Republic comes alive in second half at Willard

Orange Tigers come from behind for victory, thanks to butt chewin'.
Republic overcame a halftime deficit with 28 unanswered points in the second half at Willard, pulling away for a 49-22 win Friday. Gunner Ellison rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Republic offense, which gained 478 total yards compared to Willard's 233.

Besides a two-minute stretch late in the second quarter, Republic dominated the action most of the night. But a series of penalties and defensive breakdowns helped Willard climb out of a 21-6 hole to take a 22-21 lead at halftime. That led to a halftime talk that Coach Ryan Cornelsen characterized as both "an encouragement" and a "butt chewin'."

"It was attention to detail. There were some things this week, kids being late and stuff, that I felt like was lack of discipline," he said. "When you do that throughout the week, it shows up on Friday night. So I just pointed out some of those things and told them we've got to be better, and we deserved that embarrassment in the first half. Now go change it in the second half."

Kick returner Daniel Phillips helped Republic turn things around right away. He took the opening kickoff of the half all the way into Willard territory, setting up a touchdown drive that helped Republic take a lead it would never relinquish. Connor Sandridge scored on a two-yard run, and the extra point put Republic ahead 28-22.

After Willard quarterback Russell Roweton had torched the Republic defense for several long passes in the first half, Republic stepped up the pressure after halftime. A sack by Cooper Douglas helped Republic stop Willard on its first possession of the third quarter, and Republic quickly scored again on a touchdown by Gunner Ellison. He scampered up the sideline on a fourth-and-goal from the 10-yard line to make the score 35-22.

Kanon Krol scored after another defensive stop, making the score 42-22, and Ellison intercepted a pass on Willard's next possession. That set up the last score of the night, a 31-yard touchdown run by David Hayes. It was his first varsity touchdown.

In the first half, Willard had scored on its first possession but missed the extra point. Wyatt Woods put Republic on top with a 15-yard TD pass to James Rexroat, making the score 7-6. Ellison's first touchdown, a four-yard run, put Republic up 14-6. Republic scored again on a 17-yard run by Woods.

Republic led 21-6 with two minutes remaining and threatened to score again. But a fourth-down attempt failed, and Willard quickly scored two touchdowns to take the lead before half.

Gunner Ellison's 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns led Republic. He carried the ball 10 times. Woods rushed for 101 yards on 13 carries. Krol rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries, and Sandridge rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries. Woods, Sandridge, and Krol each had one touchdown. Republic rushed for 457 yards in total, and passed for 21 yards.

Willard passed for 211 yards and ran for 36.

Defensively, Republic got two sacks each from Cooper Douglas and Noah Reese.

Republic improved to 3-2. Willard is 0-5. Republic travels to Joplin this week.