Cassville defeats East Newton, 42-0
October 21, 2020
Lee Stubblefield
The Cassville Wildcats hit the road Friday night and claimed a 42-0 shutout victory over the East Newton Patriots. The Wildcats improved to 6-2 with the win and control their own destiny going forward with district play looming in the near future. Lance Parnell’s team posted a near-flawless effort despite missing 24 players in quarantine.
East Newton.
Once a proud powerhouse in days now hard to remember, the Patriots have become a perennial rebuilding project. In the previous 10 seasons, East Newton has a composite record of 8-93. Eight wins in 10 years. FIVE winless seasons. A high water mark of 3-7 in 2016. A district playoff victory over Houston in 2019 allowed hopes to rise, but the Pats entered Friday’s contest against Cassville with a 1-5 mark.
It was apparent early on that this would not be an East Newton upset. Homecoming? Cassville didn’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon.
35-0 half
The Wildcats rolled methodically to five touchdowns in the first half.
Jericho Farris raced in from 45 yards out on Cassville’s first possession.
Farris scored again, going 49 yards with an option pitch from Hayden Sink.
Sink scored from 9 yards out early in the second quarter.
Zach Coenen blasted in from 5 yards out for a 27-0 lead.
Finally, Coenen took a Sink pass and skipped down the East Newton sideline for a 23-yard score.
Hernan Hernandez took over place kicking duties in Drake Reese’s absence. Twice, the Wildcats converted two-point conversions to help build that 35-0 halftime lead.
East Newton never threatened to score in the half, and mustered only 18 yards of offense. The Cassville defense was stellar, turning in a shutout performance highlighted by Killian Barbee’s juggling interception.
Cassville rolled up 417 yards of offense in a lopsided half of football. Farris picked up 193 yards on just 12 carries and scored twice to lead the Wildcats in rushing. Sink completed all four of his passes for 101 yards and a score.
Déjà vu
The first team offense was on the field for just one play in the second half. Coenen found the corner on a toss sweep and won a foot race down the East Newton sideline for a 74-yard touchdown run. Cassville’s big fullback hit the Patriots with a big dose of déjà vu, after scoring against Seneca on the first play of last week’s second half.
That would end the scoring as a running clock and good clock management shortened the game.
The Wildcats rushed for nearly 500 yards against the Patriots. Farris topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season with his big first half. Coenen rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, and had 59 receiving yards and a score.
The Wildcats return home on Friday night to finish the regular season against McDonald County, focused on earning the top seed and a first round bye in district play. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Big 8 scores
• Cassville 42, East Newton 0
• Lamar 37, Seneca 6
• Aurora 22, Reeds Spring 20
• Hollister 20, Mt. Vernon 13
• Rogersville 28, Marshfield 14
• Nevada 14, McDonald County 13
• Springfield Catholic 21, Monett 6
The Cassville Wildcats hit the road Friday night and claimed a 42-0 shutout victory over the East Newton Patriots. The Wildcats improved to 6-2 with the win and control their own destiny going forward with district play looming in the near future. Lance Parnell’s team posted a near-flawless effort despite missing 24 players in quarantine.
East Newton.
Once a proud powerhouse in days now hard to remember, the Patriots have become a perennial rebuilding project. In the previous 10 seasons, East Newton has a composite record of 8-93. Eight wins in 10 years. FIVE winless seasons. A high water mark of 3-7 in 2016. A district playoff victory over Houston in 2019 allowed hopes to rise, but the Pats entered Friday’s contest against Cassville with a 1-5 mark.
It was apparent early on that this would not be an East Newton upset. Homecoming? Cassville didn’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon.
35-0 half
The Wildcats rolled methodically to five touchdowns in the first half.
Jericho Farris raced in from 45 yards out on Cassville’s first possession.
Farris scored again, going 49 yards with an option pitch from Hayden Sink.
Sink scored from 9 yards out early in the second quarter.
Zach Coenen blasted in from 5 yards out for a 27-0 lead.
Finally, Coenen took a Sink pass and skipped down the East Newton sideline for a 23-yard score.
Hernan Hernandez took over place kicking duties in Drake Reese’s absence. Twice, the Wildcats converted two-point conversions to help build that 35-0 halftime lead.
East Newton never threatened to score in the half, and mustered only 18 yards of offense. The Cassville defense was stellar, turning in a shutout performance highlighted by Killian Barbee’s juggling interception.
Cassville rolled up 417 yards of offense in a lopsided half of football. Farris picked up 193 yards on just 12 carries and scored twice to lead the Wildcats in rushing. Sink completed all four of his passes for 101 yards and a score.
Déjà vu
The first team offense was on the field for just one play in the second half. Coenen found the corner on a toss sweep and won a foot race down the East Newton sideline for a 74-yard touchdown run. Cassville’s big fullback hit the Patriots with a big dose of déjà vu, after scoring against Seneca on the first play of last week’s second half.
That would end the scoring as a running clock and good clock management shortened the game.
The Wildcats rushed for nearly 500 yards against the Patriots. Farris topped the 1,000-yard mark for the season with his big first half. Coenen rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, and had 59 receiving yards and a score.
The Wildcats return home on Friday night to finish the regular season against McDonald County, focused on earning the top seed and a first round bye in district play. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Big 8 scores
• Cassville 42, East Newton 0
• Lamar 37, Seneca 6
• Aurora 22, Reeds Spring 20
• Hollister 20, Mt. Vernon 13
• Rogersville 28, Marshfield 14
• Nevada 14, McDonald County 13
• Springfield Catholic 21, Monett 6