Roark scores 4 times in 42-14 victory at home

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

The Cassville football team flexed its muscle on Friday, putting up its highest point total of the season with a 42-14 victory over visiting Harrisonville.

Clay Weldy, Wildcats football coach, said the offense and defense both played well, not perfectly, but much improved.

“That was the best our defense has played all year, and the offense was very good outside of the turnovers,” he said. “Our early schedule was brutal, playing three state-ranked teams in the first four games, but tonight, our size was more equal to them, and our schedule lends to the physicality of our game.

“We won the line of scrimmage, even with Izaak Henbest coming in at center when Isaac Luney got hurt. He didn’t miss a beat. Our line and tight ends all played really well, too.”

Heaps of praise were unloaded on the whole squad for the win, and a big heap of praise landed on the shoulders of wide receiver Colton Roark. The senior touched the ball 10 times, rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 7 carries, and catching three Jaren Stearns passes for 174 yards and two more scores. He also pulled in a one-handed interception on an overthrown ball in the first half.

“He went to a different level tonight,” Weldy said. “That’s the best I have ever seen him play. He’s a state champion wrestler, and even though he was seeing double and triple coverage, we were still able to throw it to him. Most nights, he is the best athlete on the field — [on Friday night], he proved it.”

Stearns finished the night 4-for-5 for 210 yards through the air, rushing for 37 more yards on 7 carries. Seven total Wildcats carried the ball in the contest.

Cassville started the contest with a 4-minute, 75-yard drive, culminating in a 9-yard East Hughes touchdown, bouncing off multiple tacklers and diving in for the score. After forcing a turnover on downs, Roark struck for the first time with a 48-yard touchdown catch down the home sideline, shrugging off a tackler after the grab.

Harrisonville then found the scoreboard with a 60-yard touchdown pass up the middle, and following a Cassville fumble, tied the game at 14-14 with a 25-yard touchdown pass.

Midway through the second quarter, Wildcats took over the game. Following a good Roark kick return and horse collar penalty, Cassville went 55 yards in three plays, with Hughes scoring on an 11-yard run after a 36-yard Mace Bredeson reception.

Harrisonville crossed midfield on its next drive, and Roark intercepted an overthrown ball at the 20 with under a minute left in the half. Three plays later, with time dwindling, Roark ran a post route into triple coverage, adjusting to haul in the ball and break away for an 80-yard touchdown catch with just 4.5 seconds on the clock.

In the second half, Harrisonville punted and the Wildcats fumbled, but then forced a turnover on downs. Six plays and 61 yards later, Roark scampered in for a 20-yard touchdown run. After forcing another turnover on downs by getting into the Harrisonville backfield, Cassville extended the lead to 42-14 with Roark’s final touchdown on the day, a 52-yard touchdown run, on the first play of the final frame.

Harrisonville punted on its first possession of the fourth quarter, then the Wildcats fumbled it back. The teams traded possessions from then on, with the Cassville junior varsity getting a series in, and the Wildcats entering victory formation with 2:34 to play. Intentionally turning the ball over on downs with less than 30 seconds to go, Harrisonville ran one play for a short gain and let time expire.

“We have a good offense,” said Ethan Sizemore, senior lineman. “It feels pretty good [to get this win], and we had some big improvements in our tackling and just finishing the game in general. Every game this season, we’ve had the chance to go out and win, but this one, we went out and finished.”

Sizemore said a big factor in the victory was the Wildcats’ attitude.

“Everyone was really hyped up,” he said. “When Luney went down, we knew if we lost that energy, it would be a rough night. It felt good to [have the JV go in during] the fourth quarter. That’s something we haven’t done in a while. It was nice to play a close game and finish, and not be in a punching match all night long. We got a good lead, and the JV got some reps in.”

A Class 4 school, Harrisonville was undefeated coming into Wildcat Stadium, and Sizemore said he was proud to break that goose egg.

“Harrisonville is bigger than us and had a better record, but we were not going to lay down,” he said. “We are home again next week, and we hope to get back to .500 and see where we can go from there.”

Weldy said despite a few “silly things” like the fumbles and a couple of penalties, he was proud of the effort.

“We came out hot, then we did some silly things like turning the ball over,” he said. “There were a couple of silly things at the wrong time, but we got that score going into the half and got the stop and scored after halftime.

“But, I told the guys if we come back next week satisfied, this will be all for naught. This is a nice win, but by no means have we arrived. We have to do it again next week. It’s all conference games from here on out, so we need to keep playing well.”

Cassville hosts Mt. Vernon on Friday for Homecoming. Going into last week’s contest, the Missouri Media Rankings listed the Wildcats at No. 12 in Class 3, and Harrisonville was No. 13 in Class 4. The Mountaineers will enter Cassville unranked at 2-3 and on a 2-game win streak with victories over East Newton and Lamar.