Powerful ground game carries Republic Tigers past Webb City to advance

Republic overpowered Webb City with a punishing ground game Friday night, rushing for 424 yards on 62 carries in a 41-24 win that sent the Tigers to the district championship game.
Quarterback Preston McCracken led the charge with 27 carries for 207 yards and five touchdowns behind a dominant offensive line.
“I knew first half we were winning the line of scrimmage. So it was just a matter of us continuing to do that,” coach Ryan Cornelsen said. “For the most part, I felt like our normal stuff was there. We were able to get enough push that our backs were able to get through or at least get some positive yards.”
Republic set the tone early with an 11-play, 57-yard drive that ended in a seven-yard McCracken run. After a Webb City field goal, McCracken added an eight-yard touchdown for a 14-3 lead. The Cardinals pulled within four again, but an 11-yard touchdown run by Matthew Pelfrey helped Republic take a 21-10 lead before Webb City closed to 21-17 at the break.
The game turned early in the third quarter after Republic’s only punt of the night. Webb City was pinned deep and couldn’t move the ball. That defensive stand flipped the momentum for good. “We lost the momentum out of half and then our defense got it back for us, and then we went in and scored,” coach Ryan Cornelsen said. “And that, to me, was huge.”
Republic capitalized with a four-play, 71-yard drive, capped by McCracken’s 36-yard touchdown run. From there, the Tigers’ ground game and defense closed the door. McCracken scored twice more in the fourth quarter on runs of six and seven yards, while Webb City managed just one long touchdown in the second half.
“They all ran really hard. I feel like they all came out of the backfield blocking really hard,” Cornelsen said of his running backs. “When they’re willing to do that, you’ve got a chance.”
Pelfrey, Izaiah Hull, and Keiran Govan each chipped in key runs as Republic averaged 6.8 yards per carry. The defense allowed 258 rushing yards but only three touchdowns on 10 possessions.
The win was Republic’s fifth in the last six meetings with Webb City after 24 straight losses to start the series. The Tigers’ 41 points were their most ever against the Cardinals, and the victory pushed their season total to 500 points, breaking the program record of 472 set two years ago.
“It was fun there in the end to be able to watch our kids take a knee and have a big win,” Cornelsen said.
Republic will face Carthage in the district championship game Friday.