Jefferson City Helias ended Republic’s bid for a second straight state semifinal appearance, defeating the Tigers 24-21 on Nic Calvaruso’s 36-yard field goal in overtime Saturday.
Republic led for much of the game after a strong first half, but weren’t able to move the ball consistently after halftime. They still led 21-14 when a controversial call reversal late in the fourth quarter shifted momentum. The Tigers had stopped Helias on fourth down with 2:30 remaining and needed to run out the clock to secure a victory. On second-and-nine, Izaiah Hull gained eight yards, but the ball came loose as he went down. A nearby official initially appeared to rule Hull down, but after a conference, the crew reversed the call and gave Helias possession and another chance.
“You can look at a handful of plays—the penalty, the turnover. They played well enough to win,” coach Ryan Cornselsen said of his players’ performance. “It’s not on them, it’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job of making sure I’ve got a second half script that’s going to work. They stuffed the second half. We couldn’t move it. The one time we did, we got a penalty that put us behind.”
The Crusaders were initially pushed back to the 33-yard line after two penalties on the ensuing possession. On 4th and 14, they converted when Austin Weaver found Logan Hillman for a touchdown with 1:17 remaining. The ball dropped into tight coverage, over the outstretched arms of a Republic defender, and the 6’3″ Hillman leaped to pull it down. The extra point tied the game at 21. That set up the game-winning field goal in overtime.
Preston McCracken led Republic’s ground attack with 145 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Hull added 126 yards on 26 attempts as the Tigers accumulated 298 rushing yards.
Republic opened the scoring on its first possession, driving 80 yards in nine plays. McCracken’s one-yard run capped the drive. Helias responded quickly when Weaver connected with Hillman for 48 yards, setting up Weaver’s one-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers reclaimed the lead on a 13-play, 63-yard drive in the second quarter. McCracken’s four-yard touchdown run made it 14-7. After Helias tied the game on Weaver’s 84-yard touchdown pass to Luke Swan, Republic answered with another methodical drive. The Tigers went 65 yards in 12 plays, with McCracken scoring from one yard out for a 21-14 halftime lead.
Neither team scored in the second half until Helias’s late touchdown forced overtime.
“I thought we played really well. I was proud of our kids. I just asked them to play hard and play smart, and they did that. The reality is they played well enough to win. It’s my job to find ways to put the ball in the end zone. I couldn’t find the play second half.
“There’s nothing I can say to them that’s going to make me feel any better. It’s part of athletics. It’s part of sports. It’s the hard part of it, but it’s definitely part of it,” Cornelsen said.
Weaver finished with 242 passing yards and added 80 yards rushing for Helias, which advanced to next week’s semifinal against Lafayette (Wildwood). Mason Fleetwood contributed 17 rushing yards and Owen Klier added 10 for Republic, while McCracken completed one pass for 17 yards.
Republic ends its season at 10-3.
