After two straight shutouts, the Republic offense showed signs of life and almost pulled off an upset at Nixa Friday night, before losing 31-26.
The game came down to one final drive for the Tigers, who had clawed their way back from a 31-19 deficit to put themselves in position to win the game. But after driving into Nixa territory on their final possession, an incomplete pass on 4th down ended Republic’s drive and allowed the Eagles to run out the clock.
Penalties hurt the Tigers all night, but an illegal procedure call against Republic on the final drive put them in a tough spot, just as they were pounding the ball downfield toward a potential game-winning score.
“You know, if we don’t get a penalty on the last drive, we probably ram it down their throat into the end zone,” coach Dustin Baldwin says. “But we got a penalty, and it was 2nd and 13 instead of 2nd and 8, and you start battling a little bit.
“It was good to see us doing some things on the ground, for sure. We have to continue get better at running the football in our offense, and that will open up a lot of holes in the passing game.”
Baldwin says he was encouraged by the fight his players showed, even after they got down by two scores with five minutes remaining.
“The kids never quit. They got down, came back, got down, came back, and had a chance to win the game, but we didn’t do it,” he says. “We made too many mistakes to win the game. We played hard and did a lot of good things, so that’s where we’re at.”
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Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game
The Tigers put together more sustained drives Friday night than they had in three previous games this season. One of the biggest was the opening drive of the 2nd half. Republic returned the opening kickoff to the 19 yard line, then marched 81 yards on 10 plays. They scored on a 25-yard run by Skyler Owen to take a 13-7 lead, and it was our Yocum Automotive Drive of the Game.
The 2nd half had been a back-and-forth affair, with Republic seizing a 13-7 lead on its first drive of the half when Skyler Owen scored on a 25-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt bounced off the upright.
Nixa kicked a field goal to get within 13-10, then took the lead for the first time on the first play of the 4th quarter, on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jack Sanders to Nathan Elmer. After Republic was forced to punt, Sean Sample scored on a 21-yard reception to stretch Nixa’s lead to 24-13.
But Republic scored on its very next possession, going 64 yards in ten plays to make the score 24-19 on a Riley Watkins seven-yard TD run. The Tigers went for two and didn’t convert.
After a long Nixa kickoff return, the Eagles scored again, achieving their biggest lead at 31-19. They scored on a Sanders eight-yard touchdown run with 5:08 remaining.
Republic was running out of time, but didn’t take long to get back within one score. A 58-yard pass from Watkins to Flood set up a quick score, and Skyler Owen capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run. That cut the lead to 31-26, and Republic got a stop on Nixa’s next possession, forcing the Eagles to punt.
The Tigers took over near midfield and drove inside the 20-yard line, but a procedure penalty moved them back on first down, and eventually led to a 4th-and-long. Watkins fired a pass over the middle intended for Jaden DuVall. DuVall may have been held up by a defender on his way downfield, and the pass fell incomplete, ending Republic’s chances.
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Republic had controlled much of the 1st half with its defense, shutting down Nixa until midway through the 2nd quarter. The Tigers took the lead with 7:16 left in the 2nd quarter on a 32-yard pass from Riley Watkins to Cam Flood.
Nixa found success with its passing game late in the half, and used that success to tie the score as time expired. The Eagles drove down the field through the air and connected on an eight-yard TD pass from Jack Sanders to Mason Simmons with no time on the clock to tie the game 7-7.
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Riley Watkins was 11 of 23 throwing the ball for 203 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 85 yards on 24 carries.
Cam Flood had five receptions for 147 yards and a TD. Skyler Owen had 48 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Blake Hulland and Owen also each had two catches and 20+ yards for the Tigers.
Baldwin expected his team to be competitive late in the game against Nixa, but says everything didn’t go exactly according to plan.
“Some of the things we thought we could do, we didn’t do; then some of the things we really hadn’t practiced a lot, we did really well,” Baldwin says. “In this offense, we try to take advantage of how they’re lining up, so second half we were able to make some plays offensively.
“Defensively, we were great against the run and bad against the pass tonight. That’s all there is to it. Run defense was tremendous, and we just looked completely lost a few times on the pass defense. A little good, a little bad, but we’ve got to get better.”
Republic falls to 1-3, and travels to Ozark next week.