Republic didn’t wait long to take control of its COC West opener. After turning the ball over on downs to start the game, the Tigers got the ball right back when Ekene Chukwu fell on a Joplin fumble. From there, Republic’s ground game piled up 376 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a 45–16 win at home Friday night.
Izaiah Hull led the way with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Quarterback Preston McCracken added 85 yards and a score on 15 rushes. Senior Treyton Gray ripped off a 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter, Gavin Lawhon sprinted 36 yards for another score late in the third, and junior Tucker Ladd capped the night with his first varsity touchdown on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter. Republic also got a school-record 45-yard field goal from kicker Elijah Phiri just before halftime. Phiri’s kick broke the old mark of 42 yards set by Mark Stufflebeam in 1976.
Coach Ryan Cornelsen said the plan on offense is always to see which back has the hot hand, and on this night it was Hull. “You never know what you’re going to get until the game starts,” Cornelsen said. “Tonight it was his number, and he ran hard. That’s kind of how it works—you go with whoever’s got it going, and he did a great job.”
McCracken threw for 31 yards on three completions to Keiran Govan, but the passing game was secondary. Republic’s offensive line allowed the Tigers to average nearly seven yards per carry.
Hull’s first touchdown gave Republic a 7–3 lead. Joplin briefly went ahead 10–7 before Hull scored again to put the Tigers on top for good. Gray’s long run and Phiri’s record-setting kick widened the margin before halftime. McCracken’s one-yard sneak in the third quarter made it 31–10, and the Tigers pulled away from there.
Cornelsen also pointed to the defense’s ability to adjust to Joplin’s quarterback rotation. “We were prepared for both quarterbacks,” he said. “The kids did a good job of recognizing who was in and sticking to the right plan, and for the most part we were in the right gaps.”
Hull credited the offensive line for the space he found throughout the game. “One of the first plays, I went through a gap and there was nobody there,” he said. “It was like that most of the night.”
Phiri admitted he didn’t know he had broken the school record until afterward. “It was nerve-wracking, but we trust each other,” he said. “We practice it live every Thursday, so we just lined up, and I put my head down and kicked it.”
Joplin’s offense centered on brothers Trenton and Traevian McCadney, who combined for 228 rushing yards and both of the Eagles’ touchdowns. But the Eagles managed only six first downs and never seriously threatened after halftime.
Republic improved to 1–0 in the COC West and 4–1 overall. Joplin falls to 2-3. Republic travels to Webb City next Friday.
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