Cassville takes 42-7 victory over Reeds Spring on Senior Night
October 23, 2019
Lee Stubblefield
Brush aside the wins, the titles, the hype of Cassville Wildcat football. Lance Parnell rarely dwells on those aspects of the game, emphasizing instead the importance of taking steps to move forward as a program.
This Cassville team took another step forward on Friday, celebrating Senior Night with a 42-7 victory over Reeds Spring at Wildcat Stadium. The home fans applauded as the Wildcats exploded with big plays on offense and capitalized on turnovers as the Wildcats surpassed the 40-point plateau for the fifth time this season.
Reeds Spring came into this game with a 4-3 record, and a mixed resume’. The Wolves opened the season with a 61-6 pounding of Nevada. Then a 28-15 upset of Springfield Catholic in week 5 raised eyebrows. The three losses came to Seneca, Mt. Vernon, and Marshfield, all good teams that were favored in those games.
After running clock wins over McDonald County and Nevada, this litmus test game would reveal a lot about who the
Wildcats really are.
Shock and awe
One thing the Wildcats are is explosive. The Cassville defense stopped Reeds Spring on the game’s opening drive, and blocked a punt to gain possession at the Wolves’ 35-yard line. Cassville scored in 6 plays, as DJ White snared a pass from Deven Bates for the first score of the night. Drake Reese added the PAT for a 7-0 Cassville lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
The Wolves fumbled the ball back to Cassville on their next offensive series, with Zach Coenen recovering an errant pitch at the Reeds Spring 35-yard line.
White scored again on the fourth play of this short-field drive, breaking tackles in the secondary to turn a quick slant into a 22-yard touchdown reception. Reese added another PAT for a 14-0 lead with 1:03 left in the quarter.
But Reeds Spring answered with a 17-play, 71-yard drive to cut Cassville’s lead in half. Fullback Colton Cramblett led a hammering, ball-control running attack to get the Wolves on the scoreboard. Reeds Spring converted twice on fourth down - once on a fake punt - to keep the drive alive. Quarterback Sean Gross turned a busted play into a touchdown with a 6-yard scramble to finish the drive. Cramblett added the PAT to create a 14-7 score with 4:36 left in the half.
The Cassville offense was forced to punt after a holding penalty erased a long run by Bowen Preddy. The Wolves took over at their own 21-yard line.
On first down, Gross flicked a quick out into the left flat. Cassville’s junior cornerback Jerome Ewing jumped the route and raced 25-yards with the pick six as the Wildcats built a 21-7 halftime lead.
The turnovers and short field opportunities turned the first half into a statistical anomaly. Reeds Spring rushed for 153 yards and added 7 through the air for 160 yards of total offense in those first two quarters. Buoyed by the two short field possessions and defensive score, Cassville had only 38 yards rushing and 55 passing for a mere 93 yards of total offense. But it was the Wildcats who owned the 21-7 lead. Statistics can be misleading.
The fireworks continued as the third quarter opened. Coenen burst through the line for a 68-yard run to the Reeds Spring 7-yard line. Only a desperate dive by safety Matt Allison denied Coenen the endzone. Bates followed with a nifty keeper off right tackle to score. Reese nailed another PAT as Cassville extended the lead to 28-7.
The Cassville defense held Reeds Spring to a three-and-out, and the Wildcats took over at their own 38-yard line with 9:29 on the third quarter clock.
The bomb
With a first down at the Reeds Spring 47-yard line, the Wildcats lined up with Reese split left, White at tight end, and Preddy split right in a pro set. With speed at all three positions, who gets the coverage? The Wolves blanketed White with three defenders, but Bates bombed away to Preddy behind the lone safety for a long touchdown. Reese added PAT #5 for a 35-7 Cassville lead with 7:35 left in the quarter.
The Cassville defense held the Wolves to a single first down, forcing another punt. White returned the kick to the 38-yard line.
Cassville’s offensive line plowed the field, freeing Preddy for back to back gains of 23 and 9 yards. Then Coenen broke through the line for a 30-yard scoring run to ice the game. Reese legged another PAT for a 42-7 final score.
The Wildcats looked impressive in all phases of the game as they improved their record to 7-1. A big test looms on Friday with a long road trip to Lamar for the regular season finale. The Tigers have waited a year for a redemptive shot at the Wildcats after seeing their 57-game winning streak end at Cassville last season.
This game has lots of implications for conference and district standings, besides being an annual rivalry. While Monett is Cassville’s natural rival - can’t remember any other school painting the Cassville water tower - the competition with Lamar has been fierce. Cassville has not won on Lamar’s field since 2012 when the Wildcats posted a 31-0 shutout.
Kickoff is set for 7 PM at Lamar.
BIg 8 West scores
Cassville 42, Reeds Spring 7
Monett 47, McDonald County 0
Lamar 42, Nevada 0
Seneca 41, East Newton 26
Big 8 East scores
Mt. Vernon 20, Springfield Catholic 14
Marshfield 40, Aurora 22
Hollister 30, Rogersville 20
Big 8 West standings
Cassville 7-1
Monett 6-2
Seneca 5-3
Lamar 5-3
McDonald County 2-6
East Newton 1-7
Nevada 0-8
Big 8 East standings
Mt. Vernon 8-0
Springfield Catholic 5-3
Marshfield 5-3
Reeds Spring 4-4
Hollister 3-5
Rogersville 2-6
Aurora 1-7
Class 3 District 6 standings
Mt. Vernon 8-0
Cassville 7-1
Monett 6-2
Seneca 5-3
Reeds Spring 4-4
Hollister 3-5
Aurora 1-7
Nevada 0-8
Lee Stubblefield
Brush aside the wins, the titles, the hype of Cassville Wildcat football. Lance Parnell rarely dwells on those aspects of the game, emphasizing instead the importance of taking steps to move forward as a program.
