Tigers embrace underdog role in district playoff game with top-seeded Harrisonville

It will take a herculean effort to defeat the top-seeded Harrisonville Wildcats in the semifinals of the Missouri Class 4 District 6 playoffs. However, the upset-minded Nevada Tigers are up for the challenge.

The district playoff matchup is slated for 7 p.m. tonight in Harrisonville.

To get to this point, the fifth-seeded Tigers (3-7) were able to spring a 21-20 upset of No. 4 seed Grandview last week on the road.

Nevada's defense will look to slow Harrisonville's ground attack. For the season, Harrisonville (7-3) junior running back Morgan Selemaea has racked up 734 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging 7.4 yards a carry. Against Oak Grove Oct. 7, Selemaea rushed for 250 yards and three scores.

Meanwhile, Harrisonville senior quarterback Brandon Eickhorst is a threat with his feet, averaging nearly five yards a carry while finding the end zone six times. Eickhorst has been a little inconsistent in the passing game, completing only 47 percent of his passes on the season while throwing for six touchdowns.

"They're an option team just like Webb City," Nevada head coach Erik Yoakam said.

Harrisonville's top wide receiver is senior Joey Snooks. Snooks, a physical wide-out at 6-3, 211 pounds, averages a robust 24 yards per reception. Against Pleasant Hill Sept. 30, Snooks hauled in seven receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown. Snooks has five receiving touchdowns on the season.

"They're going to run the ball as much as they can, and they have a nice little passing game off of it," Yoakam said.

Another threat in Harrisonville's option game is junior Joey Bowers, who racked up 135 yards on 17 carries against Pleasant Hill.

"(Bowers) is the better back in my opinion," Yoakam said, "he gets downhill and he protects the ball."

Yoakam said Nevada will do all it can to rattle Eickhorst in the pocket.

"(Eickhorst) is a little shaky at times," the fourth-year Tiger head coach said. "In the games they've lost, he's had five or six turnovers. We're going to have to make him think about it and create some havoc just like we did with (Grandview quarterback Cirr Davis), and hopefully we can get that ball on the turf."

On the defensive side of the ball, Harrisonville is led by linebacker Nathan Kreimeyer, who has accumulated 109 tackles, including 20 against Odessa Oct. 14. Yoakam said his squad spent time in practice this week preparing for Harrisonville's 3-4 defense.

"They have a good defensive front," he said. "Both their offensive and defensive lines get off the ball well. They'll also run a seven-man front, which is unorthodox ---- you don't see that a lot."

Revisiting Grandview victory

Nevada senior defensive back and running back Jacob Hammontree discussed last week's 21-20 playoff triumph over Grandview.

"The win meant the absolute world to me," said Hammontree, "I knew we had it in us, and if we just continue to play like that, there's no one that can stop us. If we play as a team and as one, then we can't be beat."

Hammontree scored the game's first touchdown, a seven yard first half scamper.

"Right then I knew, 'We have this. This is our game,'" Hammontree said.

Junior tailback and linebacker Zach Gardner gashed Grandview for 90 yards on 11 carries to go along with a pair of touchdown runs.

"It felt a lot different than a regular win," Gardner said. "We haven't had many of those types of wins, and the atmosphere was just crazy."

Gardner credited his offensive line for his big performance.

"They were just getting off the ball, and I would have a hole," Gardner said. "I would get the first five yards easy and not get touched for another five."