By Ryan Atkinson
ratkinson@joplinglobe.com
WEBB CITY, Mo. — As slow as the Joplin Eagles started, they were able to make some noise before Friday night’s jamboree at Webb City’s Cardinal Stadium came to a close.
Joplin gave up two quick scores to Seneca and then struggled to move the ball against the Indian defense, but recovered to mount a pair of impressive scoring drives against Webb City before holding the Cardinal offense to just one score.
“I’m pretty disappointed with the way we came out,” Joplin coach Doug Buckmaster said. “We didn’t have intensity or focus on either side of the ball ... but I thought we did a pretty good job of bouncing back against Webb City.”
Starting at the 40-yard line, Joplin used just five plays to find the end zone in its first drive against the Cardinals. Quarterback Devin St. Clair hit Cory Macy for a 21-yard pickup on the first play before hitting Dane Kolkmeyer for six yards. Three plays later St. Clair found Kolkmeyer on a middle screen for a 14-yard score.
After a pair of incomplete passes, a penalty and a short run to open Joplin’s second drive, St. Clair uncorked a 42-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Sam Nguyen.
St. Clair also had a 40-yard scoring strike to Kolkmeyer against Seneca.
Not bad for the first real-time test of Joplin’s new no-huddle offense.
“We had a couple blown plays early, but I thought we did a pretty good job,” Buckmaster said.
The Eagle defense held Webb City to just five yards on the Cardinals’ first offensive series and had the Cardinals in a third-and-8 at the 17 on their second series. But Webb City junior quarterback Patrick Drake nailed Chris Hance for a touchdown pass.
Two plays later, both teams sent in the second teams and the Eagles didn’t allow another score.
“I thought we came out with some fire against Webb City,” Buckmaster said. “We just have to make sure that we’re ready to play when the ball is first snapped. We can’t start slow like we did tonight.”
Webb City head coach John Roderique said his squad’s intensity never fully picked up.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Roderique said. “We did not have any intensity. We’ll improve, we’ll get better, but we have to come out with more intensity than we did tonight.”
Webb City started the night with a 10-play scoring drive against Seneca that culminated in Jeremiah Box’s two-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. Webb City’s second team offense tacked on a touchdown six plays later when Drake found Brandon Williams from 25 yards out.
Seneca’s offense was solid, scoring on a 15-yard pass from Jake Rhoades to Nick Chasten against Webb City and then jolting Joplin for a pair of quick scores, including another Rhoades-to-Chasten touchdown.
“I was pretty pleased execution-wise,” Seneca head coach Rob Townsend said. “We did some good things and I don’t think our first team jumped off sides once, which is always good this early.”
The Indian defense allowed just one Joplin score, the 40-yarder from St. Clair to Kolkmeyer, but it took the Eagles 11 plays to find the end zone.
“Our intensity and hitting were great,” Townsend said. “At times we may have lacked a little focus, but that happens at these jamborees ... I was pleased with the intensity.”
Joplin opens its season at home next Friday against Glendale while Webb City travels to Harrisonville and Seneca journeys to Neosho.
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