Wildcats pounce on Cubs early in 19-6 district semifinal victory
Breaking through the pack, Cassville senior wide receiver DJ White catches a pass from downfield across the entire Monett line. White took this pass all the way to the end zone, scoring the ‘Cats their second touchdown of the evening.
November 13, 2019
Lee Stubblefield
The Cassville Wildcats roared to a three-score lead at halftime, and then held on for a 19-6 victory over the Monett Cubs in a Class 3 District 6 semifinal game at a cold Wildcat Stadium on Friday night.
The Cassville defense held Monett at bay for most of the game, squeezing four drive-killing turnovers out of the Cubs. Cassville’s sophisticated passing attack lit up the Monett secondary with three spectacular scoring plays as the home team built a big lead and then bled the clock in the second half.
It was the second time in four years that Cassville and Monett have played twice during a season. Back in 2016, Monett swept both games, 21-20 and 35-21.
This was Monett’s first defeat since dropping the regular season battle with Cassville back on September 13.
The Cubs had been on a roll since that loss in the Barry County Brawl, posting impressive wins over Lamar and Seneca along the way. Indeed, Monett turned its season around in the second half against Cassville, finishing that game with a too little, too late performance. After Lamar ran for over 300 yards in a win over Cassville, the glaring comparison of stats against a common foe seemed to favor Monett. But while stat sheets can provide a lot of data, they can’t predict intangibles, and they can’t measure heart and desire.
Fast start
The consensus opinion entering Friday night’s game was a Casville victory would require a fast start out of the gate, and the Wildcats provided just that. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Cassville offense began the first drive at the own 29-yard line. On second and short, Bowen Preddy blew past the secondary on a fly pattern, and Deven Bates delivered a rainbow. Preddy never broke stride as he gathered in the pass and jetted into the endzone for a 68-yard score.
Two plays. 71 yards. Touchdown. 6-0.
Monett’s first possession was a disaster, and a bad omen for the Cubs. After Logan Umfleet took an option pitch and sailed down the west sideline for an apparent 63-yard touchdown run to tie the score, officials ruled that he stepped on the sideline chalk at the Cassville 24-yard line.
To make matters worse for Monett, a yellow flag marked the spot of an offensive penalty. Instead of a score, or even an adjusted long run into Cassville territory, the Cubs were saddled with a 2nd-and-13 at their own 32-yard line.
Then, on the very next play, senior quarterback Karter Brink coughed up a bad pitch under pressure, and the ball flew to DJ White at the Monett 29-yard line. Although Cassville would not score on that possession, the sequence set the tone for the rest of the first half.
Following a Cassville punt, the Cubs drove from their own 19-yard line to the Cassville 9-yard line in 11 plays. But on third-and-goal, Brink fumbled again, and the Wildcats recovered at their own 10-yard line.
The bomb
Monett’s second turnover lit the fuse for the biggest firework of the night.
Bates again barked signals with split backs and twin split receivers. He took the snap and pitched to Preddy, who flipped the ball to Drake Reese on the double reverse. But Reese pulled up and surprised/ambushed/astonished the Monett defense, lofting a long pass to White, who was uncovered at the 40-yard line. White ran all alone down the Cassville sideline for a second Wildcat touchdown with just 40 seconds left in the quarter.
One play. 90 yards. Touchdown. 12-0.
The only negatives for Cassville to this point were the missed PAT attempts. Reese missed wide right with the first kick attempt, and then Bates threw incomplete on a 2-point try.
Monett would waste another opportunity late in the second quarter, surrendering fumble #3 at the Cassville 29-yard line with 5:48 on the clock.
The Wildcats drove the field, converting a 4th-and-one at the Monett 20-yard line to keep the drive alive. Then Bates threw a rope to the corner of the end zone, and White tipped the ball to himself ala Odell Beckham Jr., and completed the catch for a third Cassville touchdown.
Reese converted this PAT for a 19-0 Cassville lead.
Besides adding to their lead, the Wildcats drained the clock, leaving Monett no time to answer before the halftime break.
