Republic football's dream season ends in district championship loss to Carthage
CARTHAGE — It wasn't the trophy Gunner Ellison wanted, but the Republic running back tucked it under his right arm Friday as he exited the turf of David Haffner Stadium.
Ellison's high school football career ended in a 28-14 loss to top-ranked Carthage, but the misty-eyed senior understood that the Class 5, District 6 runner-up hardware represented something much larger.
"It sucks that it's over for me, but it's been fun to be part of this program's turnaround," Ellison said as Carthage celebrated its first district crown since 2019, sending the Tigers to the state quarterfinals. "This team has a bright future and I'm excited to watch them excel."
Second-year Republic coach Ryan Cornelsen took over a losing program in 2021 and proceeded to show promise with a foundational 6-5 campaign. It was followed by a relatively young 9-4 team that caught fire late in the season.
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Republic's ascension included a 36-35 road upset of state-ranked Class 6A Nixa on Oct. 14, three weeks before Cornelson's squad ended a 24-game losing streak to Class 5 power Webb City 30-21 in the district semifinals.
The Tigers of Republic, who hadn't won more than six games in a season since finishing 8-2 in 2007, have swiftly turned into one of the more dynamic teams in southwest Missouri.
The Tigers of Carthage (10-1) proved to be better — again.
Behind a powerful ground attack led by Air Force-bound running back Luke Gall and quarterback Cooper Jadwin (321 combined rushing yards and four touchdowns), Carthage jumped out to a swift 14-0 lead and kept Republic at arm's length most of the chilly evening.
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But Carthage, which handled Republic 56-26 in its season opener, didn't ease its way into the next round.
Republic junior quarterback Wyatt Woods connected with James Rextroat on a 23-yard second-quarter strike to make it a 14-6 ballgame.
Carthage answered with a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a three-yard Jadwin touchdown run, giving the home Tigers a 21-6 halftime advantage.
Carthage proceeded to open the third quarter with another Gall touchdown run, putting Republic in a 28-6 hole.
Gall and company appeared as if they were going to add another touchdown on its next drive, but Republic stuffed Carthage in a fourth-and-goal situation and took that momentum into the fourth quarter.
Woods orchestrated another long drive that ended with his second touchdown pass to Rexroat, making it a 28-14 contest before Republic's defense came up with another stop.
Republic drove into Carthage territory again midway through the fourth quarter looking to make it a one-possession ballgame, but Carthage's defense tightened up.
Carthage coach Jon Guidie was impressed with Republic's growth since their August meeting.
"Holding (Republic) to 14 points, that's fantastic," Carthage coach said. "They've been scoring a lot of points on a lot of people, so I can't say enough about our defense."
Carthage travels to third-ranked Lebanon (11-1) next week, a rematch of the 2018 quarterfinal the Tigers won 43-8.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Republic football sees season end at Carthage in district championship
