Carthage readies for district title game against Republic

Jared Porter, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·3 min read

Nov. 11—by Jared Porter

The Carthage football team will be seeking its ninth district title in program history on Friday night when it plays host to Republic in the Class 5 District 6 championship game at David Haffner Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Carthage.

Top-seeded Carthage (9-1), a 41-21 victor over fifth-seeded Willard last week, has reached the championship round of the district playoffs for a ninth consecutive year.

The last time CHS won a district title was in 2019 with a 35-0 triumph over Nixa. The 2020 and 2021 seasons saw Carthage fall in the district finals to Webb City.

Carthage won't have to deal with Webb City in the district finale this season thanks to Republic's 30-21 victory over the Cardinals last Saturday in the semifinals. Third-seeded RHS (8-3) overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half at Cardinal Stadium to end second-seeded Webb City's 22-year streak of consecutive district titles.

Republic will now be tasked with taking down another Class 5 giant on Friday in Carthage, which is the top-ranked team in the class as well as a team that's outscoring its opponents by an average of 27.7 points per game (42.8 to 15.1). CHS earned a 56-26 victory over RHS in Week 1 of the regular season.

Carthage's only loss in the regular season was a 22-21 setback to Nixa in Week 3. Nixa went on to suffer a 36-35 loss in overtime to Republic in Week 8, and Carthage and Nixa were ultimately named co-champions of the Central Ozark Conference with mirroring 8-1 conference records.

Carthage is averaging 457 yards of total offense per game while limiting its opponents to 249.3.

Senior running back Luke Gall, who missed last week's game against Willard with an undisclosed injury, leads the Carthage rushing attack with 1,607 yards and 34 touchdowns on 186 carries. The Air Force Academy commit is also a standout on the defensive side of the football, leading the team with 82 tackles and six tackles for loss at linebacker.

Senior quarterback Cooper Jadwin has completed 64 of 113 passes for 1,104 yards and six TDs with two interceptions. His top target, senior wide receiver Hudson Moore, had 35 catches for 536 yards and four TDs. Gall has recorded 12 receptions out of the offensive backfield for 313 yards and two TDs.

Micah Lindsey has 68 tackles and 17 tackles for loss for the CHS defense, while Clay Kinder has 59 tackles and three tackles for loss. Mason Frisinger leads the team in pass breakups with 12, and Tayvion Bailey has a team-high four interceptions.

For Republic, QB Wyatt Woods leads the team offensively with 132 yards of total offense per game. He's completed 39 of 73 passes for 654 yards and nine TDs with just one interception, and he's also rushed for 719 yards and six scores on 105 attempts.

Connor Sandridge leads the Republic rushing attack with 734 yards and six TDs on 103 carries. James Rexroat has a team-high 387 receiving yards and five TDs on 17 catches.

The winner between Carthage and Republic will advance to the state quarterfinals to take on the District 5 champion — Camdenton or Lebanon — on Nov. 19.

Contact Jared Porter on Twitter at @JaredRyanPorter.