By Cody Thorn (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Each of the past two years, Staley and Carthage knew what it was like to reach the state semifinals.
Carthage accomplished that feat in 2015 and last year, Staley did so as well.
But both teams came up on the losing end of those games, but with Saturday’s Class 5 semifinal between these two teams the heartache of coming a win away from a state title wouldn’t be the case this time around.
The No. 1-ranked Falcons scored on all but one possession in the first half and then added four touchdowns in the third to pull away in a 54-13 victory at the North Kansas City District Activity Complex to advance to the state title game.
Carthage’s high powered offense, which has helped the team win nine of the past 10 games entering the semifinals, struggled going against winds in excess of 30 miles per hour in the second and third quarter.
The Tigers fell behind 7-0 after Staley won the toss, but answered quickly.
Arkell Smith hauled in a 78-yard touchdown pass from Zeke Sappington on the Tigers’ first offensive play. Smith outran the Falcon secondary players to get Carthage on the board with 9:26 left in the first quarter. Marcus Huntley’s PAT tied the game at 7-7.
That was one of the few highlights on the day for the Tigers, who lost in the 2015 semifinals to Chaminade College Prep on the road in St. Louis.
Staley added three touchdowns more scores in the first half to build a 28-7 lead over the Tigers (9-4).
“They are so good at stopping the run and they force you to panic a bit,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “But not having the wind back-to-back in the second and third quarter when you are down was a huge difference, I think.”
Quarterback John Raybourn had touchdown runs of 12 and 10 yards, while J.D. Benbow added his second score of the game for Staley with 2:38 to play in the second quarter.
The Tigers’ longest drive of the first half followed, going from their 20-yard line to the Staley 16-yard line, but they came up empty.
Sappington hit Smith for gains of 18 and 14 and then connected with Jayden Morgan for a 14-yard gain to move to the Staley 16 with 46 seconds left in the half.
After a sack by Staley, Carthage took two shots into the end zone, but both passes were broken up.
The first one was at Smith, who appeared he might have came down with the ball near the goal line, but as he fell to the ground, the ball popped out.
“Arkell was in the end zone and if he would’ve came down with it, that was a big score right before half,” Guidie said. “We really ran into a really good football team.”
Sappington was sacked by Joe Cantrell on 4th-and-17 from the 23 to end the first half.
“You are one dimensional and that one dimension is driving into this gale force wind for two quarters, it made it real difficult,” Guidie said. “We moved the football, we put drives together and didn’t finish.”
Carthage got the ball to open the second half and marched down and scored thanks to three big plays. Sappington hit Clay Newman and Smith for 20-yard completions and Devon Lancaster had a 19-yard gain on a screen play, moving to the Staley 19.
Two plays later, Sappington ran it in for a 12-yard touchdown at the 9:12 mark of the third quarter.
The PAT failed, making it 28-13.
Carthage attempted an onside kick, but Benbow recovered at the 49. The Falcons, though, gained only two yards on the first two plays and were facing a third-down situation. Raybourn hit Aaron Keast for a 16-yard gain on third down to move to the Carthage 28. That set up Benbow’s 20-yard score, 2 minutes, 9 seconds after Carthage pulled with two possessions.
“We drove down and scored and cut it to 15 and then we needed a stop and didn’t get that stop,” Guidie said. “That is how this day went.”
Staley added three more scores over the final 7 minutes of the third quarter to pull away.
Benbow caught a touchdown pass from Raybourn, who also added a 48-yard touchdown run. Keast also ran for a score for the Falcons, who will play Pattonville for the Class 5 championship next week at Faurot Field in Columbia.
Last year, Staley lost 34-31 to St. Louis Vianney in the semifinals.
“Our seniors were our leaders last year and we got beat by Vianney in the semifinals,” Staley coach Phil Lite said. “That has been the fuel for our fire for the last 365 days. I couldn’t be prouder of this group and this team.
“We talked all week about how it came down to three or four plays and if we make three or four plays and get a couple of stops on defense last year it’s a different outcome. Should’ve, could’ve would’ve. We didn’t get it done. This year was all about finishing and that was our motto this week. To finish and punt our ticket to the state championship game.”
