By Ryan Atkinson

ratkinson@joplinglobe.com

A roller coaster of a high school football season-opener ended with the Joplin Eagles letting out a sigh of relief.

The Eagles watched their comfortable halftime advantage evaporate before junior quarterback Devin St. Clair plunged into the end zone from a yard out with less that two minutes left to give Joplin a 35-28 win over the Glendale Falcons on Friday at Junge Field.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Joplin coach Doug Buckmaster said. “We were definitely facing a little bit of adversity and they stepped up and got the job done.”

Especially in the final minutes.

Glendale scored the last of its 21 unanswered points when quarterback Kevin Redmon found the end zone from a yard out to tie the game at 28 with just 4:10 remaining.

But St. Clair, making his first varsity start, led Joplin on a seven-play, 82-yard drive that was highlighted by his 45-yard pass to Dane Kolkmeyer that gave the Eagles a first down at the Falcon 10.

Kolkmeyer, who finished the night with six receptions for 98 yards, ran an impressive route to get past a pair of Glendale defenders before hauling in St. Clair’s long pass.

“The corner didn’t start back pedaling,” Kolkmeyer said. “He kind of slow-played it ... and the safety did the same. They kind of stepped in a little bit for that fake and I was able to get over the top.”

Four plays later, St. Clair snuck into the end zone from just inches out to give the Eagles the lead with 1:40 to play.

“ The game was on the line and we had to put the ball in the end zone,” Buckmaster said. “Our kids have confidence in moving the football ... and it was very important that we go score there in that situation because with the offense Glendale has, they can move the ball in a hurry.”

Glendale moved the ball to midfield with 35 seconds left, but a reverse pass went awry and Larinzo Hackett jumped on a loose ball to seal the win.

“I felt like we were running out of time at midfield, so we had a little reverse pass and we thought we’d run it and see if we could get a big chunk of yardage,” Glendale coach Joel Heman said. “The exchange was missed and that’s one of those first-game things ... you’re tired, you’re fatigued and you’re not quite executing the way you wanted to.”

The Falcon offense, after scoring just once in the first half, came alive in the second half and erased Joplin’s 21-point cushion

Glendale finished with 405 total yards, including 231 yards passing from Redmon, who was 19-for-27 with an interception. Running back Joey Mendel finished with 137 yards on 17 carries.

“I guess in the third quarter we just came out kind of sluggish and thought the game was over,” Kolkmeyer said. “We let them back in it, but we focused when we needed to and got things done. It worked out for us.”

The Eagles sparkled in the first half.

Joplin opened the game with an 8-yard, eight-play drive that ended with Gates Sanders’ 23-yard touchdown run.

After Glendale tied it on the next possession, Joplin put together another 80 yard drive, this time with St. Clair scoring from three yards out.

Joplin scored twice in the second quarter, including an arching 45-yard touchdown pass from St. Clair to Sanders a play after Stephen Matlock recovered a Falcon fumble and a 23-yard touchdown run from Ron King.

King, who took over the running back job after senior Barrett Noirfalise was lost for the season, finished with 115 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.

“ I believe Ron King showed he belongs out here,” Buckmaster said. “I’m proud of him. I knew he was a player and there was no doubt in my mind that he could get the job done.”

St. Clair was stellar, completing his first 11 passes and ending the night 13-for-18 for 243 yards.

“Coming into the ball game a lot of people were curious about how we’d be at quarterback,” Buckmaster said. “I think we’re very good at quarterback and I think we can all say that now.”

Glendale 7 0 14 7 — 28

Joplin 14 14 0 7 — 35

JOP—Gates Sanders 23 run (Jonathan Warden kick)

GLE—Alex Sanders 3 pass from Kevin Redmon (J.R. Reynolds kick)

JOP—Sanders 45 pass from Devin St. Clair (Warden kick)

JOP—Ron King 23 run (Warden kick)

GLE—Redmon 9 run (Reynolds kick)

GLE—Sanders 16 pass from Redmon (Reynolds kick)

GLE—Redmon 1 run (Reynolds kick)

JOP—St. Clair 1 run (Warden kick)