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By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After helping Webb City win a district championship as a freshman while finishing second on the team in receiving yards, junior Terrell Kabala had to sit and watch the majority of his sophomore year after tearing his ACL.
On Friday, Kabala proved he’s officially back with a career night on a big stage, scoring all three of Webb City’s touchdowns in a 21-12 win over COC rival Carthage at Cardinal Stadium.
“It couldn’t happen to a better kid, with what he’s gone through in the last year,” said Webb City coach John Roderique. “He had a great year as a sophomore and did a lot of great things as a freshman. But to see him have the night he did tonight is just so rewarding for that kid and everyone feels great for him. We’re certainly happy that he plays for us.
Kabala’s night started early, finding paydirt from 28 yards out on the game’s opening possession. After a defensive stop, senior quarterback Cade Beason found Kabala again, this time on a 40-yard bomb. His three receptions matched a career-best for the run-heavy Cards, his 79 yards was also a career-high and his two receiving touchdowns matched the total he had in his career entering Friday night.
Beason, who had missed the last two games due to a knee injury, finished the night with three completions, all of which went to Kabala. He also rushed for 26 yards, erasing any rust he may have had from his prolonged absence since Week 2.
Coincidentally, it was Beason’s first touchdown pass and Kabala’s first touchdown reception since November 2016 when the duo hooked up in the Class 4 playoffs against Harrisonville.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Cade made some great throws in the first half,” said Roderique. “In hindsight, we probably should’ve done that a little more. On Monday we didn’t know if he was going to play tonight… He had some big runs in there. At the end we needed that big body and he powered the bull a little bit.”
Senior Durand Henderson also rushed for 100 yards on just 14 carries.
Kabala’s hat trick score came in the third quarter, a 65-yard pick-6, which gave Webb City a 21-6 advantage. It came when Kabala jumped a route intended for standout receiver Jayden Morgan, racing untouched to the end zone.
“I felt like they were maybe baiting him a little bit by throwing that hitch, setting him up for a hitch and go, so we had been saying be careful about jumping that because he may take off,” said Roderique. “The next thing you know he jumps it and what a great play. He’s certainly a great football player.”
Maybe the most unique part of Webb City’s performance was the maturation of a Webb City defense that returned just two starters from last year.
The Cardinals bent a few times but never really broke, continuing to come up with timely stops. The timeliest of which came in the fourth quarter, with their backs against the goal-line.
The first came when Webb City recovered a fumble after Carthage had the ball inside the one-yard line. And – late in the game – following a Carthage touchdown, Webb City’s defense came up with a stop on the two-point conversion which would’ve pulled the Tigers within a single possession.
“We won that with good defense,” said Roderique. “Can’t say enough about how they played tonight. I’m an old defensive guy and love to see good defense. For them to get the ball on the one-foot line – and you preach that until the ball crosses they get no points for it – sometimes you just need breaks.”
Carthage did finish with 361 yards, out-gaining Webb City by 119 yards of total offense. The Tigers also ran nearly double the plays (66-34), were even in the turnover department and dominated time of possession, third down conversions and were penalized six fewer times.
The Tigers didn’t show up in Webb City looking for a moral victory, but they certainly found one.
Playing without standout quarterback Zeke Sappington and leading rusher Tyler Mueller, Carthage was able to overcome a slow start and go toe-to-toe with the Cardinals on the road.
While Sappington could be out for the remainder of the year, sophomore Patrick Charlton – who racked up 269 yards and a touchdown – reaffirmed that Carthage is still a premier Class 5 team, especially in Webb City’s eyes.
“They’re so unique in what they do,” said Roderique. “They can do so many things. After those first couple of series they took it to us. It was tough sleddin’ out there tonight for sure. We had a couple more breaks than they did tonight. Wish them nothing but the best from here on out.”
The two teams won’t meet again until 2019, but don’t be shocked to see the rivals make similar trips to Columbia in roughly two months.
Webb City will look to remain unbeaten next week, taking on Willard on the road. Carthage will host Branson.
