By Don Abernathy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
As might be expected for any season opener, Friday night’s Central Ozark Conference tilt between Nixa and Republic wasn’t perfect. There were mistakes. There were penalties. But for the visiting Eagles, there were flashes of excellence that quieted the near-capacity crowd and should have the future teams on Nixa’s schedule taking notes.
Behind the explosive play of Nixa’s Jayden McCaster, the Eagles dominated Republic, 49-21, as the senior transfer running back racked up 220 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in the win.
“It’s awesome having Jayden back there,” Nixa junior quarterback Adam McKnight said. “He’s bouncing off people and getting extra yards after contact. You can’t teach that and it’s hard for a defense to stop that.”
McCaster, who played against Nixa in the state championship game last season, transferred from De Smet High School in St. Louis, where he was named to the Class 6 All-State Second Team a year ago.
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“I think it’s great to have a true Friday night lights experience,” McCaster said. “I played at a Catholic, all-boys school of 600 last year, and to now play in front of a school of 2,000 makes these Friday nights more meaningful.”
Republic took the opening kickoff and moved slowly and methodically down the field, driving 80 yards in 12 rushing plays, using up almost half of the first quarter.
Senior quarterback Preston McCracken broke loose for a 26-yard gain down to the Nixa 5-yard line, setting up the Tigers’ first touchdown, a 5-yard run by senior running back Owen Klier. Republic capped the long drive when Klier punched it through the line two plays later for a 6-0 lead with 6:55 left in the first quarter.
It took just four plays for Nixa to answer on the ensuing possession when McCaster broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and scored on a 40-yard touchdown run, giving the Eagles a 7-6 lead.
“We knew how much pressure they were applying on the inside, so we knew if we went outside, there was going to be a gap in the defense,” McCaster said. “I saw it and I made the most of it.”
Nixa’s defense forced a Republic turnover on 4th down just a few plays later, and again got an explosive play from McCaster.
On the first play after the interception by Nixa senior Jaden Russell, McCaster took a pitch from McKnight and went 56 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead with 2:34 left in the first period.
“(Having McCaster in the backfield) makes it a lot easier,” Nixa senior offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell said. “We broke a lot of runs tonight that I don’t know if we break them in the past. We’ve had a lot of good running backs here, but I think now we’ve got an elite one now. It’s been really great for our team having him on board.”
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The Eagles scored on all but one of their possessions in the first half and held a 21-6 lead at halftime.
It didn’t take long after halftime for Nixa to get on the scoreboard again, scoring on a 79-yard pass from McKnight to junior receiver Carter Mabe. It was senior receiver Owen Lock’s block, after the reception by Mabe in the flat, that sprung Mabe down the left sideline for a 28-6 lead.
Midway through the third quarter, Republic cut into the lead when senior running back Jin Villasica scored on a 14-yard run, and Klier added the 2-point conversion to make the score 28-14 with 6:45 left in the third period.
“It wasn’t perfect, but at the end of the day, we got it done and I couldn’t be happier with the scoreboard result,” Cantwell said. “We’ve just got to get better for next week.”
McCaster added two more touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, while junior Jax Adams added one of his own as the Eagles pulled away.
McKnight was 5-for-8 passing for 138 yards and had both a rushing score and a touchdown through the air as Nixa put up 396 total yards from scrimmage.
“I think we can make it all the way again this year, and I think this team has the potential to win the thing,” McKnight said. “It’s going to take all of us doing our jobs individually. We’ve got to keep working and not be satisfied.”
