Seneca pins 27-0 shutout on Cassville
October 13, 2021
Lee Stubblefield
The Seneca Indians roared to a 19-0 lead in a near-perfect first half, then cruised to a 27-0 victory over the Cassville Wildcats on the new turf at Tom Hodge Stadium. The Wildcats suffered their second shutout loss of the season, the first time that has happened since the 2014 campaign.
Coming into Friday night, the 2-4 Wildcats and the 3-3 Indians had two common opponents: Marshfield and Rogersville. Cassville went 0-2 against the Blue Jays and the Wildcats. Seneca beat them both.
First year coach Cody Hilburn, a former Seneca player, saw his team dominate Cassville in that first half. Although the Wildcats held a slight size advantage in the line, the Indians appeared quicker and more aggressive. With senior quarterback Ethan Fritchey operating out of the Wildcat set most of the night, Seneca gashed the line again and again with traps and jet sweeps.
With a fired up home crowd serenading the players with the tomahawk chop chant, the Indians set the tone for this game on their very first possession. Eighty yards. Fifteen plays. Seven minutes off the clock. Fritchey ran off right tackle into the end zone from five yards out to finish the drive and give Seneca a 6-0 lead. It was all the points the Indians would need.
Jackson Graham racked up 153 yards on 15 carries to lead the Indians. His 56-yard sprint down the Seneca sideline on a one-play drive gave the Indians a 12-0 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
It was a tough first half for Cassville. The Wildcats never crossed midfield, with their own 38-yard line their best field position for two quarters. Even Custer and the Seventh Cavalry managed to get into Indian Territory.
Cassville sputtered to just two first downs in the first half, one of them by penalty. That flag gave the Wildcats a new set of downs at their own 32-yard line late in the second quarter. But Dane Napier intercepted a Cutter Hicks pass and returned it to the Cassville 25-yard line. Two plays later, Fritchey tossed a rainbow to Conner Ackerson in the back of the end zone to put Seneca ahead at halftime, 19-0.
The Cassville defense played a much stronger second half, holding Seneca on downs twice and forcing a punt. But Jackson Marrs escaped for a 33-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Seneca a 27-0 lead.
The Cassville offense simply looked out of sync in this game, a stark contrast to the efficient machine that raced up and down the field against Monett. Even though Cassville’s defense blunted the Seneca attack for most of the second half, the Wildcats were unable to sustain drives and managed just one first down in that half.
After the Wildcats were forced to punt with 7:54 remaining in the game, the Seneca JV offense came on and ran out the clock with a 13-play drive that reached the Cassville 13-yard line. After completing two fourth down passes to keep the drive alive, sophomore quarterback Gavyn Hoover took a knee as the final seconds ticked off.
The stats disparity was brutal. Seneca rushed for 323 yards and threw for 106 more in a 429-yard performance. Cassville was held to just 98 yards of total offense. Jake Anthonysz gained just 57 yards on 16 attempts. Hicks completed one of his sixteen throws and was intercepted once.
Seneca improved to 4-3 with the victory, while Cassville slipped to 2-5. The Wildcats return home to host the one-win East Newton Patriots on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Big 8 scores:
• Seneca 27, Cassville 0
• Lamar 52, Monett 21
• Nevada 46, East Newton 6
• McDonald County 41, Reeds Spring 6
• Aurora 30, Marshfield 19
• Rogersville 42, Hollister 25
• Springfield Catholic 14, Mt. Vernon 13
Lee Stubblefield
The Seneca Indians roared to a 19-0 lead in a near-perfect first half, then cruised to a 27-0 victory over the Cassville Wildcats on the new turf at Tom Hodge Stadium. The Wildcats suffered their second shutout loss of the season, the first time that has happened since the 2014 campaign.
Coming into Friday night, the 2-4 Wildcats and the 3-3 Indians had two common opponents: Marshfield and Rogersville. Cassville went 0-2 against the Blue Jays and the Wildcats. Seneca beat them both.
First year coach Cody Hilburn, a former Seneca player, saw his team dominate Cassville in that first half. Although the Wildcats held a slight size advantage in the line, the Indians appeared quicker and more aggressive. With senior quarterback Ethan Fritchey operating out of the Wildcat set most of the night, Seneca gashed the line again and again with traps and jet sweeps.
With a fired up home crowd serenading the players with the tomahawk chop chant, the Indians set the tone for this game on their very first possession. Eighty yards. Fifteen plays. Seven minutes off the clock. Fritchey ran off right tackle into the end zone from five yards out to finish the drive and give Seneca a 6-0 lead. It was all the points the Indians would need.
Jackson Graham racked up 153 yards on 15 carries to lead the Indians. His 56-yard sprint down the Seneca sideline on a one-play drive gave the Indians a 12-0 lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter.
It was a tough first half for Cassville. The Wildcats never crossed midfield, with their own 38-yard line their best field position for two quarters. Even Custer and the Seventh Cavalry managed to get into Indian Territory.
Cassville sputtered to just two first downs in the first half, one of them by penalty. That flag gave the Wildcats a new set of downs at their own 32-yard line late in the second quarter. But Dane Napier intercepted a Cutter Hicks pass and returned it to the Cassville 25-yard line. Two plays later, Fritchey tossed a rainbow to Conner Ackerson in the back of the end zone to put Seneca ahead at halftime, 19-0.
The Cassville defense played a much stronger second half, holding Seneca on downs twice and forcing a punt. But Jackson Marrs escaped for a 33-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Seneca a 27-0 lead.
The Cassville offense simply looked out of sync in this game, a stark contrast to the efficient machine that raced up and down the field against Monett. Even though Cassville’s defense blunted the Seneca attack for most of the second half, the Wildcats were unable to sustain drives and managed just one first down in that half.
After the Wildcats were forced to punt with 7:54 remaining in the game, the Seneca JV offense came on and ran out the clock with a 13-play drive that reached the Cassville 13-yard line. After completing two fourth down passes to keep the drive alive, sophomore quarterback Gavyn Hoover took a knee as the final seconds ticked off.
The stats disparity was brutal. Seneca rushed for 323 yards and threw for 106 more in a 429-yard performance. Cassville was held to just 98 yards of total offense. Jake Anthonysz gained just 57 yards on 16 attempts. Hicks completed one of his sixteen throws and was intercepted once.
Seneca improved to 4-3 with the victory, while Cassville slipped to 2-5. The Wildcats return home to host the one-win East Newton Patriots on Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Big 8 scores:
• Seneca 27, Cassville 0
• Lamar 52, Monett 21
• Nevada 46, East Newton 6
• McDonald County 41, Reeds Spring 6
• Aurora 30, Marshfield 19
• Rogersville 42, Hollister 25
• Springfield Catholic 14, Mt. Vernon 13
