By Rod Shetler

sports@joplinglobe.com

CASSVILLE, Mo. — Six seasons removed from an 0-10 campaign, Cassville coach David Large looked across the field swarming with jubilant Cassville fans and players Saturday afternoon and summed up the moment.

“I feel very fortunate to be a part of this community,” he said. “These folks love football.”

Choose whatever word best describes the Wildcats’ postseason run — improbable, unlikely, unexpected — a 14-13 victory Saturday over the top-ranked team in Class 3, the previously undefeated Chillicothe Hornets (13-1), means Cassville’s next stop will be the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis with a state championship on the line.

The Wildcats will take on Cardinal Ritter in the Class 3 state championship at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Cardinal Ritter beat Sullivan 48-21 in the other semifinal game.

One constant for the Wildcats during the postseason has been a stingy defense that gives up yardage grudgingly. On Saturday that defensive crew might have had their best showing of the season.

“Our defense has done a great job all year. Today we just played great team defense and our secondary really made some plays,” said Large.

The Wildcat secondary picked off Chillicothe quarterback Tyler Trammell three times, one by Cody Pierson, his eighth of the season, and two more by Trenton Tanner, including the final play of the game that stopped a Hornet drive to help preserve the win.

Tanner’s first interception came with 8:04 left to play with the Wildcats clinging to a 14-13 lead.

Instead of milking the clock with a long drive, Cassville was forced to punt giving the ball back to the Hornets on the Chillicothe 32-yard line with 6:05 left to play.

Methodically the Hornets moved the ball to the Cassville 15, converting two fourth-down plays on the way. With 40 seconds left, and after a motion penalty on Chillicothe moved the ball back to the 20, Trammell dropped back, and was hit as he released the ball.

The ball fluttered over the line and into the hands of Tanner, who dove under it for the biggest defensive play of the season so far for the Wildcats.

“I’m in shock,” said Tanner after the game, still shaking from the experience. “I can’t believe any of this. I don’t really remember anything that just happened. I just saw the ball there in the air, and I dove for it and it was in my hands.”

Large said the final defensive stand by his team, deep in their own end, was almost too much to watch.

“I had my eyes closed about half the time,” said Large with a grin. “I haven’t been nervous all week, and I usually don’t get that nervous about anything, but that last drive of theirs, well, it seemed like time stood still. The clock wasn’t moving fast enough.”

The Hornets had been steamrolling opponents in recent weeks, but Chillicothe coach Phil Willard said mistakes, and the Cassville defense, were the reason his team’s dream of a state championship came to an end.

“The difference in this game was Cassville made plays when they had to, and we didn’t,” he said. “We had chances, and we made some mistakes with turnovers, but they have the best defense we’ve seen all year. The best. They were hard hitting, and they had a good game plan. Nobody has been able to stop our offense like that all year.”

Cassville struck first on an 81-yard toss from quarterback Jake Nolan to Trevor Tanner when the Chillicothe cornerback jumped his coverage going for the interception, leaving Tanner unprotected racing to the end zone. The PAT kick by Aaron Jamieson put the Wildcats ahead 7-0 with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

Chillicothe running back Bryce Young struck for what proved to be the biggest offensive play of the day for the Hornets when he got free for a 91-yard carry that gave Chillicothe a first and goal from the 2. Running back Clint Dysart finally crossed for the score and the PAT by Connor Lindley tied the game at 7-7 with 8:10 left before halftime.

One of the most critical mistakes of the day for the Hornets came with 6:41 left before halftime when a fumbled punt return was collected by Cassville’s Brent Elkins giving the ball right back to the Wildcats at the Chillicothe 18. Four plays later Nolan kept the ball from the 1 to put Cassville ahead 14-7.

With 11:52 left to play, the Hornets crept back into the game when Young hit Dysart with a 16-yard halfback pass for a touchdown. Lindley’s PAT kick, which proved to be the difference in the game, was wide left and the Wildcats still hung on to the lead.

“Who would’ve thought a missed extra point would decide this thing?” said Large.

With his 90-plus yard run figured in, Young finished the day with 165 yards rushing on 19 carries. Joseph Gouvion led the Wildcats with 71 yards on 17 carries. Trevor Tanner caught three Nolan passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

“We didn’t know how well we’d match up with Chillicothe,” said Large. “They looked great on film, but at this time of the year, you just go out there and play the football game. After the first quarter we felt like we could play with them.”