This Cassville team took another step forward on Friday, celebrating Senior Night with a 42-7 victory over Reeds Spring at Wildcat Stadium. The home fans applauded as the Wildcats exploded with big plays on offense and capitalized on turnovers as the Wildcats surpassed the 40-point plateau for the fifth time this season.
Reeds Spring came into this game with a 4-3 record, and a mixed resume’. The Wolves opened the season with a 61-6 pounding of Nevada. Then a 28-15 upset of Springfield Catholic in week 5 raised eyebrows. The three losses came to Seneca, Mt. Vernon, and Marshfield, all good teams that were favored in those games.
After running clock wins over McDonald County and Nevada, this litmus test game would reveal a lot about who the
Wildcats really are.
Shock and awe
One thing the Wildcats are is explosive. The Cassville defense stopped Reeds Spring on the game’s opening drive, and blocked a punt to gain possession at the Wolves’ 35-yard line. Cassville scored in 6 plays, as DJ White snared a pass from Deven Bates for the first score of the night. Drake Reese added the PAT for a 7-0 Cassville lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
The Wolves fumbled the ball back to Cassville on their next offensive series, with Zach Coenen recovering an errant pitch at the Reeds Spring 35-yard line.
White scored again on the fourth play of this short-field drive, breaking tackles in the secondary to turn a quick slant into a 22-yard touchdown reception. Reese added another PAT for a 14-0 lead with 1:03 left in the quarter.
But Reeds Spring answered with a 17-play, 71-yard drive to cut Cassville’s lead in half. Fullback Colton Cramblett led a hammering, ball-control running attack to get the Wolves on the scoreboard. Reeds Spring converted twice on fourth down - once on a fake punt - to keep the drive alive. Quarterback Sean Gross turned a busted play into a touchdown with a 6-yard scramble to finish the drive. Cramblett added the PAT to create a 14-7 score with 4:36 left in the half.
The Cassville offense was forced to punt after a holding penalty erased a long run by Bowen Preddy. The Wolves took over at their own 21-yard line.
On first down, Gross flicked a quick out into the left flat. Cassville’s junior cornerback Jerome Ewing jumped the route and raced 25-yards with the pick six as the Wildcats built a 21-7 halftime lead.
The turnovers and short field opportunities turned the first half into a statistical anomaly. Reeds Spring rushed for 153 yards and added 7 through the air for 160 yards of total offense in those first two quarters. Buoyed by the two short field possessions and defensive score, Cassville had only 38 yards rushing and 55 passing for a mere 93 yards of total offense. But it was the Wildcats who owned the 21-7 lead. Statistics can be misleading.
The fireworks continued as the third quarter opened. Coenen burst through the line for a 68-yard run to the Reeds Spring 7-yard line. Only a desperate dive by safety Matt Allison denied Coenen the endzone. Bates followed with a nifty keeper off right tackle to score. Reese nailed another PAT as Cassville extended the lead to 28-7.
The Cassville defense held Reeds Spring to a three-and-out, and the Wildcats took over at their own 38-yard line with 9:29 on the third quarter clock.
The bomb
With a first down at the Reeds Spring 47-yard line, the Wildcats lined up with Reese split left, White at tight end, and Preddy split right in a pro set. With speed at all three positions, who gets the coverage? The Wolves blanketed White with three defenders, but Bates bombed away to Preddy behind the lone safety for a long touchdown. Reese added PAT #5 for a 35-7 Cassville lead with 7:35 left in the quarter.
The Cassville defense held the Wolves to a single first down, forcing another punt. White returned the kick to the 38-yard line.
Cassville’s offensive line plowed the field, freeing Preddy for back to back gains of 23 and 9 yards. Then Coenen broke through the line for a 30-yard scoring run to ice the game. Reese legged another PAT for a 42-7 final score.
The Wildcats looked impressive in all phases of the game as they improved their record to 7-1. A big test looms on Friday with a long road trip to Lamar for the regular season finale. The Tigers have waited a year for a redemptive shot at the Wildcats after seeing their 57-game winning streak end at Cassville last season.
This game has lots of implications for conference and district standings, besides being an annual rivalry. While Monett is Cassville’s natural rival - can’t remember any other school painting the Cassville water tower - the competition with Lamar has been fierce. Cassville has not won on Lamar’s field since 2012 when the Wildcats posted a 31-0 shutout.
Kickoff is set for 7 PM at Lamar.
BIg 8 West scores
Cassville 42, Reeds Spring 7
Monett 47, McDonald County 0
Lamar 42, Nevada 0
Seneca 41, East Newton 26
Big 8 East scores
Mt. Vernon 20, Springfield Catholic 14
Marshfield 40, Aurora 22
Hollister 30, Rogersville 20
Big 8 West standings
Cassville 7-1
Monett 6-2
Seneca 5-3
Lamar 5-3
McDonald County 2-6
East Newton 1-7
Nevada 0-8
Big 8 East standings
Mt. Vernon 8-0
Springfield Catholic 5-3
Marshfield 5-3
Reeds Spring 4-4
Hollister 3-5
Rogersville 2-6
Aurora 1-7
Class 3 District 6 standings
Mt. Vernon 8-0
Cassville 7-1
Monett 6-2
Seneca 5-3
Reeds Spring 4-4
Hollister 3-5
Aurora 1-7
Nevada 0-8