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Tigers fall to Monett in final game of season
Nevada gave Class 3 District 11 champion Monett a battle for nearly a half, but could not sustain it as the Cubs pulled away for a 28-6 victory Thursday night at Logan Field.
The Tigers, who had 20 seniors play their final high school game, finished at 2-8. Monett, which upped its winning streak to nine, improved to 9-1. The Cubs host Harrisonville (10-0) in the first-round of the playoffs Wednesday, Nov. 7.
"We've played pretty good football the first halves this season," Nevada first-year head coach Shannon Jolley said. "We played Neosho close the first half, we were down to Cassville 6-0. The kids have been able to come out a couple of quarters and do a pretty good job with that. Our program, unfortunately for us, we're still growing and still improving. That doesn't do much for (winning in) district play."
The most inspiring moment came on the game's final play. Nevada called timeout with 18.8 seconds remaining and put in senior quarterback Ronnie Herda, who threw for more than 2,000 yards as a junior and suffered a torn ACL injury in the fourth game this season. The injury sidelined him until the season's final play.
"That's something the seniors came up and asked me about to see if I could do it," Jolley said. "I am extremely proud of them to think in that respect. It goes to show what types of kids we have here ... I'm proud of how they handled themselves in ending their careers at Nevada."
Monett drew first blood when running back John Graessle scored on a 2-yard run with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter. Nevada blocked the PAT kick to keep the margin at six points.
Graessle's 27-yard run ignited the six-play, 91-yard drive while Brandon Cox's 48-yard strike to Fatmir Osmani set up the Cubs with 1st-and-goal at the Tigers' 4.
While Nevada's offense struggled to move the football, the Tigers forced a pair of second-quarter turnovers and kept things close.
Sophomore Austin Baldwin recorded an acrobatic interception in the end zone and Jake Anderson's fumble recovery near midfield thwarted Cubs' drives.
Monett extended its lead to 14-0 as Graessle, a deceptively quick and shifty 5-feet-11, 165-pound runner, amassed 37 yards on four carries, sandwiched around a Brandon Cox to tight end Kirk Moore 30-yard pass, during a six-play, 95-yard drive. Chris Heeter's 3-yard run up the middle capped the drive.
The Tigers mounted a late first-half drive, which started with Baldwin's 18-yard pass to senior fullback Jacob Anderson.
Nevada reached into its bag of trickery on 4th-and-10 from its own 43 as Baldwin completed a 16-yard pass to Cherry off a fake punt.
Cherry's 10-yard reception advanced the ball to Monett's 30, but time expired before the Tigers could advance the football any further.
The Cubs, guided by former Nevada head coach Alan Spencer, clawed to a commanding 21-0 lead as Graessel took a pitch left and up the Monett sideline for a 25-yard scoring run with 8:10 left in the third quarter.
Considering the Cubs allowed just 12 points per game coming in, the 21-point deficit was a monumental obstacle for Nevada to overcome.
Graessel's 5-yard scamper on the first play of the fourth quarter, coupled with Heeter's second successful extra-point kick pushed the margin to 28 points.
Nevada got on the scoreboard when Baldwin connected with senior Dan Lovinger on a 12-yard strike with 2:48 remaining. Trevor Foreman's 39-yard end around run gave Nevada its golden scoring opportunity with a first down at the Cubs' 15.
Senior linebacker Ryan Herda had an interception while senior lineman Garrett McKenzie added a fumble recovery for the Tigers.
Baldwin's 55 yards on 15 carries paced the running attack for Nevada, outgained 266-136 on the ground and 343-234 in total yards.
Baldwin completed 10 of 21 passes for 98 yards, with Cherry catching four balls for 25 yards and Colby Shepherd hauling in two passes for 32 yards.
Baldwin's night also included his interception in the end zone and converting two fake punts into first downs, including a 29-yard run.