Cardinals offense erupts again in Willard win
Oct. 1—WEBB CITY, Mo. — It was another robust offensive night for the Webb City football team.
The Cardinals scored nearly 50 points for the second straight week in a 49-28 win over Willard in Central Ozark Conference action on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
Webb City, improving to 4-2, has claimed its last two contests ahead of next week's COC showdown with rival Carthage. Carthage (5-1) defeated Ozark 49-7 in its Week 6 contest.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 21-0 lead against Willard in the first quarter. Quarterback Landon Johnson capped a 10-play, 58-yard drive with a 1-yard keeper to put Webb City ahead 7-0 at the 8:10 mark.
Less than three minutes later, Aidan Alberty added a 12-yard TD run as the hosts pulled ahead two scores. Breckin Galardo put an exclamation mark on the first-quarter scoring with a short 1-yard run.
But Willard found the scoreboard midway through the second stanza. Russell Roweton completed a 50-yard TD strike to Clayton Scott that cut the deficit to 21-7.
The Cardinal response?
Two TDs before intermission.
Omari Jackson found paydirt from four yards out to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive. Cy Darnell tiptoed into the endzone on a 23-yard run with just three seconds left on the clock, giving Webb City a 35-6 halftime lead.
And the rout was on to start the second half. Alberty scored a 4-yard TD run to increase the Cardinals' advantage to 42-6 with 8:45 to play in the third quarter.
Willard outscored Webb City 22-7 the rest of the way, but the hole proved insurmountable to overcome.
The Cardinals ran 66 plays for 482 yards (434 on the ground). Alberty netted 118 yards in 10 carries for an average of 11.8 yards per carry, while Galardo contributed 79 yards rushing in 10 attempts.
Ethan Baird rushed for 76 yards on nine carries, including a 39-yard TD scamper to account for Webb City's final score in the fourth quarter. Jackson ran the ball seven times for 65 yards.
Braden McKee completed 3 of 7 passes for 35 yards, while Johnson had a 13-yard completion.
On defense, Webb City was led by McQuade Eilenstein with four tackles (one for loss). AJ Bash, Christian Brock and Johnson (one for loss) registered three stops apiece.
The Tigers ran 45 plays for 299 yards (228 through the air). Roweton completed 14 of 27 passes for 228 yards with four TDs and two interceptions.
Kyden McMain had three catches for 67 yards and one score, while Scott, Owen Bushnell and Landon Moore each had two receptions. Bushnell led the team with 108 yards receiving with two TD catches.
Webb City's defense limited Bushnell to 18 yards on the ground in seven carries.
Despite two early-season losses, the Cardinals are ranked fifth in Class 5.
OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS
Webb City made history with its 55-40 win at Ozark last week. The 94 combined points is the fifth most in team history.
Ironically, the two schools combined for 111 points in last year's meeting. Four of these contests have all occurred since 2011.
The other two were 56-42 over MICDS for the 2011 state title and 62-34 over Camdenton in the quarterfinals of the 2019 season.
