by Rusty Swift
Republic scored 20 unanswered points to win the game and come from behind in its home opener against Bolivar Friday, 27-18. David Feil was the offensive star for the Tigers, rushing for 152 yards on 17 carries. His biggest run––a 69-yard romp through the Liberator defense––gave Republic a lead it would never relinquish.
Going into the game, Republic coach Wes Beachler had a focus on the Tigers stopping Bolivar’s running game so the Liberators would be forced to be one-dimensional through the air. He wasn’t counting on them being maybe so good through the air.
Although the Liberators graduated 17 seniors last year, they returned a trio of seniors, 6-3 quarterback Connor Sechler, 6-6 tight end Brandon Emmert and 6-1 wide receiver Conley Garrison, that gave Republic fits – especially early.
The Tigers did win the coin toss, deferring to get the ball to start the second half. But otherwise it was a rough first half for Republic, especially the defensive secondary.
Bolivar took the opening kick-off and put together a 16-play 79-yard drive leading to a 6-0 Liberator lead to quiet the very large Republic crowd. Sechler was 6-for-7 passing on the drive, good for 59 yards through the air, with Emmert and Garrison causing most of the damage. The most positive takeaway for the Tigers on the drive was blocking the extra point attempt.
Republic answered on their second drive with Skyler Owen scoring on a 29-yard run. The Tigers caught Bolivar off-guard, snapping the ball as the Liberators were still coming onto the field. As Bolivar’s players rushed into position, Owen took off toward the Bolivar sideline, finding a gap and going the distance.
“That’s a first in 25 years (of coaching),” says Beachler. “I’ve actually tried to do that. I’ve done it on a kickoff before, but I’ve never seen it on a play. I was calling the play, I was looking back to the sideline. All of a sudden I heard the cadence, I turn around and (Bolivar’s defense) was not even on. I was like, ‘Well, we made the right call against their 1-10 defense on that one. I’d never seen that. I’m just glad we bounced back after that and played better.”
Grant Holmes‘ extra-point kick was good, giving Republic a 7-6 lead.
The Liberators responded with a 10-play, 81-yard scoring drive, converting on a 4th-down pass play good for a 34-yard TD from Sechler to Garrison. Bolivar failed on their 2-point conversion attempt, leaving the Liberators up 12-7. That was the score when the first quarter ended.
Republic’s next drive stalled at the Liberator 36-yard line.
Bolivar’s air attack again put the Tigers on their heels. Sechler connected with Emmert and Garrison, twice on crucial 4th down plays, and the Liberators punched it in with 5:11 left in the second quarter. The extra point pass attempt was snuffed out by the Republic defense, but Bolivar’s lead was now 18-7.
From there, it was all Republic.
The Tigers put together their most impressive drive of the night, covering 68-yards in 13 plays, capped by a 16-yard TD pass from Riley Watkins to Bobby Finley. Watkins also had a key 24-yard run on the drive. Holmes again converted the extra point leaving Republic trailing 18-14 at the half.
Receiving the ball to open the second half, the Tigers wasted little time, as senior running back David Feil broke several tackles on a 69-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. Holmes’ kick gave Republic a 21-18 lead. Feil says he worked hard to get stronger in the off-season, knowing he’d have an opportunity to step into the role filled by Jerney Jones last season.
“Those are big shoes to fill. Honestly, I feel like I came out as well as I could have in the situation,” Feil says.
A lost fumble by the Liberators on their next drive gave the Tigers the ball with a chance to give Republic some breathing room. But a key penalty and a dropped pass, the Tigers turned over the ball on downs.
Republic’s defense again held, but the Tigers missed a second opportunity, this time with a lost fumble on the Bolivar 16 yard line.
The teams traded possessions two more times. Leading at the mid-way point in the 4th quarter, the Liberators were facing a 4th and long from their own 32 yard line, and made a costly choice to go for it. Sechler’s pass fell incomplete. The Tigers capitalized––this time with the help of a crucial 4th down conversion of their own. With Bolivar expecting the run, Watkins connected with Owen for a 27-yard pass down to the Bolivar three yard line. Senior running back Jack Hayes bowled over the Liberator defense for a three-yard TD. The extra point kick was no good, leaving Republic up 27-18.
Holmes had a deep kickoff and the Tigers’ coverage left Bolivar with a long field starting on their own 14. The Liberators did put together one final drive, but the Republic defense was successful in stopping Bolivar at the Republic 42.
“We really locked down on defense and shut their passing game down and we started driving a little better on offense,” Bryan Cole says of the Tigers’ second-half improvement. “But we had the momentum going into the half, I think, and that really helped us coming into the second half.”
Sophomore Jordan Gold contributed to the second-half shutout with his first career varsity sack.
“I swim moved and got in the backfield. He wasn’t looking, so I pretty much just tackled him. It felt pretty cool, like all my hard work is paying off,” Gold says. He’s part of a promising sophomore class that will play a bigger role on the varsity team this year.
“We just want to move up the people we can and support the seniors that are already doing work,” he says.
Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game
With time winding down in the second quarter and the Tigers trailing 18-7, they put together their most impressive drive of the night. Republic marched 68 yards in 10 plays, chewing up nearly four minutes of clock. They scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Riley Watkins to Bobby Finley. That cut the lead to 18-14, gave the Tigers the momentum heading into halftime, and started a run of 20 unanswered points, making it an easy choice for Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game.
Beachler says a few things made the difference in the Tigers’ second-half turnaround.
“I thought we aligned better defensively. I’d have to watch film, but in the first half I thought we had a lot of misalignments. I think we tackled well in the second half. I thought we played (Emmert) a little bit better,” says Beachler. “And Bobby Finley is a difference maker. When he came in the game, it gave us a little more–a guy that can make mistakes in the secondary and still recover and make plays, and almost had a pick-six.”
The coaching staff expects Finley to play a much bigger role this year, after limited varsity action in 2015.
“I played a little bit last year, but I just worked really hard in the off-season, and got better. I played more physical, got faster, and I’m used to it,” Finley says.
Beachler says the team’s second-half offensive improvement came down to execution at key moments.
“Offensively, I thought the difference was we finally executed when we needed to. It’s a Week One game and I’m glad we came on the right side of the scoreboard, but it wasn’t pretty for either team at times. Fortunately, I guess they had more unpretty moments than we had.”
Feil led the Tigers in rushing with 152 yards on 17 carries. Watkins added 42 yard on 13 attempts, helping Republic rack up 281 yards on 46 carries. Watkins also passed for 62 yards, going 4 for 11 with the TD pass to Finley.