forcing another turnover on downs.

“Those were huge,” Roderique said of the defensive stops. “I thought those were two great defensive plays…two great effort plays. That’s when we started playing complementary football. The defense gets a stop and the offense scores quick. I think that got us some confidence and really got the momentum going on our side.” 

Jackson’s 14-yard run touchdown run made it 49-14 late in the third period, putting a final exclamation point on a lopsided quarter.

Ethan Baird’s 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter accounted for the final score.

NAMES & NUMBERS

Webb City finished with 421 yards, with 344 on the ground and 77 through the air.

Galardo ran for 153 yards on just nine carries, while Jackson finished with 100 rushing yards on six carries.

Christian Brock finished with seven tackles, while McQuade Eilenstein had six and Kaylor Darnell and Ott recorded five stops apiece.

Branson finished with 214 yards of total offense, 158 rushing and 56 passing. Cade Grimm ran eight times for 109 yards.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After a week off, Webb City will host a district semifinal on Nov. 4 against an opponent to be determined (likely Republic or Parkview).

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Six different Carl Junction Bulldogs found the end zone and their defense and special teams completed a shutout during their 42-0 turbo clock win Friday night against Central Ozark Conference foe Willard at Bulldog Stadium.

The Bulldogs set the tone early when they stopped Willard for no gain on fourth down at the 3-yard line after the Tigers put together a promising opening drive and then Carl Junction put together a 97-yard scoring drive on eight plays in 2 minutes, 43 seconds.

On the Bulldogs’ second play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Dexter Merrell hit a wide-open senior Ayden Bard in the flat and Bard worked a 41-yard gain out to near-midfield. Carl Junction converted a third-and-long with a 21-yard pass play and junior running back Johnny Starks opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run.

“I tell you what, Willard had a great first drive of the night there,” Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster said. “Had some chunk yardage plays, three or four of them right in a row, and it didn’t look good for the Bulldogs right there for a little bit. We had a great stop there and followed it up with a 97-yard scoring drive.

“Real proud of our kids. They kept competing and didn’t give up any points, then went and scored points. They played hard, and they played great.”

Carl Junction took a 21-0 halftime lead with a 16-yard TD pass from Merrell to senior Malakhi Moore and a Merrell 11-yard scoring run accounting for the Bulldogs’ points in the second.

Junior running back Tony Stewart broke loose for a 57-yard touchdown run on the fourth play after halftime and Merrell and Bard connected on a 77-yard touchdown pass late in the third for a 35-0 lead after three quarters.

Fan favorite freshman running back Marcus Lopez-Durman closed out the scoring at 4:51 remaining with a 5-yard touchdown run.

The Bulldogs’ scoring drives amounted to 97, 60, 78, 71, 77, and 57 yards, producing 440 yards of total offense alone from those six drives.

“It was a great night,” Buckmaster said. “We had well over 500 yards of total offense. We did some good things tonight. I think we rushed tonight for 233 and threw for 288. Something like that, so good balance with our offense and our kids played well.”

The Bulldogs achieved their first shutout of the season, as the Tigers finished with four punts, a pair of turnover on downs, and one pass intercepted by Tony Stewart.

“I was really concerned that we would struggle with their passing game coming in,” Buckmaster said. “Our kids did a great job playing within schemes and they didn’t get the ball thrown over their head. As the game progressed, we were able to get a little more pressure on them. It was a great night for our defense, and proud of those kids. Coach (Steve) Patterson had a good gameplan, and we played well.”

The Bulldogs honored all their seniors before the game.

“It was Senior Night tonight and I’m just really pleased those kids could get a win and a shutout,” Buckmaster said. “We’ve got a tough one next week.”

Carl Junction, 3-5 overall and COC, finishes out the regular season next week against 5-3 Republic, who just handed the Nixa Eagles their first loss of the season with a 36-35 overtime victory Friday night.

“We look forward to going to Republic,” Buckmaster said. “They’re a fine football team and we’ll have to step our game up, for sure.”

