BY JASON PEAKE
Treghan Parker's game-changing 100-yard pick-6 sparked No. 1 Webb City to a 62-34 win over No. 2 Camdenton in a highly anticipated Class 4 quarterfinal on a chilly Friday night at Bob Shore Stadium.
Webb City advances to next weekend's semifinals, where they'll meet the winnerof today's clash between Ladue (11-1) and Liberty- Wentzville (9-3).
"We're thrilled to be back in the semifinals," Webb City coach John Roderique said. "It's a great place to be. I'm just really proud of our players and coaches."
The rematch of last year's quarterfinalthriller was tied but the Cardinals outscored the Lakers 21-0 in a one-sided
third period and 41-13 in the second half to turn a nail-biter into a convincing win.Key to the third period surge was Parker's interception return. With the ball on the 15, Camdenton was threatening to tie the game when Parker picked off a pass from Lakers quarterback Paxton DeLaurent in the end zone and then sprinted all the way to the end zone.
"I was dropping back and I saw Paxton scrambling," said Parker, a junior defensive back. "I knew there was a receiver to my left and another was coming across. I thought he was going to throw there and I just read it. It was smoothing sailing from there."
Parker dodged a few defenders en route to the end zone, giving his team a twoscore lead and a much-needed boost.
"I never felt so fast and so tired at the same time," Parker said of his return. "I got the ball and I saw green. I got past one defender and was fortunate enough to take it all the way back. It really got us going. It was what we needed. It gave us the momentum back."
Roderique noted the play shifted the momentum.
"What a great play and what a great runback," Roderique said. "Defensively, one guy can make one play and it can change the whole game and situation. And their body language changed after that."
With the win, Webb City (12-1) extended its winning streak to 11. Ending the season with its first loss, Camdenton (12-1) had won 19 straight at home.
This one featured lots of offense.
The Cardinals racked up 569 yards, with 506 rushing and 63 passing. Webb City senior Terrell Kabala ran 13 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Devrin Weathers added 101 rushing yards and senior quarterback Kade Hicks had 100.
Camdenton's high-powered spread offense generated 526 yards, with 445 through the air and 81 on the ground.
A senior quarterback who entered the night with more than 7,000 career passing yards, DeLaurent completed 40-of-70 passes with four touchdowns and
four interceptions. DeLaurent completed 17-of-31 passes in the first half for 205 yards. He also ran for 81 yards.
"Their quarterback was unbelievable," Roderique said. "What a great player. He's hard to tackle."
Cooper Ezard hauled in 16 passes for 219 yards and three scores to lead the Lakers' receiving corps.
Webb City took an early lead on Kabala's 39-yard touchdown run on his team's third play from scrimmage, but the Lakers tied it up with 4:25 left in the first quarter when DeLaurent connected with Ezard for a 56-yard touchdown strike.
After the two teams exchanged turnovers, Webb City's Hicks and Camdenton's DeLaurent traded one-yard scores on QB keepers, making it 14-all.
Dillon Harlen's four-yard touchdown run capped an 80-yard drive and gave Webb City a 21-14 lead with 5:05 remaining in the first half. Facing fourth down on the 7-yard line, the Lakers tied it up when DeLaurent scrambled and found Ezard open in the end zone.
The Cardinals struck first in the second half on Kabala's 24-yard sprint. The score was set up by a 29-yard pass to Colton McKee.
"Kabala has taken games over the last few weeks," Roderique said. "I couldn't be more proud of him."
After Parker's interception return, Webb City extended its lead to 42-21 with 40 seconds left in the third period when Hicks completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Weathers.
A 36-yard touchdown pass to Ezard cut Webb City's lead to 42-27 with 10:53 left. But Hicks scrambled for a 23-yard score on the ensuing drive to push the lead to 49-27.
Kabala's 15-yard run gave the Cardinals a 56-27 lead. The Lakers added a late score before Harlen reached the end zone again for the Cards for the final margin.
"It was a great game for us," Kabala said. "We had a great second half and did what we needed to do. That was a fun game."
Joplin Globe 11/23/2019 (Used by permission)