Wildcats deny Cubs in Barry County brawl, 21-14
September 18, 2019
Lee Stubblefield
After building a seemingly insurmountable 21-0 lead late in the third quarter at Wildcat Stadium, the Cassville Wildcats had to withstand a furious Monett comeback to earn a 21-14 victory in the Barry County Brawl on Friday night. For the second week in a row, the Wildcats survived a serious challenge from a powerhouse team.
Rivalry games just don’t get any more hype than the annual clash between the Wildcats and the Cubs. Just because the games played prior to 2013 weren’t branded doesn’t mean they didn’t qualify as brawls. But more often than not, these games have been one sided. Cassville had a 7-3 record versus Monett in the previous ten matchups. Only one of those games, a 21-20 Monett victory in 2016, was decided by less than ten points.
If history is any guide, there is a premium on scoring first in this series. But this was a defensive struggle in the early going.
Monett won the toss and elected to receive. While that goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, it is a staple in Monett's playbook. With a big offensive line and a talented set of backs and receivers, the Monett coaching staff trust their offense to go score and put pressure on the other team.
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Lee Stubblefield
After building a seemingly insurmountable 21-0 lead late in the third quarter at Wildcat Stadium, the Cassville Wildcats had to withstand a furious Monett comeback to earn a 21-14 victory in the Barry County Brawl on Friday night. For the second week in a row, the Wildcats survived a serious challenge from a powerhouse team.
Rivalry games just don’t get any more hype than the annual clash between the Wildcats and the Cubs. Just because the games played prior to 2013 weren’t branded doesn’t mean they didn’t qualify as brawls. But more often than not, these games have been one sided. Cassville had a 7-3 record versus Monett in the previous ten matchups. Only one of those games, a 21-20 Monett victory in 2016, was decided by less than ten points.
If history is any guide, there is a premium on scoring first in this series. But this was a defensive struggle in the early going.
Monett won the toss and elected to receive. While that goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, it is a staple in Monett's playbook. With a big offensive line and a talented set of backs and receivers, the Monett coaching staff trust their offense to go score and put pressure on the other team.
~continued~