A Republic turnover handed Willard the ball on the 4-yard line on their first possession, and that was a sign of things to come in a 40-7 Willard victory.
On a thirddown play on Republic’s opening drive, a high snap slipped through the hands of quarterback Devon Ward. He chased it down, but before he could pick the ball up, a Willard defender knocked it free. By the time the play ended, Willard had grabbed the ball on the four-yard-line. They scored on the very next play to make it 6-0.
“A bad snap is going to happen but then they get it on the four (yard line), that makes it pretty tough,” says Coach Wes Beachler. “You try to bow your neck and get a stop, and if you don’t get a stop, you’ve got to come back the next time on offense and answer, and we weren’t able to do that. It did make for a rough start.”
After a defensive stop, Willard scored on its second play from scrimmage, an 82-yard touchdown run by Brock Howard, and it was 12-0. It was 33-0 at halftime.
Republic, playing without injured quarterback Riley Watkins, was never able to muster any momentum offensively. Their only score of the game came with one minute remaining, when Devon Ward ran the ball into the end zone from 12 yards out.
Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game
The lone offensive bright spot for the Tigers came on their final drive of the game. They took over at their own 45 yard line. They went nine plays in six minutes and scored on a 12-yard touchdown run by Devon Ward. It was the Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game.
“We tried to add some wrinkles and take advantage of what Devon Ward does offensively, and unfortunately we didn’t look very good at times,” says Beachler. “At times, we had some things open that we just didn’t hit on.”
Republic managed only 106 total yards for the night, to 268 for Willard. Devon Ward ran for 69 yards and a touchdown. He was 4-for-18 passing for 14 yards.
Republic ends its regular season with a 2-7 record. They’ll be the #6 seed when district play begins next week.