Republic held Willard without a yard in the first quarter and pulled away in the second half for a 35-14 win in Friday’s district semifinal. The win puts Republic (9-2) in the district championship game next Friday at Lebanon and gives the Tigers their first nine-win season since 1995.
Republic grabbed a 14-0 lead early, thanks partly to an aggressive defense that forced Willard to punt three times in a row to start the game.
“The (defensive) coaches had a good plan,” said head coach Ryan Cornelsen. “They had them coached up and ready to go, and it was really the same plan we had the first time. (Willard) kind of went more through the air than what I expected. I thought they’d run it a little bit more, but it was a good showing by our defense for sure.”
Republic took advantage of good field position in the early part of the game, driving 53 yards in 11 plays on its first possession of the night. A one-yard run by Wyatt Woods and an extra point by Mason Cole made it 7-0.
After turning the ball over on downs on its second drive, Republic got back on the board with 8:13 left in the second quarter. After starting the drive from midfield, a 14-yard run by Caide White and another extra point made it 14-0. The second drive was aided by a pass interference call against Willard on a throw downfield from Woods to James Rexroat. The Tigers scored two plays later.
Willard scored for the first time on its fourth possession of the night, despite starting on its own two-yard line. Russell Roweton completed a pass to Chaz Amodeo to give Willard some breathing room, and a ten-play drive ended with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Roweton to Timothy Ruble, cutting the lead to 14-7.
Republic got the ball with 3:35 left in the half and picked up a big touchdown just before the break. A ten-play, 65-yard drive ended on a one-yard run by Woods with just 12 seconds remaining in the half. The drive included another pass interference call against Willard and a 19-yard pass to Rexroat from Woods.
Woods was injured on his touchdown run, but continued to play in the second half. Other players in the offense picked up the slack with Woods banged up.
“I was probably the most proud of…the other backs around him,” Cornelsen said. “The other three backs really stepped up, and that’s as hard as I’ve seen them run.”
Republic got the ball to start the second half and added onto its 21-7 lead. The Tigers drove eight plays and 75 yards, culminating in a four-yard TD run by White for his second touchdown of the night. A 45-yard throw by Woods and fingertip grab by Rexroat set up the TD. With 8:15 left in the third quarter, Republic led 28-7.
Willard answered with its final touchdown of the night, a 25-yard pass from Roweton to Amodeo, with 4:04 left in the third. That cut the lead to 28-14, and Willard’s defense got a stop on the next drive, with a chance to make it a one-possession game.
That’s when linebacker Kendell Curbow stepped up to make one of the biggest defensive plays of the night. Curbow reached up and snagged a Roweton pass out of the air, intercepting the ball and shutting down Willard’s momentum. Republic took advantage of the turnover, moving 45 yards in nine plays. White’s third touchdown of the night, from six yards out, put the score at 35-14, where it ended.
Republic rushed for 281 yards on 52 carries, and all four running backs had 35+ yards. Woods led the team with 94 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Kanon Krol also carried the ball 18 times, for 88 yards. White had nine carries, 61 yards, and three TDs. Daniel Phillips carried the ball seven times for 38 yards.
Woods completed only two of seven passes for 64 yards, but that percentage would likely have been higher if not for the two pass interference penalties against Willard. Rexroat caught both passes for 64 yards.
Willard, after failing to gain any yardage in the first quarter, finished with 213 yards total — 151 passing by Roweton and only 62 on the ground.
Republic will play in the district championship game for the second year in a row. The Tigers will travel to Lebanon to face the top-seeded Yellowjackets. Lebanon edged Branson 42-35 in the other semifinal game.