Republic scored early and often, and just about everyone got in on the act in a 52-8 thrashing of Springfield Parkview to open the 2022 playoffs. Seven different players scored touchdowns in the win, as Republic improved to 7-3. This is the first time Republic has won seven games in a season since the 2007 team finished 8-2.
For Republic coach Ryan Cornelsen, it was just the type of performance he’d hoped for.
“You could see on film that they weren’t as good as what we’ve been seeing, but I thought our kids came out with a focus level like it should be in a district game. I thought we played well and did a good job of executing what we came in to do,” he said.
Just like last season’s matchup between Republic and Parkview to open the playoffs, Republic took advantage of an early special-teams mistake by the Vikings. After the Tiger defense forced a three-and-out, Parkview lined up to punt, but snapped the ball over the punter’s head. Parkview recovered in the end zone, giving Republic a safety and a 2-0 lead. (Last year, a nearly identical play resulted in an early Republic touchdown.)
Parkview kicked the ball to Republic after the safety, and the Tigers quickly scored again. Connor Sandridge broke a 46-yard run to put the ball at the 13 yard line, and Gunner Ellison scored on a 13-yard run on the very next play. A Mason Cole extra point made it 9-0.
On Republic’s next drive, Wyatt Woods connected with Ahlante Askew for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 5:25 left in the first quarter, and the lead went to 16-0 after another extra point.
After another defensive stop, Republic’s Ryder Davis returned the ball to the Parkview 36 yard line. Four plays later, Connor Sandridge scored his first touchdown of the night on a one-yard run, and the extra point gave Republic a 23-0 lead with 2:22 remaining.
It took just eight seconds for Republic to score again. On the kickoff, Parkview fumbled the ball right into the hands of Cooper Douglas, who was flying downfield on coverage. He picked it up on one hop at the 15 yard line and sprinted to the end zone, putting the Tigers ahead 30-0 after the extra point.
Another defensive stop and another good return by Ryder Davis put Republic on the Parkview 21 yard line to start its next drive. It took four plays for the Tigers to score again. Quarterback Gavyn Beckner handed the ball to Daniel Phillips from the ten yard line, and Phillips dragged a defender into the end zone by his shirt-tail, putting Republic up 37-0.
On Republic’s last drive of the half, Beckner sneaked the ball in from one yard out, and the Tigers led 44-0.
In the second half, Cameron Harris scored Parkview’s only touchdown in the third quarter. He rushed the ball in from 41-yards to cut Republic’s lead to 44-8 with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
The Tigers finished out the scoring with a heavy freshman contingent on the field. Freshman running back Owen Klier picked up his first varsity touchdown on a four-yard run, and a two-point conversion by fullback Treyton Gray made the score 52-8.
Cornelsen said it was gratifying to get some younger players time on the field on Friday night in front of a big crowd.
“That’s always a great feeling. Those kids put in a lot of time, and to get them in on Friday night under the Friday night lights — hopefully you’re building for the future and they see how cool that was,” he said. “It’s not easy trying to figure out who’s been in, who hasn’t, and the number of different groups. Sometimes those games are harder on coaches than just the regular game, because we’re trying to get all those things organized. But I thought the kids did a good job with it, and we were able to play a lot of kids and hopefully they had a good time.”
Parkview finished its season at 1-10. Republic will take its 7-3 record into the district semifinal at Webb City next week. The Cardinals beat Republic 35-14 in Webb City on September 9.