Republic Sports

Republic Tigers walk over Joplin, keep pace in Central Ozark Conf. race
Republic kept its Central Ozark Conference title hopes alive, defeating Joplin 38–15 on Friday at home. The Tigers relied on their run game and held the ball for about three-quarters of the game. Their defense forced four turnovers, intercepting three passes and recovering a fumble.
Quarterback Wyatt Woods ran for 214 yards. Fullback Kanon Krol accumulated 147 yards on 31 carries.
“Aw yeah, that’s good American football,” said Krol, who didn’t seem to wear down despite his heavy workload. “My guys are still blocking up front. I like it — keep on running it down their throat.”
The game began with a Republic defensive stop that included a sack by Republic’s Logan Hunt and Caden White. After a Joplin punt, Republic moved the ball 45 yards in eight plays, scoring on a 13-yard touchdown by Woods. With Mason Cole’s successful kick, the score was 7–0.
Joplin answered with a 62-yard drive, culminating in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Hobbs Gooch to Cordell Washington, tying the game at 7–7.
Republic’s next drive was promising but didn’t result in a touchdown. The Tigers turned the ball over on downs deep in Joplin territory — but Republic still got points out of the drive indirectly. On the first play of Joplin’s ensuing possession, a mishandled snap by Gooch in the end zone led to a safety, making the score 9–7 in Republic’s favor.
Before halftime, Krol added another touchdown, increasing Republic’s lead to 16–7. The Eagles threatened before halftime, driving inside the Republic 15-yard line, but Brady Lewis intercepted a Joplin pass in the end zone to maintain a two-possession lead for Republic at halftime.
Starting the second half, Republic drove 64 yards in nine plays, with Krol scoring another touchdown. A two-point conversion extended the Tigers’ lead to 24–7. After another defensive stop by Republic, Woods ran 43 yards to pay dirt on the Tigers’ next drive, taking the score to 31–7.
Joplin answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, narrowing the score to 31–15, but Republic responded with an 80-yard drive over 14 plays, ending in Krol’s third touchdown. Republic picked off two more passes to stop Joplin’s late scoring efforts.
Overall, Republic had 444 yards to Joplin’s 312. Beyond Woods and Krol, Daniel Phillips and Caide White added around 50 yards rushing combined, and Cannon Ellison made a 26-yard catch.
With the win, Republic’s record is 5–1. Joplin is 3–3. Republic will face Branson on the road Friday. Republic is tied with Webb City, one game behind Nixa (6–0) in the COC standings, with a home game against Nixa on the schedule in two weeks.
Lady Tigers earn 20th volleyball victory
Republic’s volleyball team added two more victories to its record Saturday, defeating both Strafford and Bolivar at the Liberator Invite. The win against Bolivar marked the team’s 20th victory this season.
“They work really hard. They want to win. I think their dedication is what’s showing right now,” said coach Allison Davis about her team’s reaching the 20-win milestone.
Republic won both Saturday matches in straight sets. The scores against Strafford were 25–18, 25–15, 25–12, and against Bolivar, they were 25–17, 25–12, 25–14.
Earlier in the week, Republic had ended a years-long drought against Carl Junction with a five-set win at home.
At the start of the season, Davis emphasized the value of strong relationships between players and coaches. Now, she said she sees that bond reflected in how her team plays together. “They just love each other, and they want to fight for each other,” Davis said. “I think that’s what’s so important about our program right now.”
This marks the second year in a row that Republic has reached 20 wins, having ended the previous season with a 26–10 record. Currently, the Lady Tigers stand at 20–4. Despite reaching the milestone, Davis and her players are not content. “This feels good, but we want more. We’re greedy,” Davis said.
Republic softball squad finishes fourth at Springfield Invitational
Republic finished in fourth place at the Springfield Invitational played Friday and Saturday. The Lady Tigers went 3–2 in the tournament. They opened with wins over Marion C. Early and Camdenton Friday, thanks to strong pitching performances by Piper Dishman and Kara Goeke.
Saturday morning, Republic beat Liberty 12–11. Trailing 11–10, Lilli Richerson’s double scored Paige Elsenraat and Addison Walker in the seventh inning. Richerson and Sammi Watson had three hits each. Watson also had three RBIs.
In the semifinals, Republic lost 4–0 to Kickapoo. The teams had five hits combined. Kickapoo scored two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. Playing for third place against Webb City, Republic led 5–2 but gave up four runs in the last half-inning to lose 6–5. Republic made five errors, including four during Webb City’s decisive fifth-inning rally. Piper Dishman went 1-for–1 with two walks for Republic.
Republic swim team improvements continue at meet
Noah Marshall earned 19 individual points and Reece Mason earned eight to lead the Republic swim team at the Friday Fights meet in Springfield.
Marshall finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke for Republic’s top result of the night. He also finished sixth in the 50-yard freestyle.
Mason finished eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The 200-yard medley relay team of Keigan Morrison, Reece Mason, Noah Marshall and Kenneth McClellan finished sixth, shaving 1.72 seconds off Republic’s previous best time this season.
Troester wins two more for Republic cross country
Republic’s cross country team continued a strong season, led by Gracie Troester. Troester and Kristin Probst took first and second, respectively, for the Lady Tigers at their home meet Tuesday. Brady Purcell and William Payne finished second and third for the Republic boys. Saturday at the Laker Invitational, Troester won another race, Probst took third, and Purcell finished fifth in the boys race. Republic will compete at Branson Saturday.

Two OT losses mark soccer’s down week
The Republic soccer team opened the week with a tough 1–0 loss on penalty kicks to Nixa after 100 scoreless minutes. Two days later, Santino Stiglianese scored all four goals in a 4–2 comeback win over Monett. Republic finished the week with two losses in the Kickapoo Shootout Friday and Saturday, including a second overtime loss against Capital City.