SportsSeptember 3, 2023
NMCC shifts into high gear, prevails 58-32 at East Prairie
EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — When it mattered most, New Madrid County Central turned up the heat and let loose a second-half surge to soar to a commanding 58-32 victory at East Prairie on Friday, September 1. The game unfolded as a riveting tale of two halves, NMCC (2-0) found itself trailing 32-30 at halftime, yet once again elevated its performance in the second half, ultimately asserting its dominance and leaving East Prairie (1-1) in its wake...
By Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat
EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — When it mattered most, New Madrid County Central turned up the heat and let loose a second-half surge to soar to a commanding 58-32 victory at East Prairie on Friday, September 1.
The game unfolded as a riveting tale of two halves, NMCC (2-0) found itself trailing 32-30 at halftime, yet once again elevated its performance in the second half, ultimately asserting its dominance and leaving East Prairie (1-1) in its wake.
“I can’t emphasize enough how proud I am of these guys,” said NMCC coach Tyler Fullhart. “They’ve got a special bond, having played together for so long, and that camaraderie shows. It’s all about stepping up and making those critical plays, and let me tell you, it’s easier said than done. But our team flipped that switch and unleashed their potential. We didn’t make the plays we needed to make in the first half, but in the second half, we did.”
Continuing their trend of second-half heroics, NMCC built on its impressive comeback performance from the previous week when they scored an astounding 30 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a multi-possession deficit.
“I’d definitely prefer to get things rolling earlier in these games,” Fullhart said. “But It doesn’t matter the situation in the game, we think we can overcome it. What sets our guys apart is their belief in their abilities. They hold themselves to incredibly high standards and when they feel like they’re not living up to their potential, it truly weighs on them. They have a winning mentality and they expect greatness, not just from themselves, but from everyone around them.”
The matchup started with both teams making an immediate impact, scoring on their opening possessions of the game.
In a display of offensive efficiency, East Prairie embarked on a rapid 66-yard drive that lasted three minutes and 45 seconds and found paydirt as Braylan Cade bulldozed his way into the end zone with a two-yard touchdown run.
Adding to their advantage, Conner Marcum successfully converted the two-point play, extending the lead to 8-0.
NMCC swiftly responded as Kayden Minner burst through defense for an impressive 41-yard touchdown run less than a minute later, and JaKwon Jones ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game 8-8 with 7:37 left in the opening quarter.
Despite encountering stronger resistance on the next drive, East Prairie converted key fourth-down plays, including a remarkable instance where Marcum evaded a tackle in the backfield.
“With our offense, if we get three yards per play, we are extremely happy,” said East Prairie coach David Stalker. “Because three times four is 12 and that’s a first down. We use all four downs and that’s just how we play football. It’s not always the most flashy and fun style to run, but every single kid on our football team loves it and wouldn’t run anything else.
“They’re bought in,” he continued. “They’re not focused on stats or any of the individual stuff. They just care about blocking, running downhill and playing football for each other.”
Tavion Ware’s three-yard touchdown run gave East Prairie a 14-8 lead with 11:55 remaining in the second quarter.
“[Ware] played a good game tonight,” Stalker said. “His leadership has excelled so much from his freshman to sophomore year. I know he hasn’t got the stats line that we were used to seeing last year. but it’s not because he’s being unproductive, it’s more because we’re able to share the workload and he doesn’t have to carry the team. It does make us pretty dangerous having that many options on offense.”
Once again, NMCC wasted no time in responding, gaining a 16-14 lead in less than a minute with a 19-yard touchdown run by Kayden Minner.
East Prairie found a spark when Ty Wallace connected with Marcum on a 42-yard pass reception and Cade’s five-yard touchdown run propelled the team back into the lead at 20-16 with 7:51 until halftime.
However, NMCC recaptured the lead at 22-20 as Minner punched in a 5-yard touchdown on the next drive.
The offensive momentum persisted as East Prairie regained the lead 26-22 with 2:22 left in the first half on a play that Stalker described as an “old school RPO,” resulting in a 58-yard touchdown pass from Wallace to Marcum
“Marcum is a special kid,” Stalker said. “You can’t say enough good things about him. His work ethic shows up all over the field, and coaches dream about coaching a kid with his athletic ability. He’ll go out there and make it happen.”
