Jordan Burton reporting
As the saying goes, the third time is the charm…
After having their season ended by Webb City in each of the last two seasons – both of which were Elite Eight games – the Harrisonville Wildcats made a little history on Friday, topping the Cardinals 27-21 at Cardinal Stadium for their first win against Webb City in program history.
“They’re not oblivious to what’s happened in the past,” said Harrisonville coach Brent Maxwell. “We respect Webb City and Coach Roderique has done a tremendous job. We knew we would have our hands full, but sometimes the biggest challenge with 14-18-year old men is overcoming the mental stuff.
“Last year was the first time this group of kids had been down here to Webb City. There’s no way for me to prepare them for that but it’s an incredible atmosphere down here and there’s nothing like it – I think our kids were in awe of it. I think they were more comfortable this year.”
Much like last year, Harrisonville got on the scoreboard first on Joe Snooks 74-yard interception return for a touchdown. But, unlike last year, the Wildcats were able to hang on to that momentum, never trailing in Friday’s game.
After upsetting top-seeded Carl Junction in last week’s Class 4 – District 5 championship, Friday almost felt like the Cardinals failed to recreate that same energy that they had against their rival Bulldogs – an emotional letdown.
“I didn’t think it would happen, I didn’t think it was a possibility but we just didn’t play very well tonight for whatever reason,” said Webb City coach John Roderique. “It seemed like we were at a disadvantage all night and any time we would start putting something good together we would have a letdown. We didn’t do enough on offense and we didn’t play well on defense, that’s why we lost.”
Webb City rebounded from that slow start initially.
Will Larson punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to tie the game at seven in the first quarter. Sophomore Durand Henderson tied the game at 14 in the second quarter, answering a Brandon Eickhorst-to-Joe Bowers touchdown connection.
That momentum was short-lived after senior Morgan Selemaea ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run with just 1:13 remaining in the first half. Harrisonville led 21-14 entering the intermission. Selemaea surpassed the 100-yard mark for the sixth time this season, four of which have come in Harrisonville’s last four games.
Neither team scored in the third quarter and Bowers’ 54-yard TD run put the ‘Cats up 27-14 with 10:18 remaining in the game.
The Cardinals made one final push late.
Freshman Terrel Kabala hauled in a sensation 41-yard touchdown pass, coming back to an under-thrown ball from Cade Beason and breaking a pair of tackles on his way to the end zone. Webb City was able to force a Harrisonville punt, but the Cardinals drive – and season – would come to an end on 4th and 5 from the ‘Cats 25-yard line when Beason’s attempt fell incomplete.
Preceding the play, Webb City’s timeout gave Harrisonville a chance to potentially make some defensive adjustments, but Maxwell and company stood pat.
“We just stuck to our gameplan,” said Maxwell. “Great teams make great plays when they need to and we never second guess our preparation or our kids. We put together a tremendous gameplan this week and we trusted our gut and it worked out for us this time.”
Friday was not only Harrisonville’s first win over Webb City, it was also the Cardinals’ first home playoff loss since 2009. That was also the last time Roderique’s team didn’t end the season by playing for a state championship.
Don’t cry for the Cardinals though. Webb City will return several marquee players in 2017 and both Henderson and Kabala will be two of the state’s best at their respective positions entering next season. Defensively Jordon Rogers and Javis Berlin form the COC’s best linebacking corps.
But despite being on the verge of what could be another historic run, Roderique couldn’t help but appreciate what this year’s senior class did for his program.
“It’s always tough for seniors – guys that have played this game together for this many years and then it’s just over with the last ball game,” said Roderique. “I’m proud of them and how they battled after a slow start. They got us to a great point, winning a district championship, but you just wish you could have gotten one more. We’re really excited about the future, but we really appreciate what this senior class has done for us.”
