At this time a year ago, Neosho and Republic were both 1-0 and vying for a district championship. Flash forward to this season and both teams find themselves in the same situation.
Neosho is coming off a 10-point win over Branson, while Republic pulled out a 27-22 win at McDonald County last week. With that said, the winner to this week’s contest will likely advance to the postseason.
Neosho, which secured a playoff spot last season with a win over Republic, went on to capture the district championship after beating McDonald County.
Neosho, for the first time since 2006, heads to Republic to face the Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday at Republic High School.
LAST YEAR
Neosho, which held on for a 20-10 victory in 2008, won its first meeting against Republic in 2006, but lost 30-10 in 2007.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM NEOSHO
The Wildcats, who have won two in a row, turned in a better performance in the second half of last week’s game against Branson. Despite falling behind 14-0, the Wildcats managed to tie the game at 28-28 at the break.
Neosho’s defense stepped up and limited Branson to only 10 points in the second half. Over the last few games, Neosho has gone into lock-down mode in the second half, limiting opposing offenses to 17 points in three games.
Against Carthage, the Wildcats fell behind 27-10 but the defense shutout the Tigers the rest of the way. Neosho yielded 21 points to Webb City in the first half, but yielded only one touchdown in the second half. Willard was shutout in the first half and limited to only nine yards of total offense in the first half.
Neosho will look to slow down Republic’s offense, which had a big game rushing the ball last week.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM REPUBLIC
Republic, which is the smallest school in the Central Ozark Conference Large Division, has transitioned from a pass-first team to a run dominant team in the past two years under Kurt Thompson.
Last week the Tigers had a bid night rushing the ball against McDonald County, including a season-high total of 274 yards from Ryan Sifferman. Sifferman and Colton McCarty, together, have been the 1-2 punch for Republic this year.
For the second week in a row, Neosho will face one of the best kickers in the Central Ozark Conference. Blake Baumberger is quite a weapon for the Tigers as he is a solid punter and when it comes to kicking field goals he easily has the leg to boot field goals in the 40-yard range.
Republic is 3-5 overall, but has won two of its last three games.
VIEW FROM NEOSHO
“They are a very talented defensive football team,” Neosho coach Shawn Flannigan said. “They are well-coached and very sound. They have switched offenses and gone back to the split back veer, similar to Webb City and Willard.
“The main keys to the game will be keeping our players focused on the task at hand, winning a district championship. We didn't play very well in last year's game. The emotions of the Branson game drained us a little last year and I hope the same thing doesn't happen again this year.
Flannigan added, “Being 1-0 after the first district game is huge because it puts our fate in our hands and we don't have to rely on others to help us either win the district championship or make it to the playoffs.”
VIEW FROM REPUBLIC
“They are a very talented, athletic team. As talented as we have seen all year,” Republic coach Kurt Thompson said.
“We need to try to force them into making mistakes, and not make any ourselves. They have all the tools for an outstanding team.”
