Republic went toe-to-toe with Webb City and finished stronger, using three second-half touchdowns and a defensive stand to close out a 27–21 road win. The Tigers overcame three turnovers and 75 penalty yards in stealing a road win.
The Cardinals struck first, driving 80 yards and scoring on a short run by Abel Getz late in the first quarter. The TD was aided by a roughing-the-kicker penalty that kept Webb City’s possession alive after the Republic defense had forced a punt. A 67-yard sprint by Mason Williams midway through the second pushed the lead to 14–0.
Republic answered immediately, with Preston McCracken breaking free on the next snap for a 67-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 14–7, and that’s where the score stood at halftime.
In the third quarter, McCracken capped a long drive with a four-yard score to make it 14–13 after a missed PAT. Williams briefly restored Webb City’s edge with a seven-yard touchdown run, but Republic had the answer. Matthew Pelfrey dashed in from 12 yards out to tie the game 21–21 heading into the final stretch.
The deciding sequence came late in the fourth. McCracken, who had carried Republic throughout the night, led one last march and punched it in from two yards away with 1:25 left. The defense slammed the door on Webb City’s final possession, with Grayson Hart breaking through for a sack on fourth down to seal it. It’s the second year in a row that Republic’s defense has made a 4th down stop in the 4th quarter to deliver a win against Webb City.
McCracken finished with 243 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, including runs of 67, 40, 21, and 18 yards that set up scores. His rushing total was only three yards short of the memorable 246-yard night turned in by Jerney Jones in a close Republic loss a decade ago.
Klier added 57 yards on eight carries, highlighted by a 30-yard burst. Pelfrey’s 12-yard touchdown was part of an 18-yard night, while Izaiah Hull chipped in 32 yards and Jin Villasica had 36.
Defensively, Republic absorbed 183 rushing yards and two long touchdowns from Williams but clamped down otherwise. Linebacker Kaleb Norman anchored the middle, Lawhon handled edge responsibilities and tight end coverage, and the secondary limited Webb City to just 5 passing yards. The out-sized defensive line held up well against a much larger opposing line, and the Republic defense battered Cardinals quarterback Braden Strickland throughout the night.
Cornelsen credited his team’s ability to push through adversity. “We had a lot of mistakes — penalties, turnovers. Two weeks in a row, we just kept fighting,” he said. “When things didn’t look good, we didn’t point fingers. It was, ‘Hey, next play, let’s get it done.’ That’s a sign of maturity.”
McCracken echoed the theme of composure. “The first half we had a lot of mistakes and penalties, and we knew coming out of the second half we had to capitalize,” he said. “That’s probably our best football we’ve played all year.”
With the win, Republic moved to 5–1 and claimed its fourth victory in the last five meetings against Webb City after dropping the first 24 in the series. Republic travels to Carthage next week.
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