There’s a lot to talk about after Republic’s overtime win against state-ranked Nixa last night, and the numbers tell the story in a lot of different ways.

7

The number of times Republic converted on fourth down. The Tigers were an astounding 7-for-7 on fourth downs Friday. They gambled from nearly every spot on the field and hit the jackpot all seven times, picking up enough yardage to keep their offense on the field.

0

The number of times Republic had to punt all night. The Tigers scored almost every time they touched the ball. The only exceptions were at the end of the second and fourth quarters. A second-quarter drive ended as Republic hurried to beat the clock and Wyatt Woods threw an interception in Nixa territory. The fourth-quarter drive ended as time ran out, sending the game to overtime.

33:00

The approximate number of minutes Republic controlled the ball on offense. Coach Ryan Cornselsen preaches ball-control, and the game was a perfect illustration of what that philosophy can do. Republic’s offense was on the field more than twice as many minutes as Nixa’s, winning the time-of-possession battle approximately 33:00 to 15:00. And it continued even in overtime, when Nixa scored on one play from the 25 yard line, but the Tigers took eight plays to get into the end zone from the same distance.

80

The number of offensive plays run by Republic. Nixa ran 39. One touchdown drive by the Tigers consumed more than ten minutes on the clock and lasted a whopping 19 plays. That drive included three successful fourth-down conversions.

27

This one is very unofficial, but… The number of years since Republic beat a state-ranked opponent. On September 29, 1995, the Tigers defeated Camdenton 14-6 at Plaster Sports Complex in Springfield. Camdenton was ranked 4-0, and ranked #3 in Class 4A at the time. The Lakers went on to win the state championship with their only loss to the Tigers.