Nixa runs past Joplin 56-34 in Class 6 District 5 championship game

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By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

NIXA — Like a boxer in a championship bout, Nixa High School came out slugging against Joplin on Friday night, landing big punches that had the visiting Eagles on the ropes in the early going.

Using a balanced offensive mix, along with a key play on special teams, Nixa scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions before Joplin realized what happened.

But by then, it was too late.

Nixa’s early success helped the host Eagles build a lead Joplin couldn’t overcome, as Nixa ran away with a 56-34 win and the Class 6 District 5 championship trophy.

“This feels awesome and I’m pretty emotional about it,” Nixa junior running back Dylan Rebura said.

“We haven’t been district champs here since 2015, so everyone here is happy about this.”

Nixa (11-0) took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards in just eight plays, all rushes, scoring on a 12-yard run from Nixa senior running back Malachi Rider.

Rider took the handoff to the left, stiff-armed a defender, regained his balance and scored for a 7-0 lead just 3:10 into the game.

“This feels really great,” Rider said of the district title. “It’s great knowing we are on the road to accomplishing our main goal. I’m excited, the team is happy, and we just have to keep working hard.”

After Joplin (7-4) turned the ball over on downs on its first possession of the game, Nixa answered with another quick score.

Nixa senior quarterback Nate Uber found junior receiver Wyatt Vincent streaking down the right sideline for a 49-yard touchdown and a quick 14-0 lead.

But instead of kicking deep on the ensuing kickoff, Nixa elected for an onside pooch kick that was recovered Nixa senior Colton Hale.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

It didn’t take long from there for Nixa to put points on the board again, when Rider capped a 42-yard drive for a 21-0 lead just nine minutes into the game.

“We won this game because we jumped on them early with a really good start,” Rider said.

“If we didn’t have that good start, it would have been a battle the whole game.”

Rebura and Rider switched in and out of the lineup all night, showcasing their similarities and proving too difficult for Joplin to stop.

“We don’t even know who is in the ball game,” Nixa coach John Perry said.

“They switch themselves out every other series. They are interchangeable. It’s crazy to see how similar those two guys are. And they are very unselfish players.”

Rebura led Nixa with a game-high 198 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns, while Rider rushed 27 times for 135 yards and two scores in the victory.

“We’ve got a big offensive line that has gotten good and we have those two running backs that are fantastic, so we want to run the football,” Perry said.

“Tonight, we wanted to be balanced and do a little bit of all of it and try to get them uncomfortable covering the entire field, and I thought we did a fantastic job of that.”

Joplin scored its first touchdown with just under a minute left in the first quarter, when senior quarterback Hobbs Gooch connected with senior tight end Whit Hafer for a 12-yard touchdown pass as Hafer carried defenders to the end zone.

“I have to give Nixa a lot of credit, they started out on fire, especially offensively,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said.

“We thought we had a good game plan defensively, but they were executing really well, and with that extra possession on the onside pooch kick, they made us play catch up all night long.”

Rebura and Rider combined for 334 of Nixa’s 410 rushing yards. Uber finished 10-for-16 passing with 137 yards and two touchdown passes.

Joplin senior Quinton Renfro led Joplin with 185 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown while Gooch finished 14-for-30 passing with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

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