Webb City falls one game shy of return trip to St. Louis

Sports

Discussion

November 26, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Thu Nov 26, 2009, 11:44 PM CST

By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

Jefferson City Helias or Kearney?

Your pick today for MSHSAA Class 4 football supremacy in the Show-Me Bowl?

You probably don’t really care if you’re a Webb City fan after Kearney ousted your Cardinals 38-13 last Saturday in a semifinal.

Then, again, it might make the Cardinals look a bit better if Kearney (12-2) prevails by a tidy number. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m. at St. Louis in the Edward Jones Dome.

We assume there were many calls from southwest Missouri asking for cancellations of lodging reservations after the Bulldogs prevented the Cardinals’ bid for a ninth championship.

Webb City coach John Roderique didn’t have a favorite — at least publicly — when contacted early this week.

“Seriously, I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine,” Roderique said. “Obviously, both teams beat good teams to reach the championship game.”

Helias (14-0) whacked Sikeston 37-8 in a clash of unbeatens at Jefferson City in the other semifinal.

Webb City, its 28-game winning streak snapped by Kearney, was No. 1 in the final poll of the regular season conducted by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Kearney, No. 1 last season when derailed on its field by Webb City, entered the playoffs No. 5.

“We were beaten by a better team,” Roderique said. “They were hungry and inspired. It’s my belief that Kearney, by the end of this season, was better than last. There’s no question in my mind.”

Said Webb City senior inside linebacker Bart Starkey: “Kearney overall was bigger and faster. Its offensive line surprised me with its quickness. We knew they were big but we didn’t realize they were that quick.

“Kearney was the best team we played during the season,” the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Starkey said.

Echoed senior quarterback Patrick Drake: “Their offensive and defensive lines were so quick off the ball. It seemed like every time I wanted to throw the ball there was pressure from somewhere.

“We had a pretty good idea of what they were going to do on both offense and defense,” Drake, who also played some in the secondary against the Bulldogs, said. “But they were stronger and more physical on the line of scrimmage.

“They were more physical than I expected,” Drake said. “They were the most physical team I played against.”

Webb City eventually will look at this 13-1 season with a feeling of accomplishment and pride even if disappointment lingers.

“Each year is unique,” Roderique said. “We thought we could turn ourselves into a decent team. We had some decent ‘skilled position’ people returning.

“We had to replace quite a few starters,” Roderique said. “We knew going in it would be a challenge.

“A lot of people stepped in before we finished the season,” Roderique said. “Several underclassmen stepped in and played at different times.

“There were times I felt we were as good overall as a team as last season,” Roderique said.

“Really, we probably overachieved as a team,” Roderique said. “We battled a lot of adversity and sometimes that can have a negative effect. But we handled it pretty well as a team.

“We look at that loss ... and we just go back and work harder.

“We will lose nearly 20 seniors and, as always, we’ll miss those seniors,” Roderique said. “We should have a good nucleus returning.”

A bountiful 13

John Roderique’s season-by-season coaching record with the Webb City High School football team:

Year Record Conf Playoffs

1997 14-0 4-0 4-0

1998 5-5 3-1 ---

1999 8-2 3-1 ---

2000 14-0 4-0 4-0

2001 14-0 4-0 4-0

2002 10-3 4-0 2-1

2003 9-4 4-0 2-1

2004 12-1 4-0 3-1

2005 10-1 4-0 1-1

2006 14-0 4-0 4-0

2007 10-1 4-0 0-1

2008 15-0 6-0 5-0

2009 13-1 6-0 3-1

Totals 148-18 54-2 32-6

Note: Cardinals won state titles in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2008.

Text Only

Sports

Colgan's Cichon wins No. 500
The 500-win plateau is an achievement that does not come without some winning formula.

February 11, 2012 5 Photos
Prep Roundup: Joplin's Wood breaks school record
Joplin’s Madi Wood broke a school record, Michelle Barchak and Genny Richards posted the fastest qualifying times Friday during preliminaries of the Southwest Missouri Championships at the Natatorium.

February 11, 2012
Hester, Lions prep for Emporia State
Patrick Hester, one of Missouri Southern’s best free-throw shooters, stepped to the line Wednesday night with 13.5 seconds left in the second overtime, looking to push the Lions’ three-point lead to a two-possession game.

February 11, 2012
MSSU's Gibson sets career highs in consecutive games
In Missouri Southern’s first 20 games this season, guard Larrita Gipson scored in double figures once — 10 points on Jan. 21 at Truman State.

February 11, 2012
PSU women seek record-tying 22nd win
Among Pittsburg State’s four football national championships, three came during seasons that ended in the number 1 — 1961, 1991 and 2011.

February 11, 2012
Kickapoo girls race past Joplin
Annie Armstrong poured in 21 points to lead the Kickapoo girls to a 65-28 victory over Joplin on Thursday night in an Ozark Conference basketball game at Missouri Southern’s Young Gymnasium.

February 10, 2012 3 Photos
Hillsdale women stop OCC
Visiting Hillsdale Free Will Baptist handed Ozark Christian a 68-47 loss in women’s college basketball on Thursday night.

February 10, 2012
Quapaw completes 12-0 run through Lucky '7' Conference
Quapaw High School girls basketball coach Rod Graves expected the 2011-12 Wildcats to compile another successful season.
They haven’t been a disappointment.

February 10, 2012
Pitching holds key for softball Lions
Pitching is the main question Missouri Southern must answer as the Lions open their softball season today in Abilene, Texas.

February 10, 2012
NCAA denies UConn waiver request
The NCAA has turned down the University of Connecticut’s request for a waiver that would allow its men’s basketball team to play in the 2013 national championship tournament.

February 10, 2012
More Sports Headlines

Water company cites reconnections

Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Webb City falls one game shy of return trip to St. Louis

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr wants the city to distribute weather radios to all Joplin homes that don’t have one. That’s 11,000 radios. Do you think that’s a good use of $300,440?

Site Map

Contact Us