By Jeff Kessinger (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
If you think Connor Lair and Titus Seley are tough to tackle under the Friday night lights, you ought to see them on the practice field.
Lair and Seley both rushed for more than 90 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns to power West Plains to a 28-0 win over Kickapoo at Pottenger Stadium Sept. 25. The Zizzers, ranked second in Class 4, improve to 5-0 with the win and sit atop the Ozark Conference standings.
“They have no quit in them. They’re like that in everything they do,” West Plains coach Matt Perkins said. “Those guys practice like that and we have some pretty good practices because our guys can get pretty physical. We as coaches have to remind them it’s thud tempo and slow them down because they run through contact all the time.”
Seley said it’s all a mindset for the Zizzers. It’s a mindset he describes with words like “animal,” “freak of nature” and “nuts in the head.”
“You’ve got to have a different kind of mindset to play this game, and that’s what we’ve got,” Seley said. “We’ve got a lot of crazy people on this team.”
While Lair and Seley might look like bowling balls crashing around the turf, Seley’s got his own way of describing their running style: missiles.
“We hit the hole fast and we hit it hard, every single one of us,” he said.
West Plains dominated from start to finish, leading 14-0 at the half before Lair struck twice in the second half to put the game out of reach. His first touchdown run, late in the third quarter, was the most impressive play of the night. The junior running back took a handoff up the middle, spun away from one tackler and carried another on his back for 15 yards en route to a 43-yard score.
Lair’s 30-yard scamper with 3:27 to play provided the final score and set the stage for some exuberant celebrations, including backflips by Seley and quarterback Dagen Kinslow.
Seley finished his night with 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries. Lair added 95 yards and two scores on just six carries. Kinslow rushed for 68 yards and threw for 24 more. Heston Miller chipped in 29 rushing yards and 17 receiving yards.
“Any time (Lair and Seley) touch it, something good’s going to happen, and there’s always the chance for something special,” Perkins said. “It’s a blessing as a coach to be able to call a number for one of those guys and have it work.”
Don’t overlook the way West Plains clamped down on the Kickapoo offense. KHS just couldn’t get out of neutral, with just five first downs in the first half — two of them thanks to West Plains penalties and cranked out just 49 yards of total offense in the first 24 minutes of the game.
It didn’t get any easier for Kickapoo in the second half. The home team’s best chance to get on the scoreboard came after a shanked punt out of the West Plains end zone. Kickapoo had a first down at the West Plains 16, but the drive ended with a missed field goal.
The Zizzers limited Kickapoo to less than 100 yards of total offense. Chance Nelson paced KHS with 52 rushing yards. Adam Miller threw for 31 yards and rushed for 23 more.
“Coach (Brandon) Pitts is doing a good job getting our guys to line up,” Perkins said. “One thing we learned from Coach (Steve) Ary is if you line up, you’ve got a chance to be successful if you’re gap sound and do the little things right.”
Both of West Plains’ touchdowns in the first half came on ground-and-pound drives. The first one covered 80 yards in 14 plays and ended with Titus Seley powering in from 1 yard out.
The Zizzers needed just 11 plays to cover 82 yards for their second touchdown. Seley got things rolling with a 31-yard gash off the left side. He also capped the drive, following a blocker in from 6 yards out to push West Plains in front 14-0 at the break.
West Plains hosts Lebanon Oct. 2, looking to keep its unbeaten season alive. Kickapoo visits Rolla.
“We talk about being special all the time. We’ve talked about it with these juniors since they were in eighth grade,” Perkins said. “This is a great group and they’ve got some great pieces around them. They were special before they thought they were special and hopefully we can keep it going. We’re not done. Hopefully our kids stay bought in and keep working.”
SCORING SUMMARY
WPHS 0 14 7 7 — 28
KHS 0 0 0 0 — 00
Second Quarter
8:18 — West Plains: Titus Seley 1 run (Nathan Thomas kick), 7-0
1:06 — Wet Plains: Seley 6 run (Thomas kick), 14-0
Third Quarter
1:54 — Connor Lair 43 run (Thomas kick), 21-0
Fourth Quarter
3:27 — Lair 30 run (Thomas kick), 28-0
