Ryan Sifferman

War Eagle Offense Too Much for Tigers

Football_Heritage The high-powered offense of the Heritage War Eagles exploded for 495 total yards, on the way to a 35-7 win over Republic. Heritage, from Rogers, Ark., used a spread offense to capitalize on its speed advantage against the Republic defensive secondary.

Quarterback Reed Brown was 18-for-26 passing, for 293 yards. He completed passes to six different receivers, including five completions to Travis Entwisle, who led the War Eagles with 93 yards receiving.

Republic moved the ball on offense most of the night, but had trouble getting into the end zone. The Tigers racked up 315 total yards — 247 on the ground. Colton McCarty rushed for 123 yards on 29 carries, and added three catches for 58 yards. Ryan Sifferman carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards, as Republic marched into War Eagle territory several times without getting on the scoreboard. Quarterbak Blaze Carano was 6-of-12 through the air, for 74 yards. He threw two interceptions.

Republic started strong, stopping Heritage on its first possession, and marching down the field to get within striking distance of the end zone. But an interception in the end zone snuffed out the drive, and Heritage went the other direction for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Two more touchdowns on two successive drives gave the War Eagles a 21-0 lead, and the last Tiger drive of the half ended on a long missed field goal by Blake Baumberger.

After another defensive stop by Heritage, the War Eagles scored again on a 36-yard touchdown pass to Grant Driver, to extend the lead to 28-0.

Republic answered with their first score of the night, on a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Ryan Sifferman.

One final score by Heritage, capping off a 10-play, 80-yard drive, accounted for the final score, 35-0.

The War Eagles improve to 3-0. They’ve now outscored their opponents 138-20 in those three victories. Republic falls to 1-3. They travel to Ozark for their first road game of the year next Friday.

Tiger Rally Falls Short Against #4 Bolivar

For the second week in a row, an opposing runner gashed big holes in the Republic Tiger defense, as #4 Bolivar beat Republic 46-28. Senior running back Josh Moffett ran for 256 yards and three touchdowns behind Bolivar’s super-sized offensive line. The Liberators racked up 354 yards on the ground, and another 101 in the air, allowing their big linemen to wear down the Tiger defense.

Colton McCarty had a good night for the Tigers. He scored four touchdowns and had more than 170 all-purpose yards. McCarty’s first score came on a 59-yard pass from Blaze Carano during the Tigers’ opening drive, giving Republic a quick 7-0 lead. After Bolivar scored twice, a McCarty 3-yard run tied the game again at 14.

Bolivar responded with another scoring drive, going 80 yards in ten plays, and missed the extra point to lead 20-14.

The next drive for the Tigers, in the final minute of the half, might have been the key to the game. As Republic tried to mount a drive before halftime, Blaze Carano threw the ball over the middle. Bolivar’s Alex Talley picked it off and went 50 yards the other way for a touchdown, to give Bolivar a 26-14 lead at halftime.

Bolivar took the opening kickoff of the 2nd half and drove 84 yards for another touchdown. A 28-yard reception by Alex Talley capped the drive, and Bolivar led 33-14.

After another Carano interception, Moffett plunged into the end zone from one yard out to give the Liberators a 39-14 lead.

But the Tigers didn’t quit. They scored two quick touchdowns — on runs of 18 and 10 yards by McCarty — to make the score 39-28. The Republic defense got another stop, and the Tigers were moving the ball again, when Bolivar picked off another pass at their own 15 yard line to snuff out the Tigers’ chances. The Liberators marched 85 yards in 11 plays, and scored the final touchdown to put the game out of reach, 46-28.

Carano was 4-for-8 passing, for 126 yards for the Tigers. He threw for one touchdown, but was picked off three times. Ryan Sifferman led the Tigers rushing attack with 67 yards, to go along with McCarty’s 49 yards on the ground.

Bolivar quarterback Kolton Peavey was 6-for-12 passing, for 105 yards. He also ran for 55 yards. Alex Talley had 59 yards receiving for the Liberators, along with the key interception return for a touchdown just before halftime.

The Tigers are back in action next week at home, against Naval Junior ROTC.

(Thanks to Pam Hemphill for the photo of Tiger tailgaters before the game.)