A week after just about everything went wrong for Republic, everything went right in a 49-0 romp over Ozark at home on Friday. The Tigers intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, recovered an onside kick, and recovered another muffed kick — all in the first half. Meanwhile, the Republic offense rolled up 426 rushing yards and racked up 35 points before halftime.
Nolan Lashley scored three of those touchdowns in a span of eight minutes of game clock, and the Republic defense gave up 113 yards, blocked a punt, and stopped Ozark inside the Republic 25 three times without giving up a point. It came a week after Ryan Cornelsen said his team was as physical as it needed to be in a 49-6 loss at Nixa.
“For us to play the style that we play, to do what we do offensively and defensively, we’ve got to play really, really physical, even when we’re tired, and we weren’t able to do that a week ago,” Cornelsen said. “[Ozark] was a good football team. They were big up front. But I felt like we understood the message of the style that we play, and I felt like we came out, especially first half, and did it really well.”
Ozark’s second play of the game was an interception. Keiran Govan picked off Caden O’Donnell at the Ozark 42, and Republic handed the ball to Lashley on four of the next nine plays. He converted a fourth-and-two with a five-yard run and scored from a yard out to make it 7-0 with 7:19 left in the first quarter.
Ozark answered with its best drive of the night. Jett Easley carried it seven straight times and moved the ball to the Republic 24, where he fumbled and Govan recovered. Republic went 71 yards in eight plays, and Lashley finished it from 26 yards out on third-and-five with 1:24 left in the quarter to give Republic a 14-0 lead.
Republic’s Kentaro Villasica recovered an onside kick at the Ozark 45 and needed five plays to score again. Baelor Cutbirth ran 29 yards to the one-yard line, and Lashley got his third touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Ozark then muffed the next kickoff, Paden Hamilton recovered at the 25, and Cooper Cornelsen scored from nine yards out on fourth-and-four to make it 28-0.
Game page →Cornelsen threw for the next TD. After an Ozark punt, Republic drove 74 yards in 11 plays, and Cornelsen hit Hayes Porter for a 23-yard touchdown with 1:31 left in the half. That drive featured Republic’s first two complete passes of the season.
Ozark went three-and-out, Republic blocked the punt and recovered at the 25, and Republic turned it over on downs at the 24 as the half ran out. It was 35-0 at the break.
Porter scored the two second-half touchdowns. Cutbirth broke a 35-yard run to the Ozark 26 on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Porter ran it in from 19 yards out. Greg Hicks carried four times for 39 yards on the next Republic drive, Jacob Duran added a 20-yard run, and Porter scored from 11 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Ozark reached the Republic 25 on each of its last two real possessions and turned it over on downs both times. O’Donnell lost 12 yards on a run and threw two incompletions on the first one, then threw three incompletions on the second. Republic ran the last 7:44 off the clock with its reserves.
Lashley finished with 155 yards on 19 carries. He has 12 touchdowns through the season’s first four games.
Cutbirth had 82 yards on seven carries, Porter had 56 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries plus the touchdown catch, and Hicks ran six times for 47 yards. Cooper Cornelsen completed both of his passes for 32 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. Republic had 26 first downs to Ozark’s seven and held the ball for 29:43.
Easley led Ozark with 37 yards on seven carries. O’Donnell completed six of 16 passes for 66 yards.
Republic improves to 3-1. Ozark falls to 1-3.
The Tigers host Neosho for homecoming next Friday.
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