Cardinals come back from 14-0 deficit to win
For the second straight week the issue Webb City football Cardinals defense had to step up to preserve a tight lead with less than two minutes to go in the game and for the second straight week they came through.
Webb City took back the lead for the second time in the game on senior running back Seth Helton’s third touchdown of the game with 3:17 left in the game. Off-setting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties set Webb City back to Rogers’ nine for the extra point try, but Cardinal backup QB Patrick Drake hit receiver Austin Daniel on a slant pass to score the two-point conversion and put the Cardinals up by a field goal, 36-33.
The Rogers, Ark., High School Mounties weren’t done, however.
Mountie kick returner Austin Young broke through the Cardinals kickoff coverage team and appeared on the way to a touchdown to take back the lead.
Only open-field tackle by Cardinal kicker Jake Brasfield stopped Young’s run after 56 yards at Webb City’s 40, but that left Rogers needing only a couple of first downs to move into game-tying field goal range.
The defense stepped up, forcing an offensive pass interference call on first down to push Rogers back into its own territory. Mountie Quarterback Andy Couture then missed his receiver on second and 25, but he hit receiver Austin Young on third down to get the penalty yards back.
The Cardinals’ defense stopped Couture after he rushed for eight yards on fourth down and 10 yards to go to take the ball back with 1:37 left in the game.
“That was a gut-check game,” Roderique said. “Heck, I was a little frightened after warm-ups, they have some nice looking players, they’ve got some good looking kids. The way we did it in the second half, to come back there was great. We got us a break when they fumbled, but we were still down. We got the lead, and then we got the two-point play. It’s hard to believe that I’m almost speechless, but I am.”
Mountie Head Coach Ronnie Peacock agreed with Roderique.
“You know getting the ball with three minutes left, we had our chance.” Peacock said. “It’s time for us to step up and make plays, and we didn’t make them.”
It was a game that started out ugly for Webb City. For the second straight week, the opposing offense took the ball downfield fast on an opening drive, but Webb’s defense took the ball away this time on a fumble by Mountie running back Michael Tibbs. Tibbs finished the game with 12 rushes for 123 yards and a touchdown after fumbling on his first carry.
Webb gave the ball right back on a Mack Kyle interception throw that Mountie defender Caleb Kill ran back 29 yards for the first score of the game.
The Cardinal offense sputtered again on its next possession and was forced to punt.
The Mounties marched downfield and scored again on a 24-yard run by Tibbs to go up 14-0 with 6:13 left in the first quarter.
The Cardinals came back with two scores of their own, one on a one-yard plunge by fullback Braxton Baker with 2:16 left in the first quarter and one on a similar plunge by Seth Helton with 11:32 left in the second quarter.
Baker finished with 22 rushes for 134 yards and touchdowns No. five and six on the season while Helton finished with 11 runs, 50 yards and three touchdowns.
Rogers scored twice more before the half to hold a 27-21 lead at the break. Webb City’s third score was a five-yard run with 1:55 left in the half.
Both teams came out of the locker rooms with inspired defenses with the Cardinals allowing only one more Rogers touchdown, while the Mounties allowed Webb into the end zone twice more.
“It was one of those games where it was a battle every play,” Roderique said. “Every play we called was critical, the execution part of it and I told our guys, that was a good football team. They’ve got some guys up front that are good. I don’t know if we’ll play anyone that’s better than those guys, they’re a very good football team up front. But our d-line played very well.”
