Carl Junction gashed Republic’s defense for more than 600 yards Thursday night in a 56-28 decision that ended the Tigers’ season. Republic didn’t have an answer for the dual rushing threats of quarterback Dustin Satterlee and tailback Keynan Scheurich, who combined for more than 300 yards on the ground. Scheurich had 173 yards and five touchdowns for the Bulldogs.
The game was close at halftime, with Carl Junction holding a 21-14 edge, but in the second half, the Bulldogs’ offense hit high gear and Republic’s defense wasn’t able to respond.
“They had some things we didn’t have an answer for,” says coach Wes Beachler. “A lot of it is still fundamental stuff. Some of our kids need to get better fundamentally at certain positions, and we’ll continue to struggle until we get that done.”
The Bulldogs used their fast-paced offense to score quickly in the first quarter on a three-play drive that ended with a 10-yard run by Scheurich to take a 7-0 lead.
Republic answered with a long drive of its own. Jace DuVall appeared to have broken a touchdown run from near midfield, but an official ruled he stepped out of bounds. Later in the drive, the ball came loose on a hard hit as DuVall neared the goal line, and Carl Junction recovered, ending the Tigers’ chance to tie on that possession.
Later in the quarter, Colton Peltz recovered a fumble, and that set up a touchdown drive by the Tigers. After a 32-yard pass from Zach Hall to Jacob Dickens, Peltz ran in from four yards out on the first play of the 2nd quarter, making the score 7-7.
Carl Junction scored again less than two minutes later when Satterlee ran it in from the 30-yard line, and the Bulldogs had a 14-7 lead.
Midway through the 2nd quarter, a hard hit on Colton Peltz knocked him out of the game, causing a delay of nearly a half-hour. The Tigers responded on the very first play after the injury delay with a 60-yard touchdown by James Desjardins to make the score 14-14.
Republic had the momentum there, and had a chance to take control when Blake Fanning picked off a pass by Satterlee in Bulldogs territory. But Carl Junction’s defense made a big stop, and Republic missed a long field goal attempt, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs. Carl Junction took advantage by driving for a final score before halftime, giving them a 21-14 lead at the break.
Beachler says Republic’s failure to score after the interception was a big turning point.
“I think the biggest factor in tonight’s game was after Blake Fanning’s pick, and we failed to score. If we could have scored there and made it 21-14, it might have been a different ball game,” says Beachler. “But we didn’t, and that’s part of it, and we’ll look at that on film and try to make ourselves better next year.”
In the 2nd half, Carl Junction’s offense took over. They scored two quick touchdowns to stretch the lead to 35-14, and a last gasp by the Tigers offense wasn’t enough. Republic drove for a touchdown on a 1-yard run by Desjardins with 5:44 left in the 3rd quarter, but the Bulldogs answered again to make it 42-21.
Republic scored once more on the first play of the 4th quarter, on a 14-yard pass from Hall to Dillen Ramsey, making the score 42-28. But that’s as close as the Tigers would get.
Republic got a big game from James Desjardins, in his final game in a Tigers uniform. The senior rushed for 193 yards on 22 carries. Jace DuVall had 13 carries for 72 yards. Zach Hall completed seven of 16 passes for 122 yards, and Dillen Ramsey had four catches for 60 yards.
After the game, Beachler thanked his senior players for their contribution to the team.
“A lot of seniors I had to talk into coming out, and I’m glad they came out,” Beachler says. “I wish it had been a little better year for them.
“For the underclassmen, we have some kids who approach practice and games the right way, and some who do not. And until we start practicing the way we’re supposed to practice, we’ll continue to have struggles,” Beachler says. “When we learn to practice better every day, we’ll get better and better. I think people saw what we’re capable of when we had a good week of practice against Nixa, how well we can play.”
The Tigers end their season at 3-7. Carl Junction improves to 9-1 and meets Hillcrest next week.
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