February 6, 2012

Several Tigers Earn Postseason Football Honors

Several Republic football players have earned postseason honors for 2011. They’re led by Gus Carter — a second-team All-State selection on offensive line — and Camry Cowan and Hayden Puckett, who both earned Academic All-State honors.

Carter was named to the All-State teams by both sportswriters and coaches. He also earned All-Ozarks honors from the Springfield News-Leader.

Cowan and Puckett’s Academic All-State honors came from the state coaches association.

In addition to Carter, several other Tigers made the All-District Team, compiled by southwest Missouri coaches. Garrett Metscher joins Carter on the first team at defensive back. Jake Laswell made the second team as both a linebacker and a running back. Lance Gregory was named to the second team as an offensive lineman. And another offensive lineman, Tanner Reichert, earned honorable mention.

Three Tigers earned all-district honors from the Springfield News-Leader. They were Laswell (linebacker), Metscher (defensive back) and Carter (offensive line).

In the COC large division, Carter and Gregory are on the all-conference second team offensive line, with Reichert earning honorable mention. Laswell is a second-team linebacker, and Metscher gained honorable mention at defensive back.

Hillcrest Romps Over Republic in Season Finale

Republic turned the ball over four times in the first quarter and never recovered, losing to Hillcrest in their last game of the season, 49-14. The Tigers fumbled twice and threw two interceptions in the first period, leading to a 28-0 deficit before the quarter was over.

Hillcrest star Dorial Beckham-Green had six receptions for 172 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Michael McShane had 23 carries for 118 yards for the Hornets.

The lone bright spot for Republic was senior Ryan Sifferman. He rushed for 172 yards on 28 carries.

The season ends for Republic with a 1-9 record. Hillcrest improves to 5-5, and will take its district championship into the first round of the playoffs next Wednesday.

District Preview

The Republic Tigers hope to salvage a rough season with a turnaround in district play, starting tonight. The Tigers travel to Marshfield to face the Blue Jays in their district opener.

The Blue Jays are 4-3 this season. They’re led by running back Dillon Harms, who rushed for 120 yards in Marshfield’s last game against Reeds Spring. Quarterback Payton Bransfield completed 16 of 26 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

The other district matchup tonight features West Plains (0-7) against Hillcrest (3-4).

Carthage Beats Up Republic

Carthage geared up for its upcoming showdown with Webb City by routing Republic, 49-7. The Carthage offense racked up 417 total yards — 221 of them on the ground.

Running back Brian Poston carried the ball 12 times for 107 yards and four touchdowns. In all, seven Carthage players carried the ball for positive yardage.

Republic’s offense struggled all night. The Tigers gained just 121 total yards. Ryan Sifferman carried the ball 13 times for just 26 yards. Jacob Cooper had 29 yards on seven carries.

Republic’s only score came on a fumble recovery by Jerry Brown, who scooped up a loose ball and ran 48 yards for the score.

The loss drops Republic to 1-6. District play begins Friday with a game against Marshfield, followed by West Plains and Hillcrest to finish the regular season.

Photos: Republic vs. Webb City

Webb City Dominates Tigers

Webb City showed why it’s one of the top-ranked teams in the state, in a dominating 41-6 victory over Republic Friday. [Read more...]

Ozark Running Game Too Much for Republic

Ozark’s misdirection offense gashed through the Republic defense for 449 rushing yards Friday, on the way to a 27-14 win. Sophomore Cody Lindsey ran for 171 yards on just 15 carries to lead Ozark. Willy Gray added 121 rushing yards. Nine players had positive rushing yards for Ozark on the night.

Despite being outgained by more than two-to-one in the first half, Republic kept the game close. Ozark scored first on a six-yard touchdown run by Gray late in the 1st quarter. They scored again with about four minutes left in the half to take a 13-0 lead.

Republic answered two minutes later. A 27-yard run by Jacob Cooper cut the lead to 13-7. (See video.) Republic’s defense stopped an Ozark drive as time expired in the 2nd quarter.

But Ozark scored on its first possession of the 2nd half, when Seth Wheeler broke off a 54-yard run on a 4th-and-1 play at midfield. A touchdown run by Will Nabors pushed the lead to 27-7 with 5:48 remaining in the game.

Republic’s only other score came on the next drive. Camry Cowan completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Metsch to cut the lead to 27-14, accounting for the final margin. (See video.)

Republic’s offense struggled for much of the night. Jacob Cooper ended up with 93 rushing yards on only seven carries. Ryan Sifferman carried the ball 13 times for 45 yards. Jacie Austin rushed for 31 yards on 14 carries.

Republic falls to 1-4. Ozark is 2-2.

Photos: Football vs. Neosho

Here are the photos from last night’s game at Neosho.

Week 2 Preview: Kurt Thompson

Football Coach Kurt Thompson is happy with his team’s season-opening win over Willard, but he knows the Tigers will face a tougher task this week when Nixa comes to town. I talked to him about what Republic needs to do to knock off the Eagles.

Video Highlights: Republic vs. Willard

Here are highlights of the Tigers’ opening win over Willard!