NEOSHO, Mo. — Webb City’s defense rose to the occasion in the second half. 

After surrendering 21 points in the first half, Webb City’s defense pitched a shutout after intermission.

That strong defensive effort led the Cardinals to a 42-21 victory over Neosho on Friday night in a Central Ozark Conference clash at Bob Anderson Stadium. 

A back and forth first half ended with Webb City clinging to a 28-21 lead. But the Cardinals would not allow the Wildcats’ high-powered offense to score a single point after the break.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “That’s a tremendous effort against that offense in the second half. We made a few adjustments and got a little more physical with their receivers. We got some sacks and some negative yard plays.” 

Neosho’s prolific spread offense entered the night averaging 46 points per game. 

“Brandon (Taute) has done a great job here,” Roderique added. “They’ve scored on everybody, and they’ve moved the ball on everybody. I thought the effort from our defense was obviously the biggest difference in the second half.”

Ranked sixth in Class 5 by the Missouri Media, Webb City improved to 5-3.

The Wildcats fell to 4-4 after their first home loss. 

“I think our kids played extremely hard,” Neosho coach Brandon Taute said. “They came out and fought. There were a lot of times in the game where we could have rolled over, but they didn’t do that. We kept battling back. I’m extremely proud of the effort our kids gave. The score doesn’t depict the game in my opinion. We were right in that game.” 

Neosho was forced to punt twice in the third quarter and the Wildcats turned it over on downs twice in the final frame. 

Taute noted his team had its chances in the second half.

“We got down in the red zone too many times without coming away with points,” Taute said. “You can’t do that against a team like that.” 

Playing in front of a large Senior Night crowd, the Wildcats took an early lead when junior quarterback Quenton Hughes completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Isaiah Green.

The Cardinals tied it up when senior quarterback Landon Johnson found classmate William Hayes open for a 49-yard touchdown strike.

Webb City took a 14-7 lead with 6:26 left in the first quarter after junior running back Breckin Galardo scored on a 20-yard run up the middle.

The Cardinals took a two-score lead on the first play of the second quarter on Johnson’s 3-yard QB keeper. 

Neosho’s Green hauled in a 6-yard pass from Hughes with 4:38 left in the second quarter, trimming Webb City’s lead to 21-14.

The visitors answered on the ensuing drive, as Galardo broke free for a 33-yard touchdown sprint with 2:26 remaining in the first half, extending Webb City’s advantage to 28-14.

After recovering a Webb City fumble with just over a minute to play in the first half, Neosho scored with 27 seconds left on a 33-yard pass to Green. 

With that, it appeared as if the Wildcats had the momentum at halftime.

“It was a good first half,” Taute said. “I thought we executed pretty well in the first half. I thought we made some good defensive adjustments. Our defense got some big stops when we needed them.” 

Omari Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown plunge finished off the opening drive of the second half and gave Webb City a 35-21 cushion.

Webb City’s defense came up with a key stop with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats had a crucial turnover on downs.

A 1-yard QB sneak by Johnson put the finishing touches on the win, as the Cardinals went up 42-21 with 5:05 left.

“In the second half, we just weren’t able to put the ball in the end zone,” Taute noted. “Our defense got some turnovers, and we hung around. We just couldn’t close that gap.” 

Led by its strong running attack, Webb City compiled 498 yards, with 423 on the ground and 75 through the air. 

“On offense, we knew we can’t punt the ball and we can’t give them extra opportunities,” Roderique noted. “You can’t turn the ball over…which we did. You have to produce points every time. And you have to be able to run time off the clock against a team like this. I think it was big for us to score right away in the second half. That got things rolling a little bit.”

Galardo finished with 235 rushing yards, while Jackson added 151. Landon Johnson completed four passes, with William Hayes (54 yards) and Cy Darnell (21 yards) hauling in two passes apiece.

Three Cardinals finished with eight tackles apiece, Lucas Ott, Christian Brock and Kaylor Darnell.

Neosho finished with 346 yards, with 212 passing. Hughes completed 24 of 42 passes with three TD. Green had 166 receiving yards with three touchdowns. Jared Siler led Neosho’s rushing attack with 147 yards.

