SPRINGFIELD — It was a wild night of high school football action on Friday, Sept. 18. Some win streaks were extended, while others were snapped.
Here’s everything that happened to Springfield area high school football teams in Week 4.
Nixa's regular season win streak snapped against Webb City
Nixa’s long regular season win streak has finally snapped. Webb City downed the Eagles 23-21 on the road.
The loss snapped Nixa’s 31-game regular season win streak. This is Nixa’s first regular season loss since a Week 8 defeat to Republic in 2022.
“It could've went either way,” Nixa head coach John Perry said. “We didn’t make the plays to win the game. We were battling some adversity and we were pretty thin in some positions. We made too many mistakes, but we still had a chance to win it.”
get 'revenge' over Clever in close battle
Nixa jumped ahead 7-0 on a 15-yard short pass from quarterback Adam McKnight to Jax Adams. Later in the first quarter, Webb City fired a 45-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game.
Nixa scored 14 unanswered points to end the first half. McKnight scored two rushing touchdowns from 20 yards and 1 yard away.
On the first play of the third quarter, Webb City sprinted for an 80-yard rushing touchdown. The Cardinals tied it with a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 6:41 left in the third quarter.
Webb City scored its final points in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. Webb City delivered a beautiful punt to Nixa’s 1-yard line.
McKnight rolled out of the pocket looking for an open receiver. He completed a short pass, but the referees threw a flag for holding. The penalty occurred in the end zone, gifting Webb City the safety.
“We didn’t get any help. We didn’t get no breaks, calls. It was a perfect storm,” Perry said. “Everything that had to go wrong, went wrong. It is what it is, man, that’s life.”
Nixa had two key chances to earn the road win. With 7:01 to go, the Eagles marched from their own 27-yard line to Webb City’s 30-yard line. On a key third down play, McKnight mishandled the snap and fumbled. The Cardinals jumped on it and gained possession with 3:51 remaining.
Webb City tried to kill the clock for as long as possible. On fourth down, Webb City did not elect to punt. They ran their quarterback backward, who was eventually tackled. The referees placed one second on the clock.
Nixa had the ball at Webb City’s 42-yard line with one second left. The Eagles had one last opportunity to win the game with a 57-yard field goal. But officials called a snap infraction, sealing the win for Webb City.
“We are lined up for the field and I believed he was going to make it. He makes 60-yarders in practice every day. But, we get an illegal snap and I kind of giggled when it happened. This was exactly how our night should end. It was a perfect storm,” Perry said. “It wasn’t our night. It was Webb City’s night. Hats off to them for making the plays to win the game.”
The Eagles return home to host Ozark (1-3) next week.
Republic bounces back with big win
Republic (3-1) bounced back after its Week 3 loss to Nixa. The Tigers dominated Ozark 49-0 in a massive home victory.
The Tigers used their fine offensive line play to move Ozark around. Nolan Lashley rushed for three touchdowns, including a 30-yard burst. Hayes Porter also rushed for two touchdowns in the win.
Quarterback Cooper Cornelsen made a highlight play. He tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to the corner of the end zone. Porter ran underneath the ball for the perfect touchdown play.
Republic will host Neosho (4-0) for another big contest next week. Ozark (1-3) will face Nixa (3-1) at home.
Fair Grove, Springfield Catholic set for big Week 5 clash
Fair Grove (4-0) and Springfield Catholic (4-0) are the final two remaining undefeated teams in the Mid-Lakes Conference this season. The two teams will face each other next week after both teams made statements in Week 4.
Fair Grove went on the road and defeated Clever (3-1) 27-20. Wyatt Hallum scored two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Gavin Thomason tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gage Hill. The big highlight came from Jacob Ahnen, who had a first-half pick-six.
Springfield Catholic defeated Forsyth 48-28. The Irish have scored 36 points or more in all four of their games so far. They have also won by at least 17 points in each game, too.
Bill Voorhis earns first win with Kickapoo
Kickapoo earned its first win of the season by defeating Willard 21-7. The win marked Bill Voorhis’ first victory as head coach of the Chiefs.
Willard opened the scoring with a 53-yard wide receiver screen pass. Quarterback Cooper Katrosh delivered a perfect pass to Jonah Vescio, who ran it in for the touchdown.
Kickapoo’s offense and defense would find its stride after Willard’s quick lead. Turner Hale threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Trenton Joplin to tie the game. Joplin broke a few tackles before sprinting away from Willard’s defense.
With less than 30 seconds left in the half, Hale tossed a great pass to Will Buckley for a 35-yard touchdown. Kickapoo’s final score came from Joplin on a 30-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
Southwest Missouri Week 4 results
Big Eight Conference
- Cassville 54, McDonald County 13
- Lamar 52, East Newton 0
- Seneca 35, Mount Vernon 12
- Nevada at Aurora, canceled
Central Ozark Conference
- Carthage 46, Glendale 14
- Joplin 35, Waynesville 14
- Kickapoo 21, Willard 7
- Neosho 50, Lebanon 8
- Webb City 23, Nixa 21
- Republic 49, Ozark 0
Mid-Lakes Conference
- Buffalo 56, Hollister 22
- Fair Grove 27, Clever 20
- Springfield Catholic 48, Forsyth 28
- Strafford 49, Reeds Spring 22
Southwest Conference
- Miller 40, Ash Grove 0
- Sarcoxie 56, Diamond 13
- Marionville 30, Stockton 14
- Pierce City 26, Skyline 22
Ozark Mountain Conference
- Bolivar 45, Hillcrest 7
- Branson 45, West Plains 14
- Carl Junction 28, Marshfield 20
Non-conference
- Monett 54, Knob Noster 8
- Logan-Rogersville 58, Parkview 6
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Breaking down Week 4 high school football action in Springfield area
