Republic’s defensive line continues to disrupt opposing offenses despite its lack of size. The Tigers’ defensive front—often with only three down linemen—has consistently penetrated the backfield in recent weeks, creating problems for opponents.
“Up front, I know this sounds like a broken record, but it’s an undersized group,” said head coach Ryan Cornelsen. “But we try to utilize what they’re good at, and that’s being explosive and getting off the ball and trying to find gaps in the offensive line.”
Republic’s defensive scheme employs multiple looks to maximize the unit’s strengths. The Tigers alternate between three-man and five-man fronts, creating confusion for opposing offensive lines.
“Sometimes we’re a three-man front. Sometimes we walk down to five-man,” Cornelsen said. “We’re pretty multiple, which I think is hard to go against and allows us to play some undersized guys and move people around and not get stuck in one thing.”
Against Joplin, Republic opened defensively with Logan Hunt, Keegan Hunt, and Grayson Hart up front. Linebackers Cam Allen and Ethan Montiel, among others, sometimes creeped up on the line of scrimmage to provide more pressure, but the defensive front held its own against a much bigger Joplin line. It can also present challenges for linebackers, who run into more blocks than in another scheme designed to tie up the offensive linemen.
“Sometimes it makes it tough on our backers because it’s not like we’re drawing double teams,” Cornelsen said.
Despite allowing 38 points at Joplin — seven of those came on a fumble recovery and touchdown by the Joplin defense — Cornelsen sees improvement from the entire defensive unit as the season progresses.
“I feel like as an overall defensive unit, they’ve played better each and every week,” he said. “We still got a ways to go, but just watching the film, I think our effort’s really good. I think we’re understanding what we’re trying to do.”
