Cassville claims homecoming victory, 21-7
October 2, 2019
Lee Stubblefield
The Cassville Wildcats shook off some first-half cobwebs and wrested a 21-7 victory from East Newton on Homecoming at Wildcat Stadium on Friday night. Zach Coenen scored twice, and Deven Bates rocked a 72-yard, highlight-reel scoring run as the Wildcats recovered from a 7-0 halftime deficit.
East Newton might be the best four-loss team in the state. The Patriots ended a long consecutive-game losing streak with a 35-8 victory over Nevada in week 4 and hoped to end another streak in week 5. It has been 16 years since the Patriots earned a win against the Cassville Wildcats.
Back in 2002, in David Large’s first season at Cassville, the Wildcats lost to East Newton and everybody else in a rebuilding year. The next year, Cassville beat East Newton for Large’s first Big 8 victory, and the die was set. Ever since, all the Ws in this series have belonged to Cassville.
But the East Newton faithful believed this year could be different. The Patriots, under new coach Kyle Wood, were close in all three losses, and actually led in the second half in every game. With Cassville coming off a tough loss and maybe a bit distracted by homecoming festivities, the Patriots hoped to turn this into a trap game for the Wildcats.
Wood, no stranger to Cassville or the Big 8, had his team pumped for this challenge. The Patriots took the opening kickoff and drove 70 yards in 9 plays to quiet the Cassville crowd. Jeremiah Stewart’s 15-yard laser to Jackson Schriever gave East Newton an early 7-0 lead.
Cassville wasted a scoring opportunity late in the first quarter. A long DJ White kickoff return and a horsecollar penalty set the Wildcats up at the East Newton 39-yard line. The Wildcats reached the red zone in three plays before the drive stalled.
Then, a Drake Reese field goal sailed wide right.
A scoreless second quarter saw East Newton clinging to a 7-0 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats covered an East Newton squib kick to open the third quarter. Then, Bates directed a 13-play, 76-yard drive to tie the score at 7-7. No passes, no razzle dazzle. Just 13 battering ram runs by Coenen, Bates and Bowen Preddy.
Preddy, nursing nagging injuries from the previous two games, did not appear in the first half stats. But in this all hands on deck crisis, #34 dotted the I in the backfield. Preddy’s 14-yard burst to the East Newton 28-yard line was the longest gain of the drive. Then Coenen gashed the Patriot line on four consecutive carries for the final 15 yards as Cassville knotted the score at 7-7 with 6:30 to play in the third quarter.
The fired up Cassville defense forced an East Newton punt, and the Wildcats took over at their own 22-yard line.
On 2nd-and 3 from the 28-yard line, Bates completely fooled the defense with a fake to Preddy and broke off left tackle into the secondary. He raced down the Cassville sideline and left the safety in the grass at the East Newton 30-yard line with an ankle-breaking cutback on his way to complete a 72-yard scoring run. Reese added the PAT and Cassville grabbed the lead, 14-7.
The teams traded punts as the fourth quarter rolled around, and the Patriots faced a 4th-and-3 at their own 32-yard line with just 5:03 remaining in the game. Coach Wood never hesitated, keeping his offense on the field. Punting in that situation would concede the game.
But Stewart’s desperation pass overshot Wyatt Moore and the Wildcats took over deep in East Newton territory. Three plays later, Coenen burst through the line for a 21-yard touchdown as Cassville built a 21-7 lead.
The Patriots drove to the Cassville 17-yard line, but Carson Jacobson intercepted Stewart on fourth down to protect the lead. The Wildcats ran out the clock with four snaps to claim the 21-7 victory.
A tale of two halves
After a lackluster opening, the Wildcats turned it around in the second half. Cassville’s ground game, dormant in the first two quarters, chewed up the clock and the East Newton defense. The Wildcats rushed for a mere 63 yards in the first half but bulled for 217 in the second. Bates only completed three passes in seven attempts in the game, as Cassville rang up 296 yards of total offense.
Bates led a balanced Cassville rushing attack with 100 yards on 5 carries. Coenen ran 13 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Ferris picked up 44 yards on 8 first-half carries, and Preddy added 34 yards on 7 second half runs.
For the East Newton offense, it was the exact opposite. The Patriots rushed for nearly 200 yards in the first half, but could only muster 105 in the second. Stewart completed 13 of his 25 throws but also suffered a pair of costly interceptions.
Cassville improved to 4-1 with the victory and will play the McDonald County Mustangs at Anderson on Friday night. East Newton slipped to 1-4 and will host the Lamar Tigers.
Big 8 results
Mt. Vernon 46, Aurora 0
Seneca 15, Lamar 11
Monett 46, Rogersville 14
Cassville 21, East Newton 7
Reeds Spring 28, Springfield Catholic 15
Marshfield 42, Hollister 21
McDonald County 35, Nevada 0
Big 8 West standings
Seneca 4-1
Cassville 4-1
Monett 3-2
Lamar 3-2
McDonald County 2-3
East Newton 1-4
Nevada 0-5
Big 8 East standings
Mt. Vernon 5-0
Reeds Spring 3-2
Springfield Catholic 3-2
Hollister 2-3
Rogersville 2-3
Marshfield 2-3
Aurora 1-4.
