Ozark indeed showed that it may be ready for a turnaround after rallying to stun Class 4’s No. 2-ranked Carl Junction Bulldogs 10-7 on Friday night by scoring twice in the final 10:36 – including the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth-and-5 at the 6-yard-line.
And then, on a night full of solid linebacker corps and slobber-knocker football, Ozark (2-1) put the finishing touches with a tremendous defensive stand. The Tigers stopped Carl Junction and feature back Rayquion Weston on fourth-and-4 inside the Tigers’ 13-yard line with less than 90 seconds left.
What a stunning victory it was for Ozark, which a year ago finished 1-9 after a pair of 5-6 seasons and just last week watched Neosho rally for a 25-20 victory in the final minute.
And here was Carl Junction, an emerging southwest Missouri power that was trying to make a statement against a Class 5 school as the Bulldogs themselves make the jump from the Big 8 to the Central Ozark Conference-Large Division.
“I’m disappointed. I thought we had done a good job of guarding against something like this happening and getting kids’ attention that you’ve got to show up and play the game,” Carl Junction coach Doug Buckmaster said. “Obviously we didn’t do a good job of that.”
It was to be expected, then, that Tigers fans didn’t want the night to end, as they streamed on to the field after the final horn and stayed around to celebrate for a good half-hour later.
After all, there was much for Ozark to celebrate. For instance:
— Curt Gracey scored the go-ahead TD on a fourth-and-5 pitch option from Hulse – with the play coming out of a timeout after Ozark never discussed kicking a field goal that would have brought the Tigers to within 7-6 with plenty of time for possibly another chance. Chandler Doss already had kicked a 34-yard field goal midway through the fourth. “There were all kinds of options,” Ozark coach Chad Depee said. “But it was pretty evident that our entire sideline, including myself, was like, ‘Let’s go get a score right here.’” It was 10-7 with 5:19 left at that point.
— Gracey’s TD came six plays after Preston Carson’s interception at the Ozark 21 – he returned it 43 yards. That came two plays after Ozark coughed up a fumble at its own 36, seemingly giving Carl Junction all the momentum. “We got great penetration on the quarterback,” Carson said. “We played sound defense all the way through. Without a guy covering the short route, there was no way I could have made that play.”
— Ozark’s defense limited Carl Junction feature back Rayquion Weston to 78 yards, in which he needed 30 carries just to get there. “That was a defensive game right there,” Hulse said. “All the credit goes to them.”
Overall, it was a disappointing outcome for Carl Junction on a night when both defenses proved stingy. Both teams combined for nine first-half punts, never penetrating each other’s 30-yard line.
And just when it appeared Carl Junction seized control – the Bulldogs broke the scoreless tie on Keaton Tabor’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Dayton McIntosh in the third quarter – Ozark still found momentum.
Gracey, a free safety, stopped Weston on fourth-and-2 at the Ozark 37 midway through the fourth, doing so with a hit that could be heard throughout the stadium and energized the Ozark sideline. That led to Ozark’s field goal.
The final big stop, of Weston, was even more magnified. That drive began at the Bulldogs’ 26, and a 30-yard pass play from Tabor to Michael Elbert set the series in motion. But the drive stalled. An incomplete pass on second down and a 4-yard run on third-and-8 led to a fourth-and-4 at the Ozark 13.
Carl Junction chose not to attempt a tying field goal.
“We could’ve kicked the field goal to tie it, but we thought we could have made the first down,” Buckmaster said. “But you look at the rest of the ballgame. How many balls did we drop? We had wide-open receivers. We just didn’t play well.”
Certainly, Carl Junction missed several chances. For instance, a deep crossing pattern in the first quarter, well inside Ozark territory, went for naught when a pass was dropped. Tabor was 12-of-27 passing for 170 yards, including 134 after halftime.
“We underestimated them, too,” McIntosh said. “We can’t do that anymore. We’re not in the Big Eight anymore. We’re in the (Central Ozark Conference). We’ve got to play every game knowing we could win or lose.”
For Ozark, the victory carried a lot of meaning for a program trying to regain its footing.
“I think we showed a lot of growth finishing this week,” Gracey said. “We were looking at the O-Zone picks and no one had us picked, so that gave us a little motivation. Not that we needed it. But we were just looking to come out and make a statement.”
Ozark 10, Carl Junction 7
Carl Junction 0 0 7 0 – 7
Ozark 0 0 0 10 – 10
Third quarter
CJ – Dayton McIntosh 49 pass from Keaton Tabor (Keagan Peters kick)
Fourth quarter
O – FG, 34 by Chandler Doss
O – Curt Gracey 6 run (Doss kick)
STATS
Carl Junction
