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By Matt Turer — @MattTurer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — West Plains started things Friday with a 95-yard touchdown run on its first offensive touch.
If a dagger can come in the first two minutes of a football game, that’s how it happens.
Brayden Lidgard took Connor Rackley’s handoff at their own five-yard line and went untouched through the left side after an opening defensive stop, putting the Zizzers up 7-0 in what ended as a 42-0 dismantling of the Chiefs at Kickapoo.
Lidgard finished with 189 yards and three scores on 17 carries, Rackley completed 11-of-17 passes for 149 yards and three more touchdowns and the West Plains defense held the Chiefs to 87 total yards as the No. 4 ranked team in Class 4 easily improved to 4-0.
“We’re solid,” West Plains coach Steve Ary said. “We’re solid on offense and we’re solid on defense. This team is a lot of fun.”
Solid might be putting it lightly with the Zizzers having now outscored opponents 174-7 this season with three shutouts.
West Plains outgained the Chiefs 373-31 in the first half and finished with 421 total yards after playing its second string for most of the second half, which was played under turbo clock.
“We practice this stuff every week, and to be able to come out and execute just like in practice is great,” Rackley said.
“That’s the standard right there,” Chiefs coach Nate Thomas said. “The big thing that stuck out like a sore thumb is how physical they were. I’m proud of how hard my guys played, we were just overmatched by a well-coached football team with a bunch of good football players.”
IT WAS OVER WHEN
Kickapoo failed to take advantage of two consecutive defensive stops after Lidgard’s 95-yard touchdown.
Instead of rolling over, the Chiefs defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs after going down 7-0, but Kickapoo’s offense was forced into three straight three-and-outs over that same stretch.
“We come out and we were probably a little bit flat, but we were jacked last week (after beating Camdenton 41-7), so sometimes you get a little bit of a hangover coming off a real emotional win,” Ary said. “We better show up next week (against Lebanon). We better show up with some emotion.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
After the third Kickapoo three-and-out ended with a seven-yard punt, the Zizzers quickly opened a 14-0 lead when Rackley hit Allen Marcak for an easy 31-yard strike on another one-play scoring drive with 3:09 left in the first.
Just under three minutes later, Rackley found Marcak again for a six-yard dumpoff after scrambling inside and out of the pocket to create time while Marcak found space.
“Between Connor [Rackley] and Lidgard, it’s a deal where if they get out in space we knew we were gonna be in trouble,” Thomas said. “They got the edge and we didn’t have anybody who could run with them.”
Marcak finished with four catches for 71 yards and added an interception on defense.
In the second, a pair of rushing scores of six inches and 16 yards from Lidgard and a six-yard pass from Rackley to Daniel Cobb secured the 42-0 final.
Chiefs quarterback Cross Elmquist was held to 10-for-32 passing for 59 yards. Kickapoo managed just 29 yards on 13 carries on the ground.
ONE WEAKNESS
If West Plains has a weakness, it’s penalties. The Zizzers were flagged eight times for 43 yards and had three additional penalties declined by the Chiefs.
“We’re struggling with penalties right now,” Ary said. “That seems to be our downfall, is us getting that yellow flag. It was the same last year. But if we can clean that up I think we’re gonna be just fine.”
ADDITIONAL NOTES
The Zizzers scored on their final five drives of the first half … West Plains also started 4-0 in 2017 … Kickapoo falls to 1-3 for the second straight season … Lidgard surpassed 100 yards with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Kickapoo heads east to Rolla (3-1). West Plains hosts Lebanon (4-0).
SCORING
WPHS 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 — 42
KHS 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 — 0
1ST QUARTER
WPHS – TD – 10:21 – Brayden Lidgard 95 Yd run (PAT good) — 7-0 WPHS
WPHS – TD – 3:09 – Allen Marcak 31 Yd pass from Connor Rackley (PAT good) — 14-0 WPHS
WPHS – TD – 0:16 – Allen Marcak 6 Yd pass from Connor Rackley (PAT good) — 21-0 WPHS
2ND QUARTER
WPHS – TD – 8:13 – Brayden Lidgard 0 Yd run (PAT good) — 28-0 WPHS
WPHS – TD – 5:12 – Brayden Lidgard 16 Yd run (PAT good) — 35-0 WPHS
WPHS – TD – 0:16 – Daniel Cobb 6 Yd pass from Connor Rackley (PAT good) — 42-0 WPHS
