Wildcats top Mustangs with second half surge
Cassville Wildcats running back Steven Hunter pushes past McDonald County’s defense on Friday night.
September 9, 2015
Lee Stubblefield
Leading just 14-6 after two quarters of play, the Cassville Wildcats rode the second half heroics of River Phelps to a 42-14 road win over the McDonald County Mustangs on Friday night. Phelps, who did not play in the first half, ripped off 129 yards with just 12 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns as Cassville improved to 2-1 on the season.
There’s no way around the ugly truth: McDonald County has been a get-well game for the Wildcats in recent years. The last three meetings have seen a brutally one-sided series. Cassville won all three games, recording a pair of shutouts and posting a conglomerate score advantage of 145-7.
Although the Mustangs opened this season with consecutive losses, their unexpected 21 points of offense against Aurora stirred hopes of an upset against the Wildcats. That optimism was evident when Mac won the coin toss and elected to test the Cassville defense instead of deferring.
The Mustangs fashioned an 8-play, 66-yard drive to take an early 6-0 lead. A 34-yard reverse by Mark Kailbourn sparked the drive, and then Israel Desantiago churned for the touchdown on 3rd-and-goal from the Cassville 1-yard line. The PAT failed, but McDonald County held its first ever lead against Cassville.
Cassville would answer in just four plays following the kickoff. On 3rd-and-10 from his own 48-yard line, Leigh Cox scrambled out of the pocket and found a lane between the hashmarks. Cox evaded the safety at the 15-yard line and motored into the endzone to complete the 52-yard scoring run. The Wildcats went for 2 on the conversion but came up short, and the score remained tied at 6-6 with 7:43 left in the opening quarter.
McDonald County answered with another long drive against the Cassville defense. Jake Will ripped off a 30-yard run to give the Mustangs a 1st-and-10 at the Cassville 13-yard line. But the Wildcats stiffened on defense, stuffing Will for just a yard on first down. Kennedy Hobson threw incomplete on three consecutive plays, and the Mustangs surrendered the ball on downs.
Cassville punted on a three-and-out series, but the Mustangs fumbled the ball right back to the Wildcats.
After struggling with the passing game against Mountain Grove, the Cassville offense showed a new commitment to the pitch-and-catch against Mac. Cox found Allen Lambel open for a first down on a 3rd-and-4 play. Two snaps later, Cox delivered again, and Lambel raced through the secondary for a 44-yard score. Kyle Ruark plowed into the end zone for an extra-value PAT and the Wildcats opened a 14-6 lead.
That score would last into halftime. The second quarter was marked by penalties and turnovers. A costly infraction wiped a Cassville touchdown off the board, and the Wildcats had to settle for the one-score lead at intermission.
The appearance of River Phelps on the field totally changed the tone of the game. AWOL for the entire first half, Phelps became the bell cow on Cassville's opening possession of the third quarter. His 16-yard scoring burst on a 1st-and-10 draw play and successful PAT gave the Wildcats a 21-6 lead at the 7:50 mark.
McDonald County suffered the anguish of the penalty on their next possession, as a 67-yard scoring scamper by Desantiago was wiped away. The Mustangs went for a 4th-and-7 at the Cassville 44-yard line later in the drive, but the possession died with an incompletion.
Phelps ripped through the line and jetted to a 56-yard score on the very next play. His true PAT upped the Cassville lead to 28-6 with 5:52 left in the quarter.
Even with a lot of time remaining, that play closed the door on the Mustangs. Few teams can recover from a lead of that size. It's a lot easier to keep up than it is to catch up, an axiom that holds true for all sports.
The Mustangs squeezed out a first down after the kickoff, but a Troy Rose interception put the Wildcats back in business at the McDonald County 25-yard line with 3:57 remaining in the quarter.
It took ten plays for the Wildcats to score, but Cox finally found the endzone. Cassville's senior quarterback sneaked in from the 1-yard line to start the fourth quarter, and another Phelps PAT established a 35-6 score.
Late in the game, Cassville's Braden Strahan replaced Phelps in the backfield, and ripped off a 36-yard touchdown run on his first varsity carry. Another chip shot by Phelps upped the lead to 42-6.
The Mustangs managed one more clip for the highlight reel. Desantiago blazed through the Cassville reserves for a 63-yard scoring run in the waning minutes to establish the final score of 42-14.
The Wildcats exerted their will on the Mustangs in the second half. A vastly-improved passing game opened up the field for the offense. The defense was solid but still surrendered a few big plays. This Cassville team is a work in progress, but certainly showing improvement every week.
Big 8 Recap
Cassville (2-1) 42, McDonald County (0-3) 14
Carl Junction (3-0) 45, Aurora (1-2) 14
Lamar (3-0) 29, Monett (2-1) 12
Mt. Vernon (1-2) 26, Seneca (0-3) 14
Diamond (1-1) 49, East Newton (0-3) 0
Looking at the Big 8 recap, two teams remain undefeated and three teams remain winless.
The Big 8 puzzle is not a Rubik's Cube. If recent history is any indication, a team must run the table to win the title.
For the 2-1 Wildcats, week 4 starts a three-game gauntlet against two currently undefeated teams - Lamar and Carl Junction - and the 2-1 Monett Cubs. Road trips to Lamar and CJ bookend the home contest against Monett.
The non-conference loss to Mountain Grove will fade in the internet chatter leading up to this crucial span of games for Cassville. The Wildcats still control their own destiny at this point.
The Wildcats and the Wildcat Nation travel to Lamar this Friday to take on the Class 2 juggernaut Lamar Tigers. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.
