Republic averaged more than nine yards a carry and rolled up nearly 400 total yards in a 37-6 win at Branson. The Tigers improve to 4-1 for the first time since 2007. They only won three games all last season.
Jerney Jones had 133 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Jace DuVall ran the ball eight times for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers also got two rushing TDs from quarterback Jake Smith, who ran the ball 10 times for 59 yards. David Feil got in on the action, too, running the ball four times for 70 yards and a score.
Republic’s defense was just as good as the offense, allowing just 85 yards before halftime and keeping the Pirates out of the end zone. Branson’s only two scores came on field goals–one in each half. The Pirates ended with 290 total yards, but most of those came after the game was out of reach.
“I think it’s a compliment to our defensive staff and the kinds of kids we have,” says coach Wes Beachler of the defense. “We have a bunch of kids with great motors on that side of the ball. Anytime you get all-out effort on the defensive side, that’s number one. You have to align correctly, you have to know your assignment, and you have to play hard. I think we did all three of those things well.”
The Tigers broke on top with 4:37 left in the first quarter when Jerney Jones ran it in from eight yards out to cap a 4-play, 51-yard drive. Early in the second quarter, Mitchell Heinzler kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 10-0 Republic.
Branson broke onto the scoreboard when Jorge Cedeno kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 10-3 with just over two minutes left in the first half.
Republic wasn’t finished, though. The Tigers took over on their own 11 yard line and marched 89 yards on 10 plays, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run by Jake Smith to make it 17-3 at halftime.
Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game
The Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game came just before halftime, after Branson had kicked a field goal to get within a score of Republic, 10-3. The Tigers took just two minutes to drive the ball 89 yards. Jerney Jones got things started with a 26-yard run, and Jake Smith finished it off with a 15-yard run with 8.5 seconds remaining in the half. The touchdown drive gave Republic a 14-point lead at the break, and it set the tone for the 2nd half as the Tigers pulled away.
The Tigers asserted control in the second half when Kyle Powell picked off a Zac Funderburk pass and ran it back to the 17 yard line on Branson’s first series. The Tigers took four plays to score on a five-yard run by Smith, and it was 24-3.
Republic followed up with a touchdown on its next drive–a two-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 72-yard run by Jace DuVall to make the score 31-3.
After a Branson field goal, David Feil scampered 59 yards for the final Republic touchdown to make it 37-6.
Beachler was much happier with the way the offense played in the second half, after making some adjustments during the break.
“They threw a wrinkle at us and for some reason, we decided we weren’t going to block the way we’ve been taught since camp,” he says. “So we got back to…how we block power and counter, then we were fine. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants.”
Republic takes a 4-1 record on the road to Carthage next week. Carthage is also 4-1, and both teams’ only loss is to Webb City. The Cardinals beat Carthage 21-0 in Week One.