Lee Stubblefield
The Cassville Wildcats shook off some first-half cobwebs and wrested a 21-7 victory from East Newton on Homecoming at Wildcat Stadium on Friday night. Zach Coenen scored twice, and Deven Bates rocked a 72-yard, highlight-reel scoring run as the Wildcats recovered from a 7-0 halftime deficit.
East Newton might be the best four-loss team in the state. The Patriots ended a long consecutive-game losing streak with a 35-8 victory over Nevada in week 4 and hoped to end another streak in week 5. It has been 16 years since the Patriots earned a win against the Cassville Wildcats.
Back in 2002, in David Large’s first season at Cassville, the Wildcats lost to East Newton and everybody else in a rebuilding year. The next year, Cassville beat East Newton for Large’s first Big 8 victory, and the die was set. Ever since, all the Ws in this series have belonged to Cassville.
But the East Newton faithful believed this year could be different. The Patriots, under new coach Kyle Wood, were close in all three losses, and actually led in the second half in every game. With Cassville coming off a tough loss and maybe a bit distracted by homecoming festivities, the Patriots hoped to turn this into a trap game for the Wildcats.
Wood, no stranger to Cassville or the Big 8, had his team pumped for this challenge. The Patriots took the opening kickoff and drove 70 yards in 9 plays to quiet the Cassville crowd. Jeremiah Stewart’s 15-yard laser to Jackson Schriever gave East Newton an early 7-0 lead.
Cassville wasted a scoring opportunity late in the first quarter. A long DJ White kickoff return and a horsecollar penalty set the Wildcats up at the East Newton 39-yard line. The Wildcats reached the red zone in three plays before the drive stalled.
Then, a Drake Reese field goal sailed wide right.
A scoreless second quarter saw East Newton clinging to a 7-0 lead at halftime.
The Wildcats covered an East Newton squib kick to open the third quarter. Then, Bates directed a 13-play, 76-yard drive to tie the score at 7-7. No passes, no razzle dazzle. Just 13 battering ram runs by Coenen, Bates and Bowen Preddy.
Preddy, nursing nagging injuries from the previous two games, did not appear in the first half stats. But in this all hands on deck crisis, #34 dotted the I in the backfield. Preddy’s 14-yard burst to the East Newton 28-yard line was the longest gain of the drive. Then Coenen gashed the Patriot line on four consecutive carries for the final 15 yards as Cassville knotted the score at 7-7 with 6:30 to play in the third quarter.
The fired up Cassville defense forced an East Newton punt, and the Wildcats took over at their own 22-yard line.
On 2nd-and 3 from the 28-yard line, Bates completely fooled the defense with a fake to Preddy and broke off left tackle into the secondary. He raced down the Cassville sideline and left the safety in the grass at the East Newton 30-yard line with an ankle-breaking cutback on his way to complete a 72-yard scoring run. Reese added the PAT and Cassville grabbed the lead, 14-7.
The teams traded punts as the fourth quarter rolled around, and the Patriots faced a 4th-and-3 at their own 32-yard line with just 5:03 remaining in the game. Coach Wood never hesitated, keeping his offense on the field. Punting in that situation would concede the game.
But Stewart’s desperation pass overshot Wyatt Moore and the Wildcats took over deep in East Newton territory. Three plays later, Coenen burst through the line for a 21-yard touchdown as Cassville built a 21-7 lead.
The Patriots drove to the Cassville 17-yard line, but Carson Jacobson intercepted Stewart on fourth down to protect the lead. The Wildcats ran out the clock with four snaps to claim the 21-7 victory.
A tale of two halves
After a lackluster opening, the Wildcats turned it around in the second half. Cassville’s ground game, dormant in the first two quarters, chewed up the clock and the East Newton defense. The Wildcats rushed for a mere 63 yards in the first half but bulled for 217 in the second. Bates only completed three passes in seven attempts in the game, as Cassville rang up 296 yards of total offense.
Bates led a balanced Cassville rushing attack with 100 yards on 5 carries. Coenen ran 13 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns. Ferris picked up 44 yards on 8 first-half carries, and Preddy added 34 yards on 7 second half runs.
For the East Newton offense, it was the exact opposite. The Patriots rushed for nearly 200 yards in the first half, but could only muster 105 in the second. Stewart completed 13 of his 25 throws but also suffered a pair of costly interceptions.
Cassville improved to 4-1 with the victory and will play the McDonald County Mustangs at Anderson on Friday night. East Newton slipped to 1-4 and will host the Lamar Tigers.
Big 8 results
Mt. Vernon 46, Aurora 0
Seneca 15, Lamar 11
Monett 46, Rogersville 14
Cassville 21, East Newton 7
Reeds Spring 28, Springfield Catholic 15
Marshfield 42, Hollister 21
McDonald County 35, Nevada 0
Big 8 West standings
Seneca 4-1
Cassville 4-1
Monett 3-2
Lamar 3-2
McDonald County 2-3
East Newton 1-4
Nevada 0-5
Big 8 East standings
Mt. Vernon 5-0
Reeds Spring 3-2
Springfield Catholic 3-2
Hollister 2-3
Rogersville 2-3
Marshfield 2-3
Aurora 1-4.