Republic blows out Parkview to advance in playoffs

Parkview’s first offensive possession ended in points for Republic, and that was indicative of how Friday night’s football district quarterfinal would go. The Tigers blasted Parkview 52-8 at home to advance to the district semifinals.

Although the Tigers were heavily favored on paper against the 1-9 Vikings, coach Ryan Cornelsen said his team didn’t take anything for granted.

"You could see on film that they weren't as good as what we've been seeing, but I thought our kids came out with a focus level like it should be in a district game. I thought we played well and did a good job of executing what we came in to do," he said.

Parkview got the ball first and failed to pick up a first down. When the Vikings set up to punt, they snapped it over the punter’s head and into the end zone. A Viking player recovered the ball, but the result was a Republic safety and a 2-0 lead for the Tigers.

On Republic’s first offensive possession, Gunner Ellison scored on a 13-yard touchdown run, and a Mason Cole extra point made the score 9-0. Wyatt Woods and Ahlante Askew connected for a 45-yard touchdown pass to make the score 16-0. Connor Sandridge scored on a one-yard run to put Republic ahead 23-0. Eight seconds later, Cooper Douglas picked up a fumbled kickoff and returned it for another touchdown, making it 30-0, and it was still the first quarter.

Republic scored again early in the second quarter when Daniel Phillips dragged a defender into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to increase Republic’s lead to 37-0. A one-yard quarterback sneak by Gavyn Beckner pushed the margin to 44-0.

Parkview scored its only touchdown early in the third quarter when Cameron Harris ran it in from 41 yards out.

The Tigers finished out the scoring with a heavy freshman contingent on the field. Freshman running back Owen Klier picked up his first varsity touchdown on a four-yard run, and a two-point conversion by fullback Treyton Gray made the score 52-8.

Cornelsen said it was gratifying to get some younger players time on the field on Friday night in front of a big crowd.

"That's always a great feeling. Those kids put in a lot of time, and to get them in on Friday night under the Friday night lights — hopefully you're building for the future and they see how cool that was," he said. "It's not easy trying to figure out who's been in, who hasn't, and the number of different groups. Sometimes those games are harder on coaches than just the regular game, because we're trying to get all those things organized. But I thought the kids did a good job with it, and we were able to play a lot of kids and hopefully they had a good time."

Parkview finished its season at 1-10. Republic will take its 7-3 record into the district semifinal at Webb City next week. The Cardinals beat Republic 35-14 in Webb City on Sept. 9.