By Mark Eddlemon
sports@joplinglobe.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Dillan Webb ran for 250 yards and three touchdowns while leading Seneca to a 42-21 Class 3 playoff victory at Catholic High School on Wednesday night.
Webb, a 5-foot-9, 140-pound senior, finished with 34 rushes in the game, with his longest carry going for 24 yards.
“The O line played really well,” Webb noted. “We got off to a slow start, but when they got going it was no problems.”
Seneca earned 21 first downs in the game and finished with 417 yards of total offense.
“I thought Dillan ran hard,” Seneca coach Rob Townsend said. “And our offensive line is our strength.”
The starters on the offensive line are Derrick Hopper, Steven Adams, Bradley Leitch, Jeffery Burwell and Pryce Nutting.
The Fighting Irish jumped on top with a quick scoring drive after the opening kickoff, marching 65 yards on nine plays with the touchdown coming on a 16-yard pass from Andrew Hennessey to Mitchell Richardson. That duo also hooked up for a 19-yard pass play on a fourth-and-10 play during the drive.
Seneca and Webb got going late in the opening period, putting together a 64-yard scoring drive on six Webb running plays, including a 21-yard touchdown run.
The Indians went 56 yards in 12 plays on the first drive of the second quarter, with Webb gaining 37 yards on nine carries, including a 3-yard TD run, going in front for good with 7:29 to go in the first half. Bryce Morris kicker six PATs for the winners.
Morris also came up with a key defensive play on the next Irish possession, stopping a screen pass for no gain on a fourth-and-four play at the Seneca 33.
The Indians drove from another score from there, with quarterback Jacob Rhoades providing the big plays, throwing an 18-yard pass to Nathan Fortner and hitting Nick Chasten with a 32-yard touchdown pass with just 1:57 remaining before intermission.
Rhoades was 8-for-15 passing for 89 yards in the game, throwing a pair of TD passes and rushing for a touchdown.
“I thought we were very efficient passing,” Townsend said. “We threw to a lot of different receivers.”
Rhoades opened the second half with an impressive scoring drive, scrambling for 13 yards, hitting Fortner with a 22-yard pass and tossing a 5-yard TD pass to Dalton Cummings to put the Indians up 28-7 with 8:53 to play in the third.
The Indians defense came up with a pair of interceptions. Bruce Hembree intercepted a pass at the Indians 24 to stop an Irish threat in the second period, and Chasten intercepted a pass which set up the final Seneca touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Indians defense allowed just 98 yards rushing in the game.
Hennessey was 13-for-21 passing for Catholic for 167 yards, including a 16-yard TD pass to Tim Gerwell and a 6-yard scoring strike to Richardson.
Seneca, 8-3, plays Monday at Cassville.
