Webb City edges Carl Junction 28-14

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By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Friday night’s rivalry game between Carl Junction and Webb City was the rare occasion where both coaches went home happy.

For John Roderique and the host Cardinals, a 28-14 win did the trick.

For Doug Buckmaster and the Bulldogs, it was one of the team’s stronger efforts this year.

Their first words in postgame interviews told the story.

“Exciting, man,” Roderique said. “We did what we needed to do, found some ways.”

“I’m proud of our kids,” said Buckmaster. “First freaking game we’ve finished in about three years.”

Webb City, the second-ranked team in Class 5, improved to 4-1 with the win. Carl Junction dropped to 1-4.

The teams finished within a yard of each other in total offense – Webb City had the edge with 327. Carl Junction actually held a three-minute advantage in time of possession. The stats attest to what was a fairly close game.

With 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter Carl Junction trailed by just a touchdown. A goal-line plunge by senior Brady Sims made it 21-14 after an impressive 19-play drive that lasted more than seven minutes.

Roderique told his players they needed a six-minute, 24-second drive. He didn’t care about scoring, just first downs so the team could eventually take a knee.

The Cardinals answered with a five-minute, 47-second drive and put the game out of reach when junior Cade Wilson scored on a 9-yard run in the final minute.

The touchdown was the only one of the second half for Webb City, which had just three possessions after the break. The Cardinals were stopped short at the 10 on a fourth down to begin the third quarter and later drove to the Carl Junction 39 before punting.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

“They kind of got us a little bit there in the third quarter,” Roderique said. “We didn’t have a lot going offensively, we kind of struggled offensively there in the second half but the defense held up. I thought our defense did an outstanding job. They’re really good. Their record, they need to forget about that because that’s a good football team and we feel good about that win.”

Webb City never trailed in the game. The Cardinals took a 6-0 lead on a 4-yard Wilson run with 5:04 left in the second quarter following a 14-play, 96-yard drive. Kicking into the wind, senior Cameron Clark booted the ball high and short where it took one bounce and was recovered by Webb City sophomore Billy Wolfe at the Carl Junction 28.

Three plays later, Wilson scored on a 22-yard run and added the two-point conversion to make it 14-0 with 4:24 left in the half.

“A lot of times you get that wind at your face you want to try to hang the ball up a little bit, spot kick it a little bit,” Roderique said. “Coach Derryberry has a lot of different types of kicks we use with Cameron. He’s a veteran kid. It was a great play.”

Carl Junction followed with a 70-yard scoring drive and a 3-yard touchdown by Sims to pull within a touchdown. Webb City got the points back on a 17-yard strike from senior Cole Gayman to senior Mekhi Garrard in the end zone in the final minute to take a 21-7 lead into the half.

Missed opportunities on offense hurt the Bulldogs.

Carl Junction opened the game with an 18-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes. The Bulldogs drove to the Webb City 9-yard line but came up a yard short on a fourth down.

Carl Junction got as close as the Webb City 37 on its last drive of the half, which began with just 51 seconds on the clock, but Webb City senior linebacker Brayden Hollingsworth picked off a deflected pass.

And the Bulldogs drove from their own 10 to the Webb City 21 on their first possession of the third quarter, but came up two yards short on a fourth down.

“Our offense played so well and kept us in the game,” Buckmaster said. “We had two opportunities we didn’t score and we had another one there before the half when we were moving the ball. We played so well on offense the last two weeks, we just need to start scoring points but I see a lot more effort in finishing blocks, in pass protection. Brady Sims I thought ran the heck out of the ball. Receivers did a nice job.”

“You always tell your kids on defense, until they get that thing in the end zone they get no points so don’t get your head down, keep your head up, keep working and keep playing,” Roderique said.

Carl Junction gained 222 yards through the air with senior Alex Baker completing 22 of 34 attempts. Sims rushed 23 times for 72 yards and two scores. The Bulldogs totaled 23 first downs to Webb City’s 19.

The Cardinals rushed for 289 yards with Devrin Weathers gaining 132 on 19 carries. Wilson added 80 yards and Gayman finished with 78.

“Proud of the offense and all that but our defense finally finished a freaking game in the third and fourth quarter,” Buckmaster said. “We were within one touchdown in the fourth quarter and I promise you – Devrin, he’s a great back, he’s a good player. That kid’s a good player and I promise you he knows he’s been in a football game tonight. I’m just proud of our kids.”

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