Cassville ground game overwhelms Mt. Vernon in district play
The Cassville Wildcats look to redeem themselves against Monett this Friday. In week 5, the
Wildcats suffered a 38-0 loss to the Cubs. Photo by Jeremy Huse.
October 29, 2014
Lee Stubblefield
It's that time of year in Missouri high school football. Win or go home.
The Cassville Wildcats put on an impressive rushing performance to move on in district play with a 54-20 win over Mt. Vernon on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium. River Phelps and Leigh Cox scored four touchdowns each in the game, seemingly daring each other to a game of "Can you top this?" Phelps finished with 235 yards rushing on the night, while Cox totalled 118 but added a 79-yard kickoff return for one of his four scores.
The continued strong play of the backfield tandem has helped lift the Wildcats to a four-game winning streak. When Chase Jackson went down for the season, most of the offensive burden fell on Gabe Kirk who struggled as a workhorse in single-harness. But with the development of Phelps and Cox, the Cassville offense has become a multi-faceted force.
The Wildcat defense turned in another strong performance as well. The Mountaineers' first touchdown came midway through the first quarter to give the visitors a 7-0 lead. Cassville responded with 35 unanswered points and held a 35-7 lead until Mt. Vernon's Andrew Montemayor returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score at the 6:54 mark of the third quarter. The visitors squeezed out a last-second touchdown with the game ending to create the final score of 54-20.
Mt. Vernon was fired up to start the contest, but faded against the relentless Cassville ground game. Cassville's Leigh Cox returned the opening kickoff 62 yards to the Mt. Vernon 15-yard line, but a first-down, first-snap fumble gave the Mountaineers the ball. Mt. Vernon then put together a 12-play, 77-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead at the 7:30 mark of the first quarter. It was the only lead the visitors would have, a stark contrast to the back-and-forth battle these teams waged back in week 7.
Cox returned the next kickoff 79 yards for the tying score, and the Wildcats took control after that.
Trailing 28-7 in the final half-minute of the first half, the Mountaineers had the ball on their own 29-yard line with a timeout remaining. With time to run two - maybe three - plays, Mt. Vernon's Tom Cox elected to let the clock run out instead.
Two quarters later, the clock ran out on Mt. Vernon's season.
Cassville vs Monett, again.
Back in week 5 of the season, Monett pinned a demoralizing 38-0 loss on the Wildcats, the second "L" of a three-game losing streak. The Cubs out played the 'Cats on the line of scrimmage and took advantage of superior team speed to run away with that game.
For Cassville to take the rematch, the Wildcats have to:
1. Be more physical and control the line of scrimmage
Monett gambled last time with a lot of run blitzes that resulted in negative yardage plays for Cassville. The Wildcats have to respond with with a better blocking scheme and less-predictable play calling.
2. Negate Monett's team speed, especially on special teams.
Squib kickoffs, punting out of bounds, even a fake punt might be in order for this game. Cassville needs to avoid giving up the big special teams play.
3. Avoid turnovers,
'nuff said.
4. Avoid penalties,
'nuff said.
5. Get out of the gate
Frank Broyles liked to say that when you're the underdog, "The longer you're tied, the more you're ahead."
Having won the first meeting with a big shutout, the Cubs expect similar results this time around, no matter what cliches and coach-speak you hear on the radio. If the Wildcats can stay even to halftime, they will have a huge psychological advantage coming out of the locker room.
It's Halloween. Will Cassville provide a Fright Night for Monett? Or will the Cubs again be "better than the average bear"?
Lee Stubblefield
It's that time of year in Missouri high school football. Win or go home.
The Cassville Wildcats put on an impressive rushing performance to move on in district play with a 54-20 win over Mt. Vernon on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium. River Phelps and Leigh Cox scored four touchdowns each in the game, seemingly daring each other to a game of "Can you top this?" Phelps finished with 235 yards rushing on the night, while Cox totalled 118 but added a 79-yard kickoff return for one of his four scores.
The continued strong play of the backfield tandem has helped lift the Wildcats to a four-game winning streak. When Chase Jackson went down for the season, most of the offensive burden fell on Gabe Kirk who struggled as a workhorse in single-harness. But with the development of Phelps and Cox, the Cassville offense has become a multi-faceted force.
The Wildcat defense turned in another strong performance as well. The Mountaineers' first touchdown came midway through the first quarter to give the visitors a 7-0 lead. Cassville responded with 35 unanswered points and held a 35-7 lead until Mt. Vernon's Andrew Montemayor returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score at the 6:54 mark of the third quarter. The visitors squeezed out a last-second touchdown with the game ending to create the final score of 54-20.
Mt. Vernon was fired up to start the contest, but faded against the relentless Cassville ground game. Cassville's Leigh Cox returned the opening kickoff 62 yards to the Mt. Vernon 15-yard line, but a first-down, first-snap fumble gave the Mountaineers the ball. Mt. Vernon then put together a 12-play, 77-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead at the 7:30 mark of the first quarter. It was the only lead the visitors would have, a stark contrast to the back-and-forth battle these teams waged back in week 7.
Cox returned the next kickoff 79 yards for the tying score, and the Wildcats took control after that.
Trailing 28-7 in the final half-minute of the first half, the Mountaineers had the ball on their own 29-yard line with a timeout remaining. With time to run two - maybe three - plays, Mt. Vernon's Tom Cox elected to let the clock run out instead.
Two quarters later, the clock ran out on Mt. Vernon's season.
Cassville vs Monett, again.
Back in week 5 of the season, Monett pinned a demoralizing 38-0 loss on the Wildcats, the second "L" of a three-game losing streak. The Cubs out played the 'Cats on the line of scrimmage and took advantage of superior team speed to run away with that game.
For Cassville to take the rematch, the Wildcats have to:
1. Be more physical and control the line of scrimmage
Monett gambled last time with a lot of run blitzes that resulted in negative yardage plays for Cassville. The Wildcats have to respond with with a better blocking scheme and less-predictable play calling.
2. Negate Monett's team speed, especially on special teams.
Squib kickoffs, punting out of bounds, even a fake punt might be in order for this game. Cassville needs to avoid giving up the big special teams play.
3. Avoid turnovers,
'nuff said.
4. Avoid penalties,
'nuff said.
5. Get out of the gate
Frank Broyles liked to say that when you're the underdog, "The longer you're tied, the more you're ahead."
Having won the first meeting with a big shutout, the Cubs expect similar results this time around, no matter what cliches and coach-speak you hear on the radio. If the Wildcats can stay even to halftime, they will have a huge psychological advantage coming out of the locker room.
It's Halloween. Will Cassville provide a Fright Night for Monett? Or will the Cubs again be "better than the average bear"?
