Republic takes its 6-2 record to Willard Friday night for the regular season finale, looking to build on momentum from a 40-0 shutout at Neosho. Willard (2-6) opened the season with two early wins in the first three weeks, but has struggled since, though their physical style makes them a challenging matchup.
Coach Ryan Cornelsen said the game hinges on Republic’s ability to run against Willard’s defensive front. Two returning linemen who gave Republic trouble last season are back, along with a fifth lineman who saw action in last year’s matchup. Cornelsen said that size creates problems for Republic’s offensive schemes.
“Up front where their strength was a year ago is their strength again. They’re big and they play hard,” Cornelsen said. “Those kind of teams match up against what we do offensively pretty well when they’ve got size and they can put those guys up front.”
Republic’s offense continues to evolve with Trenten Coleman at quarterback. The sophomore has become more comfortable leading the offense as he gains more experience.
“Anytime you get a few games under your belt, you start getting confidence and you start seeing things,” Cornelsen said. “There’s things we can still improve on, and there’s things that we’re doing pretty well.”
Willard’s offense presents multiple looks, shifting between spread formations and power packages. They’ll line up with four receivers, then bring defensive linemen in as tight ends and H-backs to establish a power running game.
Republic’s defense, coming off its second shutout of the season, will focus on stopping the run first. Against Neosho, the defense forced multiple turnovers and contained a speedy offense. Cornelsen wants to see that same disciplined approach against Willard.
“Just like every week, we want to try to take away the run as much as possible,” Cornelsen said. “When they do throw the ball, if they catch it, make a tackle. That was probably one of the big keys against Neosho – we were able to tackle once they made a catch.”
As always, Republic’s offensive strategy centers on establishing the run early to set up adjustments. Cornelsen emphasizes the importance of first-drive success.
“The number one thing (on the) first drive is move the chains,” Cornelsen said. “If you move the chains long enough for me to figure out where their strengths or weaknesses are, what they’re trying to do and what they’re trying to take away, then we can figure out how to move the ball.”
Game time is 7:00 Friday. We’ll carry the game on our YouTube channel starting with the Hines Street Pharmacy Pregame Show around 6:45.
(Note: this will be the last free YouTube broadcast of the season. All post-season Republic Tiger Sports broadcasts will use the MSHSAA platform, requiring a $10 fee to watch.)