In a heart-stopping finale that echoed last year’s semifinal thriller, Republic’s defense dug deep on fourth-and-3 from inside its own 10-yard line. As Webb City threatened to steal the game in the final moments, linebackers Ethan Montiel and Chase Hicks stepped up. They hit Webb City running back Slade Hurd as he approached the line of scrimmage on 4th and 3, bringing him down to end Webb City’s threat and secure a 15-13 win.
“I was so gassed at that point. I was just ready to find a hole and hit somebody,” Montiel said. “They ran directly at me. I knew that play, the ISO. And I just went low, got his legs, and wrapped him up and waited for everybody else to come in.” Hicks came in to finish off the tackle and Republic ran out the clock to finish the game.
Republic head coach Ryan Cornelsen praised his defense’s performance. “Defense played really well, outside of about two or three big plays there right out of the half,” Cornelsen said. “But, man, hats off to our defense.
The victory came despite a second-half injury to starting quarterback Preston McCracken, who had rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game. Backup Trenten Coleman stepped in, leading a crucial drive that ended with Elijah Phiri’s game-winning 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
“TD stepped in there and had confidence, and the kids had confidence in him,” Cornelsen said. “So I was proud of him for being a leader and, you know, stepping in and none of our offense was out.”
Republic’s defense bent but didn’t break against Webb City. The Cardinals’ two wide receivers combined for 167 of the team’s 215 rushing yards, including an 80-yard reverse by Andrew Young to open the third quarter.
The Tigers had jumped out to an early lead on Matthew Pelfrey’s 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After Webb City took a 13-12 lead in the third, Coleman engineered the go-ahead drive, highlighted by his own 23-yard run.
Webb City’s final drive lasted 14 plays and overcame five penalties, pushing inside Republic’s 10-yard line with under a minute left. Despite having a timeout, the Cardinals opted to run their final play without stopping the clock, setting up Republic’s game-saving tackle.
The Tigers’ ground game dominated, racking up 351 of their 409 total yards. Mason Fleetwood added 76 yards on 12 carries, while Izaiah Hull contributed 82 yards on 15 attempts. Despite racking up a lot of yards, Republic had a hard time finding the end zone.
“Our offense struggled. They had a better plan than we did. I’ve got to do a better job,” Cornelsen said.
This is the first time ever that Republic has beaten Webb City in consecutive games. It’s also the first regular-season win by Republic against Webb City. The Tigers are 3-1 in their last four games against the Cardinals after losing their first 24 meetings.
The win improves Republic’s record to 5-1. Webb City is 2-4. Republic will host Carthage next week.