By Mark Eddlemon

sports@joplinglobe.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Joplin Eagles owned the final period at Hillcrest, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to earn a 42-28 Ozark Conference football victory Friday night.

Joplin improved to 3-0 on the season with a third league win. Hillcrest fell to 1-2, including a loss at Camdenton in week 2, the Eagles’ next stop.

Joplin quarterback Devin St. Clair was involved in all three fourth-quarter touchdowns, scrambling away from two would-be sackers before completing a 54-yard scoring pass to Dane Kolkmeyer, then scoring on a nine-yard run and a one-yard dive.

“We’ve got some very talented players,” Joplin coach Doug Buckmaster said. “Devin St. Clair made some mistakes in the first half, but he made some big plays as well.

“We wanted to come out and get better defensively,” Buckmaster said. “And I thought we did that in the first half.”

Joplin allowed just two first downs and 74 yards of total offense until the final minute of the first half, when Hillcrest picked off a pass and struck pay dirt after just five plays, including a 34-yard pass from Tim Williams to freshman Dorial Green, a 6-5 receiver. Mikael Cooper-Falls scored the TD from a yard out with just 27 seconds to play in the first half, cutting the Joplin lead to 14-7.

The Hornets scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half, taking a 28-21 lead into the final period.

“Our defense is as good as any I’ve had at running to the football,” Buckmaster said. “They aren’t struggling because of a lack of effort. We just have to tackle better.”

St. Clair seemed to be facing a sack for a loss of more than 20 yards early in the final period when he escaped two defenders and found Kolkmeyer for the 54-yard TD strike. Kolkmeyer came back for the pass, and the senior wide out also eluded a pair of tacklers for the game tying TD.

The Joplin defense forced a Hillcrest punt with a strong pass rush, forcing consecutive incomplete passes, and the Eagles started on offense for the second time in the final quarter at their 21.

St. Clair was masterful, composing a 79-yard drive in just nine plays, hitting Kolkmeyer with a 15-yard pass, running for 10 yards, handing off to Ron King for four runs totaling 26 yards, hitting Kolkmeyer with a 26-yard strike, and scoring on a nine-yard run with 5:58 to play. Jonathan Warden, who has yet to miss a PAT this season, put Joplin up 35-28.

The Eagle defense got a huge sack from Drew Daniels, forcing another Hornet punt, and St. Clair went back to work from midfield, directing a 51-yard drive in just five rushing plays, including a 25-yard run from King down to the goal line. St. Clair scored from a yard out with just 1:25 to play.

Hillcrest coach John Beckham said, “We have a couple of sophomores starting at safety, and Joplin throws the ball so well, they took advantage of that.”

Joplin opened the scoring with a 42-yard TD pass from St. Clair to Kolkmeyer. The Eagles defense forced a turnover when Lorinzo Hackett picking up a fumble recovery in the first period, setting up the strike.

Ron King scored on a 23-yard run early in the second period on another quick Eagles strike, a two-play drive which included a 43-yard pass from St. Clair to Kolkmeyer. The score was set up by an interception by Cory Macy.

St. Clair, a junior, wound up hitting 12 of 21 passes for 275 yards. He also ran for 44 yards.

King finished with 19 carries for 120 yards, and Kolkmeyer caught nine passes for 244 yards.

“We run good routes,” Buckmaster said.

Hillcrest used a five-play, 82-yard drive to start the third period, tying the score on a 15-yard run by Cooper-Falls, a senior who finished with 111 yards rushing on 19 carries in the game.

Joplin answered that score with a 67-yard drive capped by a six-yard TD run by King. But the Hornets’ Sam Smith returned the ensuing kick 70 yards to set up a short scoring drive which tied the score.

The Eagles lost a fumble on a sack, and Hillcrest was able to take the lead on Cooper-Falls TD run of a yard after he went 46 yards to set up the score.

Paul Arnold had a fumble recovery for the Eagles defense.