Four down territory
Trailing by three scores, the Cubs opened the third quarter with a sense of urgency. Facing 4th-and-2 at their own 31-yard line to open the second half, Monett made it clear that the whole field was now four down territory. Brink broke off tackle for 13 yards to give Monett a new set of downs.
#4
Then the Cubs marched down the field, benefiting from a pass interference call to reach the Cassville 9-yard line. But another costly fumble negated the promising drive, and the Wildcats took over at their own 5-yard line.
Monett finally put together a long scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Dru Guinn crashed into the end zone from 6 yards out to cut the Cassville lead to 19-6 with 6:20 left to play. But the Wildcats played a little keepaway, and then the defense held Monett on 4th-and-4 in the red zone to crush any comeback hopes.
Complete game
The Wildcats won in every phase of this game - offense, defense and special teams - in an outstanding performance against a very good football team.
The misleading stats show Monett winning the time of possession battle but little else.
Cassville racked up 324 total yards: 118 on the ground and 206 through the air. Bowen Preddy ran for 99 yards on 18 carries and caught the 68-yard scoring heave from Bates. DJ White put on a show in Cassville’s aerial attack, scoring twice with his three catches for 118 yards.
The Cubs finished with 284 total yards. Karter Brink led Monett with 74 yards on 13 carries.
The Wildcats improved to 9-2 with the win and are peaking at the right time.
But they won’t be peeking at any Mt. Vernon film. The Mountaineers are undefeated no more. Seneca claimed a tense 14-12 victory over Mt. Vernon in the other C3D6 semifinal. The road to the state quarterfinals now goes through Cassville.
The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season at Seneca way back in week 4, a 28-21 duel in late September.
Cassville will host Seneca in the Class 3 District 6 championship game on Friday at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Area scores
Class 3 District 6 semifinals
Cassville 19, Monett 6
Seneca 14, Mt. Vernon 12
Class 3 District 5 semifinals
Blair Oaks 48, Salem 0
Buffalo 49, Rogersville 28
Class 2 District 4 semifinal
Lamar 50, Warsaw 6
Class 2 District 3 semifinal
Ava 34, East Newton 6
Class 1 District 2 semifinal
Pierce City 45, Miller 13.
Lee Stubblefield
The Cassville Wildcats roared to a three-score lead at halftime, and then held on for a 19-6 victory over the Monett Cubs in a Class 3 District 6 semifinal game at a cold Wildcat Stadium on Friday night.
The Cassville defense held Monett at bay for most of the game, squeezing four drive-killing turnovers out of the Cubs. Cassville’s sophisticated passing attack lit up the Monett secondary with three spectacular scoring plays as the home team built a big lead and then bled the clock in the second half.
It was the second time in four years that Cassville and Monett have played twice during a season. Back in 2016, Monett swept both games, 21-20 and 35-21.
This was Monett’s first defeat since dropping the regular season battle with Cassville back on September 13.
The Cubs had been on a roll since that loss in the Barry County Brawl, posting impressive wins over Lamar and Seneca along the way. Indeed, Monett turned its season around in the second half against Cassville, finishing that game with a too little, too late performance. After Lamar ran for over 300 yards in a win over Cassville, the glaring comparison of stats against a common foe seemed to favor Monett. But while stat sheets can provide a lot of data, they can’t predict intangibles, and they can’t measure heart and desire.
Fast start
The consensus opinion entering Friday night’s game was a Casville victory would require a fast start out of the gate, and the Wildcats provided just that. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Cassville offense began the first drive at the own 29-yard line. On second and short, Bowen Preddy blew past the secondary on a fly pattern, and Deven Bates delivered a rainbow. Preddy never broke stride as he gathered in the pass and jetted into the endzone for a 68-yard score.
Two plays. 71 yards. Touchdown. 6-0.
Monett’s first possession was a disaster, and a bad omen for the Cubs. After Logan Umfleet took an option pitch and sailed down the west sideline for an apparent 63-yard touchdown run to tie the score, officials ruled that he stepped on the sideline chalk at the Cassville 24-yard line.
