On a short week, hosting Reeds Spring on Thursday instead of Friday in the first round of the Class 3, District 6 playoffs, Cassville made it a short night with a 52-0 victory, scoring all points in the first half of play.

Clay Weldy, Cassville football coach, said the win was a full team effort.

“Our defense created several turnovers, got us some short fields, and we hit some big plays,” he said. “I thought we played really well tonight, and that’s what we wanted to do, come out and play sharp on a short week.”

Vyncent Arguelles, senior linebacker, said the postseason win felt great.

“We finally got to business,” he said. “We put everything to work that we practiced all year, and it’s great to be up 52-0 at half, right? Yes, sir.”

Cassville found the scoreboard early and often, opening the account with a 39-yard Colton Roark touchdown catch on a Jaren Stearns pass on fourth-and 9.

After a Wolves punt, Roark took the first handoff of the next possession 49 yards to paydirt. A fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff led to a Stearnsto- Roark connection again on the first play of the drive, resulting in a 34-yard touchdown.

In just 1:48 of game time midway through the first quarter, the Wildcats had taken a 21-0 lead.

With 2:45 left in the opening frame, a 3-yard Kamden Beebe run set up Easton Hughes for gains of 18 and 9 to put Cassville up four scores.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter, when Masin Bryan went 26 yards, then 18 yards to put Cassville up 35-0 with 11:20 left in the half. It was the fifth Wildcat touchdown in 30 minutes of real time.

A Hughes interception then set up a 15-yard touchdown run for Beebe, and after a 61-yard Bryan touchdown was called back for holding on the next drive, Cassville still found paydirt with a 53-yard Roark rush.

Getting another fumble recovery on Reeds Springs’ next drive, Cassville’s junior varsity took the field. The new offense went three-and-out, but the Wildcats finalized the scoreline with a 33-yard Diego Haros field goal.

Cassville’s freshmen and junior varsity players saw action in the second half, with the teams trading possessions twice as the turbo clock wound down.

Weldy said he attributed the result to his team’s mindset coming into the game, as they practiced through the elements leading up to the playoff contest.

“We had a tough week at practice,” he said. “We were outside when it was raining and nasty, and we did that all week. We told our guys, in this time of year, you have got to be tough mentally and physically. I thought our guys took to that to heart and played hard tonight.

“We also talked about our schedule, in the Big 8, and we think our schedule got us ready for this kind of game.”

Arguelles said the week in the weather may have been punishing, but the pros outweigh the cons.

“It prepared us for the weather, either rain, mud, anything, and so all week, we practiced outside,” he said. “And, we prepared ourselves mentally and physically.”

Though the temperature on Thursday was chilly, Arguelles said it was hardly a bother compared to the previous days.

“Practice was worse,” he said. “It was rainy, cold and a lot muddier.”

The Wildcats (7-3) now move on to the district semifinals, where they will play host to Mt. Vernon (6-4) in what could be the final home game of the season. Cassville earned a 39-28 win over the Mountaineers at home in Week 6 this season, but Weldy said past favorable results do not guarantee the same in the future.

“Mount Vernon’s playing really well right now,” he said. “You get to districts, and you’ve got to keep playing physical, keep playing hard. But I’m proud of the way we’re playing right now, and I hope we keep playing that way.”

Arguelles said if Cassville can continue playing at the level it is, confidence is high.

“I believe if we work the way we did today, we have a great chance [to keep playing],” he said.

Friday’s game was moved to Thursday because the Cassville softball team played in the Class 3 Final Four in Springfield on Friday afternoon and evening. After the Thursday game, Weldy said he encouraged his players to go watch the games, as he planned, and to take it easy.

“I think getting our guys another day of rest would be good for them this time of year, and then we’ll get ready on Saturday for [Mt. Vernon].”

Against Reeds Spring, Cassville tallied 401 total yards. Stearns was 2-for-3 passing for 73 yards, with Roark benefitting from both catches and turning both into points.

On the ground, Roark led rushers with 108 yards and two touchdowns on 3 carries. Bryan tallied 72 yards on 8 rushes and delivered a score, Beebe had 50 yards on 4 runs with a score, and Hughes finished with 48 yards on 6 attempts, also with a score.

Defensively, Spencer Drollinger led in tackles with 4, while Hughes, Tristan Thompson and Chance Free each contributed 3. Hughes led with 6 assists, and Thompson added 4. Van Thang led with 3 tackles for loss, Bryan had 2, and Hughes and Thompson had 1.5 each. Thang had a sack, and Drollinger forced a fumble. Ricky Norris and Logan Parsons each recovered a fumble, Hughes had an interception, and Andon Goutney logged a pass break-up Cassville had four penalties for 22 yards and created five turnovers: two fumble recoveries, two turnovers on downs and one interception.