Call it the most exhilarating 20 seconds in the history of Republic football.
With Republic trailing Helias 7-0 early in the first quarter, back-to-back plays turned the game in the Tigers’ direction in 20 seconds’ time. Garrett Lester took a kickoff from goal line to goal line, igniting a sellout crowd that had been silenced by the Crusaders’ opening touchdown. When Mason Cole’s ensuing onside kick was recovered by freshman Keiran Govan, the crowd of 3,000 exploded, and so did the Tigers.
(Here are the full-game highlights.)
Republic scored again to take the lead, then recovered a second onside kick—again it was Govan —and scored a third time. The Tigers never trailed from that point, holding on for a 28-21 win over the state’s second-ranked team and earning the program’s fourth-ever appearance in the state semifinals.
“I felt like we could move the ball, but I wasn’t sure,” coach Ryan Cornelsen said. “You’re never really sure until you get out there.”
Republic’s three consecutive touchdowns shell-shocked Helias, and so did the Republic defense. The Tigers got their footing after the Crusaders scored on their opening drive, holding Helias to 204 total yards and 21 points, a little over half its average scoring output. The out-sized Republic line held up, the defensive backs held the Helias passing game in check, and the Tiger linebackers flew all over the field, harassing Crusader quarterback Austin Weaver to the tune of seven sacks.
After Lester’s touchdown on the kickoff return with 9:00 left, Republic’s next touchdown came on a one-yard plunge by Wyatt Woods with 4:16 left in the first quarter, giving the Tigers a 14-7 lead. After the second onside kick, Woods connected with Cory Craigmyle on an 18-yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers up 21-7.
After being kept off the field for nearly 11 minutes, the Helias offense finally got its second opportunity with 10:30 left in the half, The Crusaders promptly scored on a 37-yard run by Weaver to cut the Tiger lead to 21-14. But Republic responded exactly three minutes later on a touchdown run of the same distance—37 yards—by Caide White. With 6:19 left in the half, Republic led 28-14, and that was the score at halftime.
The Helias defense played better early in the second half, and both teams had to punt on their first possession. Republic turned the ball over on downs, and Helias made it a one-score game. Mason French scored on a one-yard run with 34 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 28-21.
“In the second half, [the Helias defense] made some good adjustments and we struggled in the third quarter. What was working early wasn’t working,” Cornelsen said. “Then we made our adjustments, saw what they were doing, and…we started moving the ball again. Overall, in all three phases, I thought we played really hard and made some big plays.”
The Tigers failed to score the rest of the way, but did enough on offense to run the clock. Republic ran nearly eight minutes off the clock before turning the ball over on downs again with 4:21 left.
That gave Helias a chance to tie or take the lead. The Crusaders marched from their own 30-yard line to the Republic 30 with 3:37 remaining. It briefly appeared Weaver had connected for a touchdown pass, but an illegal motion penalty called the play back. On the next play, Weaver threw an incomplete pass. On second down, Logan Hunt knocked Weaver out of bounds for a sack. On third down, Cole Gimlin sacked Weaver to set up fourth and long. And on fourth down, a pass from Weaver fell to the turf, ending the final Helias threat.
On the next drive, Republic started with a 36-yard run by Woods to put themselves in Helias territory. The Tigers picked up one more first down to run out the clock, setting off a big celebration among the Tigers and their fans.
“You saw that the crowd was wild. I think our community has done a great job of supporting our kids and our players, and what a great environment,” said Cornelsen. “What a great day for Republic and to be a Tiger. To come out here and have this many people and our kids found a way to win, it was a great day.”
Republic out-gained Helias 303 yards to 204. The Tigers had 267 rushing yards and 39 yards through the air.
Woods rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Kanon Krol carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards. Caide White had 58 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Daniel Phillips had five rushes for 26 yards. Cory Craigmyle caught both of Woods’s complete passes for a total of 39 yards and a touchdown.
In addition to the offensive numbers, Lester’s kickoff return—officially 99 yards, tying the school record set by Blake Cramer in 1986—and the two onside kick recoveries by Keiran Govan were also big contributors to the Tigers’ big first half.
The Republic defense sacked Austin Weaver seven times for a total of 49 yards. After subtracting the sack yardage, Weaver finished with only 90 passing yards on the day, on 10 completions in 15 attempts. He also ran for 85 yards and two scores on 11 carries.
Helias finishes its season with a 10-2 record.
Republic advances to the state semifinals for the fourth time ever and the first time since 1986. The Tigers are 11-2 and will face Webb City at home next Saturday afternoon at 1:00. Webb City took advantage of several Republic turnovers to win their first meeting on September 8, 42-21.