For Republic football fans Friday night, the Tigers game against Nixa might’ve seemed a little bit like time travel. In the first half, Republic showed glimpses of a promising future under new head coach Ryan Cornelsen. But in the second half, familiar mistakes from the past cost the Tigers their chance for an upset, and the Eagles escaped with a 21–10 win.
A week after getting pummeled at Webb City – the Tigers trailed 42-6 at halftime in that one – Republic dominated the Eagles in the first half Friday night. Republic out-gained Nixa 144 yards to 25 in the first half, building a 10-0 lead at halftime.
“To be honest, a lot of things went against us in the first half, and we found ways to overcome them. In the second half, we didn’t overcome them,” said Cornelsen. “I don’t know how many times we were down inside the 20 and didn’t score, and running this offense, you can’t do that. It’s hard to score fast, so when you’re in the red zone, you have to punch it in.”
Neither team scored on its first two drives, but the Tigers’ offense showed promise. Republic was driving when a run by Avery Moody ended with his helmet popping off. He had to leave the game, and the drive’s momentum faded. Two straight sacks by the Nixa defense led to a turnover on downs.
Republic broke on the board with 9:08 left in the second quarter. They took over on the 28 yard line and marched 72 yards in nine plays. Avery Moody, Connor Sandridge, and Kanon Krol took turns running the ball right at the Nixa defense. Krol rushed for 24 yards on one play, and Sandridge busted a 12 yard run on 3rd and 5 to put the ball inside the one yard line. Krol punched it in from there and Marco Donjuan’s extra point made it 7-0.
The Tigers missed a big chance after a Zion Allen interception gave Republic the ball on the Nixa 25-yard line. But a fumble four plays later gave Nixa the ball back.
Republic got another interception on the next Nixa drive when Hayden Jones stepped in front of a deep ball and pulled it down. Republic failed to do anything offensively, but a punt by Gavyn Beckner took a Tiger roll, and Gunner Ellison tightroped the goal line to down the ball and pin the Eagles inside their own one-yard line.
Republic’s defense got another stop, and after a Nixa punt, the Tigers drove the ball down to the six yard line. But with no time outs remaining, Moody had to spike the ball to stop the clock on third down, setting up a Donjuan field goal from 23 yards. That made the score 10-0 just before halftime.
“That first half – man, what a great thing to watch the kids finally go, ‘Okay, he’s he’s right. It works if we do it.’ So I was proud of them. We’ve just got to get over that hump of how to win those games,” Cornelsen said.
The second half was a totally different game. Nixa scored 21 unanswered points, starting from the very first play of the half, to pull away. On Nixa’s first play from scrimmage, Spencer Ward sliced through the Republic defense for a 72-yard touchdown run. The extra point made it 10-7.
Republic’s offense missed another big opportunity on its first drive of the half, starting on the 35-yard line. Moody turned a busted play into a six yard gain, and threw a 24 yard pass to Ezekiel Meads. Sandridge had runs of 12 and 14 yards, and Republic looked like it had taken a 16-7 lead when Moody got into the end zone from two yards out. But an illegal shift penalty pushed Republic back to the seven yard line. Sandridge lost a yard on second down, and two more penalties – an illegal block and delay of game – put the ball on the 28 yard line, where the drive fizzled out.
Nixa needed just four plays to drive 72 yards and take the lead. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Connor Kanatcal to Kael Combs, followed by an extra point, made it 14-10 Eagles.
Republic’s next drive resulted in a punt, and Nixa scored again on its next drive. It took two plays, and an 85-yard pass to Kanatcal to Rylan Michel made the score 21-10.
Republic finished 249 rushing yards and 280 yards total. Nixa had 309 total yards – 150 passing and 159 rushing.
Krol carried the ball 19 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. Sandridge had 16 carries for 86 yards. Moody had 19 carries for 65 yards. He also threw the ball four times, completing two passes for 46 yards. Beckner completed four of nine passes for 18 yards and an interceptions.
Kanatcal recovered from a rough first half (2 for 9 for 15 yards) to lead the Eagles back in the second half, when he completed all four of his passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Ward had six carries for 148 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the disappointing second half, Cornelsen said he saw a lot of positives from his team Friday.
“That was a lot more of what I felt like… the kids were capable of doing. You’re in that game to win and we just didn’t didn’t do that,” Cornelsen said. “You talk about trying to build a program – those are humps you’ve got to get over. In our offense, you’re up 10-0, you shouldn’t get beat. You should be able to march the ball and take the clock. And we did that for a lot. We just didn’t put it in the end zone. So those are the things we’ve got to work on. It’s a work in progress. I’m extremely proud of our effort.”
Republic falls to 2-2. Nixa is 3-1. The Tigers travel to Ozark next week.
