Republic left little doubt in its district opener Thursday, overpowering Willard for the second straight week to move on in Class 5 District 6. The Tigers piled up 439 yards of offense, picked off four passes, and scored twice on interception returns in a 62-14 win.
Republic’s opening drive set the tone—eight plays, 64 yards, and a one-yard touchdown run by Izaiah Hull. After recovering a Willard fumble, Republic lost the ball inside the 10-yard line, but its defense got it back moments later, forcing another turnover. The offense followed with an 85-yard drive that ended in an eight-yard scoring run by Matthew Pelfrey to make it 14–0 near the end of the first quarter.
Hull found the end zone again early in the second quarter, and less than a minute later, linebacker Kaleb Norman jumped a screen pass and returned it for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 28–0.
Willard’s Kaiden Snyder connected with Keshawn Close for a 78-yard touchdown to break the shutout, but Republic answered on its next drive. Hull scored for the third time, this one from a yard out, to make it 35–7. Close added another long touchdown reception, but Pelfrey’s 63-yard touchdown burst restored momentum to Republic. Safety Keiran Govan followed with Republic’s second pick-six of the night, giving Republic a 48–14 lead at halftime.
The Tigers continued to control the game in the second half. Treyton Gray scored from three yards out midway through the third quarter, and Trenten Coleman added another short touchdown run a few minutes later to finish the scoring.
Republic ran the ball 58 times for 412 yards. Pelfrey led the way with 95 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Owen Klier added 89 yards, Hull had 56 yards and three touchdowns, Coleman 52 yards, and quarterback Preston McCracken contributed 33 yards rushing and 27 passing in limited playing time. Gavin Lawhon had a 27-yard reception to go along with a fumble recovery on defense.
On defense, Norman and Govan led the highlights with interception returns for touchdowns.
Coach Ryan Cornelsen said his team managed the challenges of facing the same opponent two weeks in a row. “There were a lot of reasons to come out flat, but we stayed consistent and kept our composure,” he said. “It wasn’t our best game, but we handled the situation the right way.”
Republic (8–2) advances to host the district semifinals next week against the winner of Parkview and Webb City.