To make matters worse for Monett, a yellow flag marked the spot of an offensive penalty. Instead of a score, or even an adjusted long run into Cassville territory, the Cubs were saddled with a 2nd-and-13 at their own 32-yard line.
Then, on the very next play, senior quarterback Karter Brink coughed up a bad pitch under pressure, and the ball flew to DJ White at the Monett 29-yard line. Although Cassville would not score on that possession, the sequence set the tone for the rest of the first half.
Following a Cassville punt, the Cubs drove from their own 19-yard line to the Cassville 9-yard line in 11 plays. But on third-and-goal, Brink fumbled again, and the Wildcats recovered at their own 10-yard line.
The bomb
Monett’s second turnover lit the fuse for the biggest firework of the night.
Bates again barked signals with split backs and twin split receivers. He took the snap and pitched to Preddy, who flipped the ball to Drake Reese on the double reverse. But Reese pulled up and surprised/ambushed/astonished the Monett defense, lofting a long pass to White, who was uncovered at the 40-yard line. White ran all alone down the Cassville sideline for a second Wildcat touchdown with just 40 seconds left in the quarter.
One play. 90 yards. Touchdown. 12-0.
The only negatives for Cassville to this point were the missed PAT attempts. Reese missed wide right with the first kick attempt, and then Bates threw incomplete on a 2-point try.
Monett would waste another opportunity late in the second quarter, surrendering fumble #3 at the Cassville 29-yard line with 5:48 on the clock.
The Wildcats drove the field, converting a 4th-and-one at the Monett 20-yard line to keep the drive alive. Then Bates threw a rope to the corner of the end zone, and White tipped the ball to himself ala Odell Beckham Jr., and completed the catch for a third Cassville touchdown.
Reese converted this PAT for a 19-0 Cassville lead.
Besides adding to their lead, the Wildcats drained the clock, leaving Monett no time to answer before the halftime break.
Four down territory
Trailing by three scores, the Cubs opened the third quarter with a sense of urgency. Facing 4th-and-2 at their own 31-yard line to open the second half, Monett made it clear that the whole field was now four down territory. Brink broke off tackle for 13 yards to give Monett a new set of downs.
#4
Then the Cubs marched down the field, benefiting from a pass interference call to reach the Cassville 9-yard line. But another costly fumble negated the promising drive, and the Wildcats took over at their own 5-yard line.
Monett finally put together a long scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Dru Guinn crashed into the end zone from 6 yards out to cut the Cassville lead to 19-6 with 6:20 left to play. But the Wildcats played a little keepaway, and then the defense held Monett on 4th-and-4 in the red zone to crush any comeback hopes.
Complete game
The Wildcats won in every phase of this game - offense, defense and special teams - in an outstanding performance against a very good football team.
The misleading stats show Monett winning the time of possession battle but little else.
Cassville racked up 324 total yards: 118 on the ground and 206 through the air. Bowen Preddy ran for 99 yards on 18 carries and caught the 68-yard scoring heave from Bates. DJ White put on a show in Cassville’s aerial attack, scoring twice with his three catches for 118 yards.
The Cubs finished with 284 total yards. Karter Brink led Monett with 74 yards on 13 carries.
The Wildcats improved to 9-2 with the win and are peaking at the right time.
But they won’t be peeking at any Mt. Vernon film. The Mountaineers are undefeated no more. Seneca claimed a tense 14-12 victory over Mt. Vernon in the other C3D6 semifinal. The road to the state quarterfinals now goes through Cassville.
The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season at Seneca way back in week 4, a 28-21 duel in late September.
Cassville will host Seneca in the Class 3 District 6 championship game on Friday at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Area scores
Class 3 District 6 semifinals
Cassville 19, Monett 6
Seneca 14, Mt. Vernon 12
Class 3 District 5 semifinals
Blair Oaks 48, Salem 0
Buffalo 49, Rogersville 28
Class 2 District 4 semifinal
Lamar 50, Warsaw 6
Class 2 District 3 semifinal
Ava 34, East Newton 6
Class 1 District 2 semifinal
Pierce City 45, Miller 13.
