By Richard Polen
rpolen@joplinglobe.com
NEOSHO, Mo. — Shawn Flannigan broke into a smile as he walked toward midfield Tuesday afternoon at Bob Anderson Stadium.
Flannigan, head football coach at Neosho High School, admired the work of Neosho School District groundskeeper Eddie McAllister in preparation for tonight’s Class 4 sectional playoff game against Carthage.
Neosho, 7-3 overall and champions of District 11, returns to its home field after a 41-6 victory Thursday against McDonald County in its final regular-season game that was played at Missouri Southern State University due to adverse field conditions at Neosho.
“It’s a thousand times better,” Flannigan said. “This right here looked like it had a hundred head of cattle on it.”
Carthage, 8-2, defeated Nevada 42-6 last week and captured the second playoff spot from District 12. Carthage defeated Neosho 27-25 in a nonconference matchup at Neosho earlier this season.
“That’s what we expect,” Carthage head coach Jon Guidie said of tonight’s game. “We hope to keep it close. They’re on a four-game winning streak and have a lot of confidence.”
The game marks the third consecutive playoff appearance for Carthage, while Neosho has won back-to-back district titles.
Carthage’s offense is led by juniors Derek Peterson at quarterback and Brian Poston at running back. Poston has rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season. The Tigers’ leading receivers are seniors Mason Siebert and Trevor Hole.
“Coach Guidie has established enough with his program that they do what they do and they’re good at it,” Flannigan said. “They’re not 8-2 because they’re slouches.”
A key Carthage player will miss the rest of the season for disciplinary reasons, sources close to the team told the Globe.
Neosho’s offense is directed by quarterback Alex Wise, and the Wildcats also have a 1,000-yard rusher in senior captain Jared Shurley.
Neosho receivers Jake Middleton and Will McDaniel each scored two touchdowns against McDonald County.
“From our last meeting, our offensive line didn’t play a good game at all,” Flannigan said. “In order for us to be successful, they have to play a much better game.”
