By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City yielded grudgingly — the Cardinals produced 367 yards — but there wasn’t any doubt that Kearney was the superior football team on Saturday.
The Bulldogs won the MSHSAA Class 4 semifinal game 38-13 and a berth in the Show-Me Bowl at 4:15 p.m. on Friday at St. Louis in the Edward Jones Dome.
Kearney (12-2) will face Helias (14-0), runner-up to Webb City last season, after the Crusaders spanked previously unbeaten Sikeston 37-8 at Jefferson City.
Top-ranked Webb City, denied an opportunity to claim its ninth state title, finished 13-1 and had a 28-game winning streak snapped before an estimated 5,000 fans in Cardinal Stadium.
Said Kearney coach Greg Jones: “We knew it would be a fight to the end.
“I thought the keys were our offensive line and the running game,” Jones said. “I thought our running game was dominant. We moved the ball pretty well.”
Said Webb City coach John Roderique: “Kearney is a very good football team. Today, they were the better team. Their offense controlled the game. We didn’t get it done.”
Webb City trailed only 17-13 at halftime after senior quarterback Patrick Drake’s 4-yard scoring run with 41.7 seconds remaining to cap a 78-yard drive that was aided by two penalties — one major — on the Bulldogs.
But Kearney, avenging a 14-7 semifinal loss on its field to the Cardinals last season, took command in the third quarter.
First, junior quarterback Shane Hartzler directed an opening 80-yard scoring drive. Senior rushing leader Ashton Hiatt gained 5 yards before Hartzler hooked up with senior receiver Tyler Funk for a 27-yard completion to the Webb City 48. The Bulldogs then methodically stayed on the ground for nine plays to make it 24-13 on Hiatt’s 10-yard run.
Second, the Kearney defense stepped up. It forced the Cardinals into a fourth-and-10 and the ensuing punt and return of 9 yards by Funk left the ball at the Webb City 45. The Cardinals were tagged with a minor penalty before Hartzler connected with junior Ryan Rische for a 40-yard scoring strike at 5:16.
The Cardinals then mounted a frustrating drive. They reached the Kearney 9 — keyed by junior quarterback Scott Roderique’s 17-yard gain on third-and-11 — and faced a second-and-4.
But the Kearney defense, after a sack of Roderique for a 6-yard loss, forced two incomplete passes to start the final period.
More frustration loomed for the Cardinals. They reached the Kearney 15 on their ensuing possession before the Kearney defense — on second-and-15 from the 20 — forced a fumble that was recovered by junior cornerback Damen Williams.
Williams’ recovery at the 20 came at 7:10 and the Bulldogs remained on the ground until Hartzler’s 25-yard scoring pass to 6-foot-4 senior receiver Taylor Woolf with just 35.8 seconds left in the game.
Kearney led 10-0 after one period on 220-pound senior running back Dillon Brink’s 2-yard run and a 37-yard field goal by senior Keith Ringler.
Brink’s score capped a seven-play, 38-yard drive that was set up by the Kearney defense and a 24-yard Cardinal punt on its opening possession.
Webb City bounced back on senior running back Braxton Baker’s 77-yard scoring burst on second-and-7 on Webb City’s first play in the second quarter.
Kearney recovered in style, however, by zipping 93 yards to make it 17-7 with about 3 1/2 minutes left before halftime. Hiatt had a 25-yard run and Hartzler a 37-yard completion to Rische during the series.
Kearney finished with 438 yards as Hiatt rushed 28 times for 165 yards and Brink added 53 on 10 carries. Hartzler, a 6-3, 190-pounder, threw for 177 yards on just seven completions in 10 attempts.
Baker’s 173 yards on 21 carries keyed Webb City’s 233 on the ground. Webb City passed for 134 yards on 12 of 26 with Drake, who missed most of one lengthy series with an apparent injury, 9 of 18 for 106. Junior wideout Austin Daniel had 10 receptions for 107 yards.
