In 1995, Forrest Gump won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars had just joined the National Football League. George Burns was still alive. And Republic won its last football playoff game.
It’s been nearly 20 years since the Tigers tasted success in the state football playoffs. It happened in the sectional round in ’95, when Republic knocked off Rolla 8-7 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Tigers would go on to lose their quarterfinal matchup to eventual state champion Camdenton, 20-19.
Republic has advanced to the playoffs in the years since. The Tigers lost their sectional game to Webb City 55-14 in 2002. (That’s seemingly one of the few years when Webb City did not go on to win. They were steamrolled by champion Kearney in the semifinals that season.)
In 2004, Camdenton knocked off Republic in the sectionals 16-14. In 2005, the Lakers pounded the Tigers 47-6.
In 2011, Republic lost its Week 11 district game at Union. In 2012, Webb City ended the Tigers’ season in Week 11.
The playoff format and Republic’s classification have both changed in recent years, but this week’s district semifinal game against Parkview is roughly equivalent to a sectional game in those previous seasons.