The offense was good. The defense was good. But Republic’s thrilling win over Webb City would not have been possible without the performances by its special teams, and especially its two kickers. Punter Drew Buchanan and placekicker Mason Cole both had pivotal roles in the Republic victory.
Cole was not only perfect on extra-point attempts, he also teed up two consecutive successful onside kicks that Republic recovered. Both kicks were executed perfectly, forcing Webb City to attempt to field the ball on unpredictable in-between hops. The Tigers turned one of those kicks into a game-tying touchdown. The other set up Buchanan.
Buchanan had several big punts throughout the day as both teams fought for field position, but his most important came when Republic failed to move the ball after recovering the second onside kick. Punting from midfield, Buchanan boomed a punt high into the air. The hangtime of 4.12 seconds allowed Republic’s coverage team to get downfield and caused Webb City’s returner to back away from a fair catch. The ball bounced from the 15 down to the one yard line, where Garrett Lester downed it. On the very next play, Kendell Curbow made a tackle in the end zone to give Republic a safety and a 23-21 lead.
During a 7 1/2-minute stretch in the second half, Republic scored 23 points and Webb City ran only one offensive play, resulting in a safety. It wouldn’t have been possible without Cole and Buchanan, and together they share our Performance of the Week.
