Republic High School and Kickapoo High School are less than eight miles apart, but the gap between them sure seemed a lot bigger than that on the football field Friday night. Republic dominated the teams’ first-ever meeting, scoring 35 points in the first half and rolling to a 49-17 victory on homecoming night.
The Tigers racked up 494 total yards of offense, including 447 on the ground. Preston McCracken led the offensive onslaught, rushing for 140 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. He also completed two of four passes for 47 yards. Izaiah Hull added 134 yards on nine carries, while Owen Klier rushed six times for 54 yards and a score.
“I feel like we played really well,” said Republic coach Ryan Cornelsen. “I thought our kids were the more physical team. I told them that’s where the game’s going to be won, is who can move the line of scrimmage, and I felt like we did both sides of the ball, did a good job with the line of scrimmage, and that’s usually when we’re at our best.”
Republic barely got a first down on its first series, but from that point on, the Tigers controlled the game up front. They drove 62 yards in 10 plays on their opening possession. McCracken capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run with 7:10 left in the first quarter. Elijah Phiri’s extra point made it 7-0.
Kickapoo responded with a 15-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Nick Lipari’s 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:18 left in the first quarter.
“I didn’t feel like first drive, defensively, we played very well. We gave the edge up, and that’s untypical of us, but we got it fixed,” Cornelsen said.
The tie was short-lived. Republic answered with a quick three-play, 71-yard drive. Mason Fleetwood’s 5-yard touchdown run was set up by Hull’s 62-yard burst on the first play. The score put Republic up 14-7 with 1:03 left in the opening quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, Republic extended its lead early in the second quarter. McCracken’s 18-yard touchdown run capped a four-play, 40-yard drive to make it 21-7 with 10:16 left in the half.
The Tigers continued to pour it on, adding two more touchdowns before halftime. McCracken scored on two five-yard runs to push the lead to 35-7. Kickapoo managed a field goal as time expired in the first half to make it 35-10.
Republic’s dominance continued after halftime. A 14-play, 93-yard drive ended with Klier’s 3-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Just minutes later, Matthew Pelfrey broke free for a 28-yard touchdown run to cap a three-play, 47-yard drive and push the lead to 49-10.
Kickapoo scored late against Republic’s JV defense for the final 49-17 margin.
The Tigers’ ground game was relentless throughout the night. In addition to the big games from McCracken and Hull, Fleetwood contributed 31 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, while Pelfrey added 38 yards and a score on just three attempts.
Republic’s passing game was efficient when called upon, with CJ Uhl catching both of McCracken’s completions for 47 yards.
Kickapoo’s offense struggled against Republic’s defense for most of the night, managing just 194 total yards. Quarterback Brooks Eaton completed 8 of 20 passes for 43 yards, and the Chiefs were held to 164 yards rushing.
“Outside of just a few penalties and a turnover, I felt like offensively that was a lot more conducive of what we want to be,” Cornelsen said. “We had some things that we felt like we could go to most of the night, and it was at least going to get some positive yards.”
The victory improved Republic’s record to 3-1. The Tigers travel to Joplin next week.
