By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It may not have meant as much to the players on the field, but there were surely some spectators in the stands who were delighted with the outcome of Friday’s football game in Carl Junction.
Renewing an old Big 8 Conference rivalry, visiting Seneca torched the Bulldogs 56-7 in the first meeting between the schools since 2015––and the Indians earned their first victory against Carl Junction since a 40-point triumph in 2012.
“These kids, they were 7, 8, 9 years old last time we played but we talked about it,” Seneca coach Cody Hilburn said. “We talked about some history and history’s important in Seneca and tradition is important in Seneca so we talked about how they used to be in our conference and a rival and they left. I got a lot of texts this week from people wishing us well in the Big 8. That was our theme this week, to represent the Big 8.”
Carl Junction departed the Big 8 after the 2015 season for the Central Ozark Conference and is now a member of the Ozark Mountain. The Bulldogs entered this week with a 4-1 record and ranked 9th in Class 4, while unbeaten Seneca (6-0) arrived at Bulldog Stadium as the second-ranked team in Class 3, averaging 50 points per game and allowing just 12.
The Indians improved those numbers on Friday.
Seneca needed just six plays to cover 96 yards on its first possession and took a 7-0 lead on a 22-yard touchdown run by Kaden Clouse. The Indians started at their own 13 on their next possession––then backed up to the 8 after a false start––and this time took seven plays to find the end zone; Roman Miller scored on a 3-yard run.
Clouse came up with an interception in Carl Junction territory after a catch was bobbled by a receiver, and he returned it to the 3 to set up a short score by Brodie Probert for a 21-0 lead just two minutes into the second quarter. Jaxson Garcia threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Hagen Ginger about three minutes later, and then Probert scored on a 49-yard run to make it a 35-0 game.
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The Bulldogs’ lone touchdown followed an interception by Ryder Pyles, who returned the pick to the Seneca 26. With 25 seconds left in the half, Mason Gilbert tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jaxton Wobken.
If the game wasn’t out of reach by then, Seneca made sure there would be no comeback in the second half. Garcia threw a 31-yard touchdown to Ginger, who caught the ball in the midst of three Bulldog defenders and then powered his way eight yards into the end zone.
Seneca’s Jace Renfro sacked Gilbert on a 4th-and-15 from the Seneca 29 on the last play of the third quarter; the very next play, Probert broke loose for a 71-yard score. Brant Laughlin rushed for Seneca’s final score with the clock ticking.
“We like our offensive line, we return four of those guys from last year and we said all year we’re going to ride those guys,” Hilburn said. “They see a lot of different stuff and a lot of different fronts and they execute and get on the same page and they play what we want to play, a physical brand of football and a run-the-ball style of offense. It starts with them all the time and then we have some guys in the backfield who can go a little bit. Put it all together and we did alright executing tonight.”
Despite snapping the ball 16 fewer times, Seneca out-gained Carl Junction 533 to 113 in total offense. The Indians amassed 421 rushing yards on 30 carries, and limited Carl Junction to fewer than 25 points for just the second time this season.
“We’ve kind of ridden our defense all year long,” Hilburn said. “They’ve put in a lot of work throughout the week. That’s probably what I’m most proud about is they’ve bought into the process and they understand you don’t just show up on Friday night and win games. That process of how the weekend works, right into Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and our defense all week long––we’ve had to make adjustments and our kids have bought into those adjustments. Seeing them show up and execute makes you pretty proud as a coach.”
