Our look back at the top stories of the year is sponsored by the Republic Mud Run, southwest Missouri’s only mud run that’s exclusively for youth! The first got Mud? Run will be held Saturday, August 29, at Brookline Park. It will feature three age divisions (5-7, 8-10, and 11-15), with age-appropriate obstacles for each. Get more information at RepublicMudRun.com, or get registered online right now.
#3: The Turnaround Begins
In 2007, the football Tigers won more games than they lost. It took almost a decade for that to happen again.
But in 2014, Republic’s second season under coach Wes Beachler, the Tigers showed a spark of life that had been missing in previous years.After dispatching Sedalia Smith-Cotton and Marshfield, Republic walloped Ozark (more on that game later in our series). They went on to record wins over Branson, Neosho, and Glendale, finishing with a 6-5 record.
Not only that, but the football program made strides at every level. When the freshman team beat Webb City convincingly, 28-0, it was the first time a Republic team had beaten the Cardinals at any high school level.
Though the Tigers ended their season with a disappointing 27-20 loss on the road at Springfield Parkview, the 2014 Tigers set the stage for the turnaround Republic has been waiting for. For that, you voted their season the #3 story of the year in Republic Tiger Sports.