By Pat Dailey
sports@joplinglobe.com
BRANSON, Mo. — After Cassville threw Branson for a curve last year by running out of a single-wing formation, the Pirates used the element of surprise to their advantage Friday.
On “Black Out Night” at Branson Stadium, the Pirates wore all-black uniforms for the first time in coach Steve Hancock’s 23-year tenure at Branson.
The ploy paid dividends to the tune of a 25-14 Pirates win over the shell-shocked Wildcats, who found themselves trailing 19-0 before the first quarter was over.
Branson’s coaching staff kept the players’ black jerseys a secret until an hour before the opening kickoff.
“You could tell they were fired up,” Cassville running back Jon Haney said.
“They hid them well,” Pirates defensive end Mark Hill said of Branson’s coaches. “When we saw them, we went nuts.”
Hill, who is being recruited by Kansas, Mizzou and Arkansas, led a Branson defense that established a school record by holding the Wildcats to minus-18 yards rushing. Hill had two quarterback sacks and another tackle for a loss.
Haney had two touchdown runs and rushed for a team-high 16 yards on a dozen carries.
Cassville had six offensive series of only three plays.
“Our defensive line and linebackers controlled the game,” Hancock said.
While Branson returned 16 starters from a year ago, Cassville often had four or five sophomores on the field.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys on our team,” Haney said. “They had a lot of butterflies tonight. But I’m pretty confident that down the road we’re going to be a pretty good team.
“It’s a new thing for Cassville, having this many young guys starting. It’s going to take a lot of patience on our part. But we’re confident.”
The good news for Haney was he was able to walk away from the teams’ matchup. Last year, he suffered a broken ankle against the Pirates.
“Honestly, I didn’t think about it,” Haney said. “I had just told myself I was going to play hard every minute of the game.”
The other bright spot for the Wildcats was the effectiveness of their passing game. Quarterback Jake Nolan completed 15-of-25 passes for 200 yards. Wideout Travis Northern hauled in five catches for 58 yards.
“We’ve always been a smash-mouth running team, said Haney, who caught a pair of passes for 23 yards. “So, the passing game doing so well was a shock to us.”
Branson quarterback Tee Helsel had 106 of his 112 yards rushing in the first half. In the first quarter alone, he had three touchdown runs totaling 50 yards.
Branson coughed the ball up three times, but recovered each fumble.
“The ball got so wet because of the humidity,” said Hancock, who endured a 1-9 season a year ago. “We got some very lucky bounces. But it’s time for us to get a little luck.”
Sports
New uniforms inspire Branson in victory over Cassville
Pirates jump to 19-0 lead in first quarter
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