By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Following Webb City’s 28-7 home win over rival Carthage on Friday night, legendary head coach John Roderique had an interesting game ball presentation.
It didn’t go to longtime defensive coordinator Mike Smith, whose defense pitched a second-half shutout for the second week in a row against an explosive offense…
It didn’t go to former Webb City standouts Scott Roderique or Austin Daniel, both offensive assistants on his staff…
It went to the new and yet familiar face of defensive secondary coach Trey Derryberry.
PHOTOS: CARTHAGE VS. WEBB CITY – CLICK HERE
Derryberry, a three-year starter and all-state quarterback at Carthage, gave Roderique fits from 2006-08, even beating Webb City in the 2007 playoffs. In that game Derryberry racked up 204 passing yards and 109 rushing yards.
He finished his final two years at Carthage with more than 6,000 total yards and 63 touchdowns.
“What a great player he was,” said Roderique. “I’ve really learned over the last year or so what a great young man he is. I told him before the game that I knew it would be hard a night, but I’m also darn glad he’s here. I thought it was appropriate to give him the ball tonight.”
For the second consecutive week sophomore cornerback Terrell Kabala – a member of Derryberry’s position group – came up with an interception. Webb City tallied three picks on the night, giving the Cardinals six for the season in just two games.
“Resilient is a good word for how they played tonight,” said Derryberry. “We didn’t get a lot of action (in the secondary) during the first half because they had some success running the ball. “We reminded them at halftime that they’re going to take some shots and I’m proud of how they stayed ready. Terrell had the pick, Dakota Wynn played well and Seth Compton came in late and gave us great depth.”
Webb City’s defense made key stop after key stop, giving the offense optimal field position each time.
The first came on Carthage’s opening drive of the game, a four-play set that resulted in a punt. The Cardinals would then answer with a 15-play, 86-yard drive, capped by a physical Cash Link touchdown run.
Link finished the game with that rushing touchdown and a pair of touchdown passes, both of which came by way of Link putting the ball up and letting his receivers make plays.
The Cardinals totaled 312 yards, 263 of which came via the run, but it was the quality of their passing game that made the difference.
“We don’t like to throw it when we have to, we like to throw it when we want to,” said Roderique. “Obviously when you get the run game going – we did a better job of running a true triple option and getting the ball to the edge – we got them flowing and running and then we hit the ball inside. I thought our guys up front did a great job tight end to tight end. Our backs did a nice job and we got a few different guys involved; they all bring something different to the game. We felt like we progressed offensively for sure.”
Possibly the most important stop of the night came late in the second quarter when senior linebacker Javis Berlin stepped in front of a Zeke Sappington pass to halt a Carthage drive. Webb City couldn’t turn the takeaway into points, but it helped the Cards take a 14-7 lead into halftime. They would score on their first possession of the second half to break the game open.
Carthage finished with just 265 total yards. The seven points was the Tigers lowest output since Week 1 of 2015, a 31-0 loss to Webb City.
Sophomore quarterback Bobby Kendrick scored Carthage’s lone touchdown of the game, a 4-yard plunge from a tank formation that tied the game up at seven early in the second quarter.
Webb City is now 2-0 with a pair of wins over arch rivals Carl Junction and Carthage – the two programs that sent the Cards to an 0-2 start last year.
After walking away from Week 1 displeased, Roderique has already seen growth in his team this season, something that will need to continue with Webb City playing four of its next six games on the road, including a showdown with state-ranked Ozark.
“I can clearly see a difference between Week 1 and Week 2,” said Roderique. “Last week we had to go back to the drawing board, go back to practice and go back to work. There were things we needed to improve on and some of them I think we improved on. That’s a big plus for us. It was a good win tonight.”
Webb City (2-0) will visit Republic (1-1) on Friday night. Carthage (0-2) will visit Branson (1-1). Both are COC Large contests.
Webb City 28, Carthage 7
Carthage 0-7-0-0 – 7
Webb City 7-7-7-7 – 28
Scoring Plays
First Quarter
Webb City – Cash Link 7-yard run (Kick good)
Second Quarter
Carthage – Bobby Kendrick 4-yard run (Kick good)
WC – Link 16-yard pass to Treyton Simmons (Kick good)
Third Quarter
WC – Link 13-yard pass to Alex Gaskill (Kick good)
Fourth Quarter
WC – Luis Perez 15-yard run (Kick good)
