Republic earns first football win in home opener

and softball, cross-country, volleyball, and tennis recaps as well......
Republic rebounded from its season-opening loss with a 35–9 win over Waynesville Friday night. The Tigers scored all 35 points in the first half and held Waynesville scoreless until late in the fourth quarter.
After trading punts to start the game, Republic scored on a quick strike through the air. Preston McCracken hit Cannon Ellison for a 66-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers extended their lead to 14–0 on their next drive when Izaiah Hull ran for a six-yard score.
In the second quarter, Mason Fleetwood’s five-yard touchdown run capped an 85-yard drive. Kaleb Norman then returned a Waynesville fumble 25 yards for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 28–0.
Republic wasn’t finished. After Republic recovered a fumble on the kickoff, McCracken connected with Keiran Govan for 52 yards. Fleetwood then scored his second touchdown on a six-yard run, giving the Tigers a 35–0 halftime lead.
The second half was quiet until Waynesville scored a safety and a late touchdown.
Republic’s offense totaled 368 yards - 169 passing and 199 rushing. McCracken completed four of six passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. He added 65 rushing yards. Fleetwood had two touchdowns and 33 yards on five carries.
Coach Ryan Cornelsen praised his team’s effort while pointing out room for improvement.
“The kids played hard. Offensively we were opportunistic. We had some big plays,” Cornelsen said. “But honestly, moving the ball, establishing drives, we were probably better last week (against Nixa) offensively. We’ve got to get better at that.”
Cornelsen was pleased with the defense’s progress. “Our defense, from struggling a week ago, came in and did a really good job of being aggressive, coming downhill,” he said. “I thought our defensive coaches had a really good plan this week.”
The win was Republic’s first in eight tries against Waynesville. The teams last played in 2001. Republic (1–1) travels to Ozark this week.
Republic softball takes two of three contests, splits COC games
Republic softball bounced back from a shutout loss to win two straight games last week, improving their record to 5–2. The Lady Tigers opened Central Ozark Conference play with a 10–0 home loss to Ozark Tuesday. Republic managed to hit just four balls out of the infield all night.
On Thursday, the Lady Tigers were much better. Republic snapped a six-game losing streak against Nixa with an 8–3 road win. The Lady Tigers broke a 1–1 tie with three runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. Addie Brown and Sammi Watson led Republic with three hits apiece. Cass Ellison drove in three runs. Piper Dishman started and struck out seven in four innings. Kara Goeke pitched the final three innings.
“We obviously got the big loss on Tuesday. We got embarrassed by it, but I think we bounced back really well,” Dishman said.
Republic capped the week with a 14–0 home win over Seneca Saturday. Nine Lady Tigers recorded hits, including a home run by Watson. Republic scored 11 runs in the second and third innings combined. Dishman earned the win with three scoreless innings. Goeke finished the game with two scoreless frames.
 
Cross Country season gets fully underway at Bolivar Invitational
Republic’s cross country teams opened their season at the Southwest Cross Country Coaches Association Richard Clark Invitational in Bolivar Saturday.
Will Payne led the Republic boys, finishing 60th among nearly 300 runners with a time of 17:14.78. The boys team placed 28th out of 55 schools.
Freshman Brylie Harris paced the Republic girls, finishing 56th in 21:11.34. Four other Lady Tigers placed in the top 100: Catherine Wilson (70th), Jordan Coleman (71st), Quinnlyn Keller (92nd), and Millie Waterman (100th). The girls team finished 11th out of 38 schools.
Senior Gracie Troester, expected to be a top runner for Republic, sat out with an injury but is anticipated to return soon.
Volleyball splits two matches
Republic’s volleyball team went 1–1 last week, sweeping Branson in a non-conference contest before falling to Ozark in Central Ozark Conference play.
The Lady Tigers swept district rival Branson 25–23, 25–21, 25–20 on Tuesday. Adison Gibbs led with 10 kills, while Reese Finley dished out 22 assists.
On Thursday, Ozark swept Republic at home 25–15, 25–14, 25–9.
Republic finished the week with a 6–2 record.
Young tennis team opens with loss at Catholic
Republic’s girls tennis team lost its season opener to Springfield Catholic 9–0 Thursday. Senior Ella Lashley won four games in her singles match, while Eva Riley had Republic’s closest contest, falling 8–6 in No. 5 singles.
Coach David Smashey found positives despite the score. “We did have some encouraging performances even though the match was one-sided,” he said.
The match marked the varsity debut for most of the Lady Tigers after several seniors graduated from last year’s team.