With win over Nixa, Tigers state their case in COC

All roads, thus far, are pointing toward a district championship for the Carthage Tigers.
Then again, it’s only week two.

“We have a long way to go,” Carthage Head Coach Jon Guidie quickly pointed out. “Our schedule is full of solid football teams.”

Nevertheless, the Tigers are off to a 2-0 start in conference play after beating Nixa 35-0 Friday at Eagle Stadium.

“Our kids have remained focused and I’m very proud of them,” Guidie exclaimed.

It certainly hasn’t taken the Tigers very long to adjust to life in the Central Ozark Conference.

A case in point, Carthage, which is currently ranked No. 2 in Missouri Class 4, is now 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the COC after successive wins against Christian County opponents over the past two weeks.

Through the first two weeks, the Tigers have faced two COC opponents with more depth, but it hasn’t been a factor, so far.

“We felt like we were going to be tested early (against Ozark),” Guidie said. “They are a big Class 5 school with a lot of tradition, and so far, so good.”

The Tigers didn’t squander any offensive opportunities against their COC brethren on Friday.
Guidie pointed out the Tigers’ goal was to score on two of their first three possessions.

They certainly lived up to those expectations.

Carthage managed to score on its first five offensive drives of the game.

“We felt really good about that,” Guidie said. “And we wanted to shutdown (running back) Jordan Keeney. We felt like he was their go-to guy.”

Guidie wasn’t kidding.

Keeney, who rushed for more than 100 yards in Nixa’s win over Republic in week one, carried much of the offensive load throughout. Nixa, however, wasn’t able to muster anything offensively in the first half, and once again in the second half.

“I felt our defense did a very good job on (Keeney),” Guidie said.

In the meantime, senior quarterback Trey Derryberry lit up Nixa’s secondary in the first half, passing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns. Clay Kinman, a senior wide receiver, had another stellar performance, grabbing seven balls for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

“We wanted to work on protecting Trey (Derryberry),” Guidie explained. “It (the Tigers’ pass protection) was much improved over last week.”

The Tigers’ defense was equally effective, limiting the Eagles to 117 yards of total offense. And for the second consecutive week, Carthage’s defensive unit held its opponent under 100 yards rushing.

“The defense was tremendous tonight,” Guidie said. “That’s a tough football team. They have big physical kids.

“It was a very good effort. Coach (defensive coordinator Chris) Wilkerson did a great job preparing our kids.”

Carthage garnered 412 yards offensively. The Tigers scored three times in the first quarter and twice in the second quarter to take a 35-0 lead at the break.

It was more than enough.

Brian Poston rushed for 94 yards and one score, while Derryberry added 24 yards and one score on the ground as well. Carthage had three drives of 10 or more plays in the first half, and began the game with a seven-play, 55-yard drive which set the tone for the remainder of the half.

Carthage’s third drive of the game featured a 75-yard touchdown pass from Derryberry to Kinman on the third play from scrimmage.

Quite frankly, the Tigers, who were outsized in many areas, dominated both sides of the ball. To go along with the offensive onslaught, the Tigers’ defense didn’t allow a Nixa first down until the second quarter.

A continuous clock greeted both teams when they came out of the locker rooms for the second half. Carthage’s substitutes entered the game early in the third quarter, but Nixa was still unable to mount anything offensively.

NOTES: This was the Tigers’ first shutout victory since beating Hillcrest 54-0 on Nov. 2, 2007 … Friday’s win was Carthage’s third in as many years over Nixa … The Tigers have now outscored their opponent 89 to 33, thus far … Guidie will face the Seneca Indians for the first time since coming to Carthage next Friday.