Wildcats trounce Mountaineers, will host Seneca for district title

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

For the second consecutive year, Cassville will face Seneca in the Class 3, District 6 championship — this time at Wildcat Stadium.

Cassville made a statement in its district semifinal Friday, turning turnovers into points and rolling past Mt. Vernon, 62-0. It was the third consecutive shutout for the Wildcats, who have not been scored on since the fourth quarter of the season’s only loss to Lamar on Oct. 2.

Cassville scored touchdowns on offense and defense, building a 55-0 halftime lead before adding one more score in the third quarter.

Cassville Coach Clay Weldy said the difference from the teams’ previous meeting, a 26-0 Wildcats win, came down to execution and ball security.

“The last time we played them, it was just a weird setting,” Weldy said. “We played on a Saturday, and it was kind of a dead environment. We had 15 days off between games, and we had a game that we were supposed to play that Friday before that we lost. That was kind of heartbreaking to our kids, and we were in a funk.”

Cassville committed five fumbles in the earlier meeting, including three turnovers, but played a much cleaner game Friday.

“Tonight we played sharper,” Weldy said. “I think that was the biggest difference in the games. We took care of the ball and played sharp.”

The Wildcats opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run by Jaren Stearns to cap a 74-yard drive. Stearns rolled out and connected with Carlos Barrientos for an early first down, while Easton Hughes and Kellen Weldy helped move the chains before Masin Bryan broke loose for a first down at the 24. Stearns finished the drive with a run into the end zone, putting Cassville ahead 7-0 with 5:14 left in the first quarter.

After the defense forced a quick punt, Cassville needed only a few plays to score again. Kamden Beebe gained 7 yards, and Hughes broke through a large opening on the left side to reach the 2-yard line. Beebe scored on the next play for a 14-0 lead.

The Wildcats’ defense then got into the scoring column. With Mt. Vernon’s quarterback facing pressure, Spencer Drollinger intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, extending the lead to 21-0 with 1:22 remaining in the first quarter.

Cassville added three more touchdowns in a second quarter that saw the Mountaineers struggle to hold onto the ball. After a fumble and recovery exchange gave Mt. Vernon possession in the red zone, the Wildcats forced another turnover, recovering a loose ball at the 11-yard line. Bryan broke through tackles and scored from there to make it 28-0.

On Mt. Vernon’s next possession, Zach Myers stripped the ball and returned it for another defensive touchdown. The score pushed Cassville’s advantage to 35-0 just 22 seconds after Bryan’s touchdown.

The Wildcats continued to capitalize on short fields. On their next possession, Beebe picked up a first down at the Mountaineers’ 38, and Kellen Weldy broke loose for a 37-yard touchdown run to make it 42-0 with seven minutes left in the half.

Another Mt. Vernon fumble, recovered by Barrientos at the 24-yard line, set up Cassville’s next score. After Hughes and Bryan helped move the ball, Hughes took a delayed handoff and worked his way into the end zone from 6 yards out for a 49-0 lead.

The defense delivered its third touchdown of the half when Hughes intercepted a pass and returned it for a score. A bobbled snap prevented Cassville from converting the two-point attempt, leaving the Wildcats ahead 55-0 with 1:46 remaining before halftime.

Wylan Farris added another interception in the end zone to end Mt. Vernon’s final possession of the half.

Weldy said the defensive performance has been building over the past several games, with players consistently creating pressure and making plays on the ball.

“We’ve been playing really well the last several games,” he said. “We’ve had a couple shutouts here, and our guys are flying around, making plays for us, getting picks and getting pressure on the quarterback.”

Cassville added its final touchdown in the third quarter after recovering a Mt. Vernon pooch kick. With the Wildcats’ reserves on the field and a running clock in effect, Mquade Farris led the drive, breaking through for a first down at the 4-yard line before scoring from 1 yard out. The touchdown made it 62-0 with 4:41 remaining in the quarter.

The Mountaineers moved into Cassville territory late in the game but could not convert the drive into points. The Wildcats stopped a fourth-down hook-and-ladder attempt, then ran out the clock with their reserves.

Barrientos said the team entered the week focused on improving after its bye and was pleased with the offensive response.

“We talked all week about getting better throughout the week and working on ourselves,” he said. “It feels good to get the win and put up a lot of points. Our offense really did a lot better than we have been doing, and that was one of our big emphases this week.”

Barrientos also credited the defense’s consistency and the work of the coaching staff in putting players in position to make plays.

“Our defense has been good all year,” he said. “We’ve just really been improving every single week of practice. Everybody has a job, and everybody does their job. That’s what happens when we all do our job.”

The Wildcats now turn their attention to Seneca, which they will host Friday in the district championship. Cassville defeated the Indians, 28-25, in Week 3 of this season, and Barrientos said the team is eager for another opportunity.

“We’re ready,” he said. “We’ve been waiting since that week we played them here this year, and we had the close win. We know we should have beat them by a lot more than we did. We created our own problems, and we had to come back from that. We snuck out with the win. This time, we’re hoping to put some more up there and make it not as close.”

Weldy said the focus will remain on playing to Cassville’s strengths rather than making major changes for the rematch.

“We need to be the best version of ourselves,” he said. “If we take care of the football and play a better version of what we do compared to what they do, that’s what we want to do. We’re going to put it out there, relax and have fun. We’ve been there before now, so hopefully we play a little better this time.”

Cassville will also have the advantage of hosting the championship, something Weldy said the team earned through its regular-season performance.

“Earning the home games is a big deal,” he said. “We did that in the regular season, and it helped. We got a win against them here, so that gave us the home game here. When we play in front of our home crowd, it’s always an advantage for us.”

Barrientos said the Wildcats’ priorities for the week are straightforward: protect the ball, avoid penalties and maintain the defensive intensity that has carried them through the postseason.

“We’re just not done yet,” he said. “Not done yet.”

On Friday, Stearns went 2-for-3 through the air for 26 yards, adding 2 carries for 3 yards and a score on the ground. Six other Wildcats had carries. Farris led rushers with 79 yards on 11 carries and a score, and Hughes as close behind with 75 yards on 8 touches and a score. Kellen Weldy had 43 yards on 3 carries, Bryan tallied 39 yards on 4 carries, and Beebe put up 24 yards on 4 carries, with all three backs finding paydirt. Kyler Artherton rounded out rushers with 17 yards on 5 carries.

Barrientos caught both passes from Stearns to give the Wildcats the 306 total yards on offense.

Defensively, Braydyn Sizemore led with 5 tackles, 1 assist, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 fumbles caused. Hughes had 3 tackles, 0.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a pick-6. Myers and Bodie Hodge caused fumbles, with Myers returning one for a score. Bryan also logged a sack in the game.

Cassville will host Seneca on Friday for the Class 3, District 6 title. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.