Republic didn’t wait long to take control of its COC West opener. After turning the ball over on downs to start the game, the Tigers got the ball right back when Ekene Chukwu fell on a Joplin fumble. From there, Republic’s ground game piled up 376 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a 45–16 win at home Friday night.
Izaiah Hull led the way with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Quarterback Preston McCracken added 85 yards and a score on 15 rushes. Senior Treyton Gray ripped off a 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter, Gavin Lawhon sprinted 36 yards for another score late in the third, and freshman Tucker Ladd capped the night with his first varsity touchdown on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter. Republic also got a school-record 45-yard field goal from kicker Elijah Phiri just before halftime. Phiri’s kick broke the old mark of 42 yards set by Mark Stufflebeam in 1976.
Coach Ryan Cornelsen said the plan on offense is always to see which back has the hot hand, and on this night it was Hull. “You never know what you’re going to get until the game starts,” Cornelsen said. “Tonight it was his number, and he ran hard. That’s kind of how it works—you go with whoever’s got it going, and he did a great job.”…