Carthage begins 3-game stint on the road with 35-0 win over COC rival Nixa

Carthage head coach Jon Guidie would be the first person to say it’s too early to start thinking about a conference championship.

Agreed.

Nonetheless, the Tigers didn’t squander any offensive opportunities against their Central Ozark Conference brethren Nixa on Friday.

Carthage, 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the COC, managed to score on its first five offensive drives of the game to run away with a 35-0 shutout of Nixa and Eagle Stadium.
 

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.

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.

Carthage, which is ranked No. 2 in Missouri Class 4, 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 and 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