Lee Stubblefield
Leading just 14-6 after two quarters of play, the Cassville Wildcats rode the second half heroics of River Phelps to a 42-14 road win over the McDonald County Mustangs on Friday night. Phelps, who did not play in the first half, ripped off 129 yards with just 12 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns as Cassville improved to 2-1 on the season.
There’s no way around the ugly truth: McDonald County has been a get-well game for the Wildcats in recent years. The last three meetings have seen a brutally one-sided series. Cassville won all three games, recording a pair of shutouts and posting a conglomerate score advantage of 145-7.
Although the Mustangs opened this season with consecutive losses, their unexpected 21 points of offense against Aurora stirred hopes of an upset against the Wildcats. That optimism was evident when Mac won the coin toss and elected to test the Cassville defense instead of deferring.
The Mustangs fashioned an 8-play, 66-yard drive to take an early 6-0 lead. A 34-yard reverse by Mark Kailbourn sparked the drive, and then Israel Desantiago churned for the touchdown on 3rd-and-goal from the Cassville 1-yard line. The PAT failed, but McDonald County held its first ever lead against Cassville.
Cassville would answer in just four plays following the kickoff. On 3rd-and-10 from his own 48-yard line, Leigh Cox scrambled out of the pocket and found a lane between the hashmarks. Cox evaded the safety at the 15-yard line and motored into the endzone to complete the 52-yard scoring run. The Wildcats went for 2 on the conversion but came up short, and the score remained tied at 6-6 with 7:43 left in the opening quarter.
McDonald County answered with another long drive against the Cassville defense. Jake Will ripped off a 30-yard run to give the Mustangs a 1st-and-10 at the Cassville 13-yard line. But the Wildcats stiffened on defense, stuffing Will for just a yard on first down. Kennedy Hobson threw incomplete on three consecutive plays, and the Mustangs surrendered the ball on downs.
Cassville punted on a three-and-out series, but the Mustangs fumbled the ball right back to the Wildcats.
After struggling with the passing game against Mountain Grove, the Cassville offense showed a new commitment to the pitch-and-catch against Mac. Cox found Allen Lambel open for a first down on a 3rd-and-4 play. Two snaps later, Cox delivered again, and Lambel raced through the secondary for a 44-yard score. Kyle Ruark plowed into the end zone for an extra-value PAT and the Wildcats opened a 14-6 lead.
That score would last into halftime. The second quarter was marked by penalties and turnovers. A costly infraction wiped a Cassville touchdown off the board, and the Wildcats had to settle for the one-score lead at intermission.
The appearance of River Phelps on the field totally changed the tone of the game. AWOL for the entire first half, Phelps became the bell cow on Cassville's opening possession of the third quarter. His 16-yard scoring burst on a 1st-and-10 draw play and successful PAT gave the Wildcats a 21-6 lead at the 7:50 mark.
McDonald County suffered the anguish of the penalty on their next possession, as a 67-yard scoring scamper by Desantiago was wiped away. The Mustangs went for a 4th-and-7 at the Cassville 44-yard line later in the drive, but the possession died with an incompletion.
Phelps ripped through the line and jetted to a 56-yard score on the very next play. His true PAT upped the Cassville lead to 28-6 with 5:52 left in the quarter.
Even with a lot of time remaining, that play closed the door on the Mustangs. Few teams can recover from a lead of that size. It's a lot easier to keep up than it is to catch up, an axiom that holds true for all sports.
The Mustangs squeezed out a first down after the kickoff, but a Troy Rose interception put the Wildcats back in business at the McDonald County 25-yard line with 3:57 remaining in the quarter.
It took ten plays for the Wildcats to score, but Cox finally found the endzone. Cassville's senior quarterback sneaked in from the 1-yard line to start the fourth quarter, and another Phelps PAT established a 35-6 score.
Late in the game, Cassville's Braden Strahan replaced Phelps in the backfield, and ripped off a 36-yard touchdown run on his first varsity carry. Another chip shot by Phelps upped the lead to 42-6.
The Mustangs managed one more clip for the highlight reel. Desantiago blazed through the Cassville reserves for a 63-yard scoring run in the waning minutes to establish the final score of 42-14.
The Wildcats exerted their will on the Mustangs in the second half. A vastly-improved passing game opened up the field for the offense. The defense was solid but still surrendered a few big plays. This Cassville team is a work in progress, but certainly showing improvement every week.
Big 8 Recap
Cassville (2-1) 42, McDonald County (0-3) 14
Carl Junction (3-0) 45, Aurora (1-2) 14
Lamar (3-0) 29, Monett (2-1) 12
Mt. Vernon (1-2) 26, Seneca (0-3) 14
Diamond (1-1) 49, East Newton (0-3) 0
Looking at the Big 8 recap, two teams remain undefeated and three teams remain winless.
The Big 8 puzzle is not a Rubik's Cube. If recent history is any indication, a team must run the table to win the title.
For the 2-1 Wildcats, week 4 starts a three-game gauntlet against two currently undefeated teams - Lamar and Carl Junction - and the 2-1 Monett Cubs. Road trips to Lamar and CJ bookend the home contest against Monett.
The non-conference loss to Mountain Grove will fade in the internet chatter leading up to this crucial span of games for Cassville. The Wildcats still control their own destiny at this point.
The Wildcats and the Wildcat Nation travel to Lamar this Friday to take on the Class 2 juggernaut Lamar Tigers. Kickoff is set for 7 PM.