Korbyn York and Nico Olivares had nine tackles apiece for the Wildcats. 

“We just have to continue to get better,” Taute said. “Our goal is to be playing our best football in Week 10.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

In next Friday’s regular season finales, Webb City hosts Branson and Neosho travels to Joplin. 

The Cardinals and Wildcats could see each other again, as both teams have been assigned to Class 5 District 6.

FULL STATS: Webb City HS (webbcitycardinals.com)

Neosho’s Isaiah Green makes a leaping catch during Friday’s game against Webb City. Photo by Israel Perez. 

The College Heights Cougars found themselves in a 14-0 hole early on Friday night in their 8-man football game against the visiting Appleton City Bulldogs at Joplin High School.

College Heights outscored Appleton City 44-24 after that 14-point deficit to take a 44-38 lead with 7 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

But the Cougars’ first and only lead lasted 15 seconds, as the Bulldogs responded with a 55-yard touchdown pass.

Appleton City scored 36 unanswered points to come away with a 74-44 win, helped by a series of defensive stops and scoring plays with the game on the line.

“I thought our kids played hard in the first half,” College Heights coach Travis Burk said. “We stayed in the game. It just comes down to blocking and tackling. Once we learn how to tackle right, those games I think we’ll be fine. We don’t have a really solid running game, so that makes it tough, and I’ve got my quarterback running around with his head cut off sometimes. They did a good job defending us, I know we still scored quite a few points, and we should have four more touchdowns on them. We missed some balls, a couple other times we couldn’t punch it in. In the end, it hurt.

“Our hardest thing is, we’re still teaching how to form tackle, how to do those little things with kids who haven’t done that since grade school. We’d like to run power ball, but like I told them, I’d love to run it, but we just don’t have the boys yet. We’ve got to get bigger, stronger, and faster.”

Just five plays into the game, College Heights fell behind 8-0 after Appleton City’s Judd Koshko intercepted a Logan Decker pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.

Down two scores, College Heights first got on the board with 2:18 left in the first quarter on a 4-yard pass from Decker to Caleb Quade, a combination that gave Appleton City fits most of the night.

Decker’s 2-yard TD run and a 4-yard pass from Decker to Cannon Miller earned College Heights a 22-all score early in the second quarter.

Appleton City went back ahead 38-22 after the first two scoring runs from freshman running back Cash Anderson, who especially proved to be money in the second half.

College Heights trailed 38-30 at halftime thanks to a 20-yard TD pass from Decker to Quade late in the half.

Decker came up with a fumble recovery and an interception early in the second half, turnovers which College Heights cashed in for 14 points and that 44-38 advantage after Bo Sitton and Quade hauled in touchdown receptions. 

Appleton City went back in the lead for good on a 55-yard scoring pass late in the third and then Anderson rattled off three scoring runs in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.

According to College Heights’ stats, the Cougars had 398 yards of total offense, with 273 passing and 125 rushing.

Decker completed 34 of 60 pass attempts for 273 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Quade caught 18 passes for 137 yards with three touchdowns. Durling had nine receptions for 60 yards, while Miller caught five passes for 52 yards and Sitton had three receptions for 32 yards. 

On the ground, Decker ran 25 times for 86 yards and one score. Miller had 25 rushing yards and Levi Durling had 14 yards.

The first-year College Heights football program dropped to 1-4 on the season and the Cougars return to action in Week 6 at home against the Norborne Pirates.

“There’s a lot of teaching going on,” Burk said. “Sometimes, it doesn’t look like we’ve been teaching very good, but we just keep working hard and getting better. I feel like we’re in the games. Every game so far, I feel like we’re right there. Third and fourth quarter (Friday), we’re right there. A few plays go our way, it changes everything and momentum switches.

“Our kids, I told them that I’m going to work them hard Monday. We’re going to go out and get a little bit tougher. When you lose a game like this, it’s going to hurt. If it doesn’t hurt, that means we’re not working hard.”