By Wendell Redden

sports@joplinglobe.com

It may sound strange, with Monett’s athletic success over the years, but the Cubs haven’t won a football playoff game since 1977.

“That’s our goal, to win a playoff game,” said Alan Spencer, head coach of the Cubs, 10-0 and ranked No. 2 in Class 3.

Monett launches its bid to end that long playoff drought at home tonight, meeting Springfield Catholic in a 7 p.m. game. Catholic, coached by Bobby Cornelison, brings a 4-6 record into the game after finishing second to Mount Vernon in District 11.

Mount Vernon, 5-5, entertains Cassville, 7-3, in another first-round game tonight.

“We’re not looking past Springfield Catholic,” Spencer said. “Our goal is to take it one game at a time. If we beat Catholic, then we’ll look ahead to playing the winner of the Mount Vernon-Cassville game.”

Monett’s 1977 team, coached by Benny Lawson, finished 8-2 during the regular season and went on to capture the Class 2A state championship. It was Monett’s second state title in football. The Cubs, coached by the late Burl Fowler, also won the 1971 2A crown.

This year’s team has been impressive in breezing through the Big 8 Conference season unblemished and winning three straight games in the District 12 playoffs.

“Monett is a strong, fundamentally sound football team,” Catholic’s Cornelison said. “They’re not big, but very athletic and they don’t beat themselves. They fly around on defense and lay the lumber on you when they get (to the ball carrier).”

Both teams are coming off impressive victories in their last outings. Catholic beat Aurora 43-15 and Monett toppled East Newton 42-6.

“Catholic likes to run the football,” Spencer said. “They run the Air Force flexbone with a lot of option, the belly series and play-action passes. They’re a young team with a good mix of seniors and sophomores. And, they’ve been playing well late in the season.”

“None of us in our district had impressive records going in, but I thought we had an opportunity to reach the state playoffs,” Cornelison said. “We’ve had some injuries, but we have some of our kids back now.”

Cornelison said running backs Scott Chesbro and Ethan Spiva have been sharing the load running the football and junior Andrew Hennessey has done a good job at quarterback. The top receiver has been Mitchell Richardson.

“We like to run the football, but we’ll take what the defense gives us,” Cornelison said. “Some games we’ve thrown as many as 20 passes.”