The Republic Tigers finally got to compare themselves to some real competition Friday night. And despite some mistakes, coach Kurt Thompson was happy with his team’s performance.
The Tigers’ defense played especially well in its first round against Waynesville. In a series of about a dozen plays to start the night, Republic held the other Tigers to 14 yards in total offense. And that’s only because Waynesville completed a 15-yard pass on its last play before the switchover. The series also included an interception and 32-yard return for a touchdown by Corey Davis.
Republic moved the ball well against Waynesville, thanks largely to running back Colton McCarty. The Tigers went 51 yards in 17 plays on their first possession, and 41 yards in 9 plays on their second possession.
After each team had each completed two possessions, West Plains replaced Waynesville for he second session of the night. The Zizzers’ speed posed problems for the Tiger defense — especially after Republic started substituting more freely. West Plains went 116 total yards in eight plays on their second possession of the night. That included 3 long pass plays on their first drive of that possession, which ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Penalties were a problem for the Tigers, too. They were penalized seven times for 45 yards, by far the most penalties of any team. But Thompson says most were committed by younger, inexperienced players who aren’t accustomed to playing at the varsity level.
Now the Tigers have a week to get ready for their first real opponent of the season. They open the regular season at home next Friday against COC rival Nixa.