The Republic Tigers went on the road for their preseason jamboree against the Camdenton Lakers and the Eldon Mustangs. The Tigers began the night on offense against Camdenton–a Class 5 team that’s expected to be among the best in the state.
The Tigers moved the ball inside the ten-yard line early on, but Camdenton’s defense tightened up and stopped Republic from getting into the end zone.
Defensively, the Tigers had their hands full with the Lakers high-powered offense. Camdenton used big plays to score against Republic. The highlight defensively for the Tigers came when Jake Smith intercepted a long pass at the goal line to snuff out a Lakers drive.
Against Eldon, the Tigers got their passing game untracked. Three different quarterbacks combined to go 8-for-8 against the Mustangs. Seven different receivers caught the ball for Republic.
“We want to throw the ball some,” says head coach Kurt Thompson. “Two or three quarterbacks threw the ball well tonight. That just opens up more opportunities in our game.
“We want to spread it around a little bit. We’re trying to find out who our guys are, and they made it a little tougher on us tonight. I think a lot of kids stepped up when they had their chances to. It’s a good problem to have.”
The Tigers will open their regular season with a home game against Springfield Central Friday night.