After making the first defensive stop of the game and forcing a punt on the subsequent drive, East Prairie seized the opportunity to extend the lead to 32-22 with just 37 left in the second quarter after Cade sprinted untouched through the heart of the defense for a 51-yard touchdown run.
“We felt like we were calling the game well coaching staff-wise,” Stalker said. “But when you have a kid like [Cade] running the football, that kid can make anything happen. Sometimes he can be overshadowed by some of our other guys, but he’s one of the best fullbacks I have ever coached. He’s very hard-nosed and gives it his all. Heart won the first half tonight.”
Starting at midfield with less than 30 ticks left on the clock, NMCC’s lethal offense demonstrated its knack for making lightning-strike maneuvers, defying the constraints of time.
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A phenomenal 37-yard gallop by Minner moved the team into the red zone and Julian Courtois found Jadis Jones for a clutch 13-yard touchdown at the buzzer, narrowing the lead to 32-30 at halftime after Minner successfully converted the ensuing two-point play.
“[East Prairie] had a great gameplan coming into the game,” Fullhart said. “They executed it well and we got a little frustrated early. They obviously found a weakness in what we were doing and were able to exploit it. But we have good defensive coaches and players, and we were able to make some adjustments.”
Despite the anticipation for a closely contested second half, the reality proved to be quite different as the energy and intensity that had defined the first half seemed to dissipate and NMCC took control of the game.
What was once a captivating battle turned into a one-sided affair, almost bordering on anticlimactic.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with all of the kids’ performances, but I’m not satisfied with how the game ended,” Stalker said. “We wanted to win that one, but I’m proud of every player on this team and our community. We showed a lot of class and held our composure. We came out against a really good team and we competed for most of the game.”
Both teams opened the second half with impressive defensive stops. East Prairie forced NMCC to punt on its first drive, while Rel Newsome delivered a hard tackle in the backfield on fourth down to halt East Prairie’s momentum and force a turnover on downs.
NMCC caught a fortunate break on the next drive. Facing a 4th-and-17 at midfield, an immediate pass was tipped into the hands of Samir Smith, who displayed great concentration and managed to secure the deflection, resulting in a 38-yard gain and a paramount first down. On the next play, Minner received a direct snap from a shotgun formation and crossed the goal line for a six-yard touchdown. NMCC then executed a similar play with Minner for the two-point conversion.
This sequence not only gave NMCC a 38-32 lead but also proved to be a significant turning point in the game.
“Our offensive line was young last year and took some lumps,” Fullhart said. “I’m really proud of them for putting in the work during the offseason. We have a roster of talented players, which is a fortunate advantage for us.”
NMCC further solidified its lead by scoring additional rushing touchdowns. Charlie Resonno contributed a 7-yard touchdown, while AJ Ruff made two impressive scoring runs, one from 11 yards and another from 43 yards.
Minner led the way with 14 carries for 199 yards and four touchdowns. Resonno had 108 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts, while Ruff recorded 55 yards and two touchdowns on five rushes.
“[Minner’s] vision is amazing,” Fullhart said. “We see what [Resonno] can do every day in practice. He’s one of those guys you can’t keep away from the weight room. He’s a coachable kid and he kills it. Ruff was amazing on some fly sweeps.”
Courtois completed 5-of-10 on pass attempts for 76 yards and a touchdown. Jadis Jones was the team’s leading receiver, securing three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.
The team amassed an impressive total of 395 rushing yards on just 33 attempts and outgained East Prairie in total yardage 471 to 357.
Despite the relatively close total yardage, NMCC’s defense held East Prairie to a mere 61 total yards of offense during the second half, displaying an ability to stifle the opponent’s offensive production.
“We had to make a few adjustments, we finally did and were able to pull away a little bit,” Fullhart said. “We just changed our box up a little and made a couple of slight adjustments on the defensive line. I felt like they could step up and play better, and they did. We also got a spark from Jason Jones. He is the heart of our defense.
“We had a lot of guys step up with a lot of guys out this week for various reasons,” he continued. “I’m extremely proud of some of our younger guys for stepping up and I can’t say enough about the big guys up front. They all did a tremendous job.”
Ware was the leading rusher for East Prairie, carrying the ball 24 times for 110 yards and scoring a touchdown. Cade also surpassed the century mark, rushing for 101 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.
Marcum contributed significantly as well, grabbing four receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 29 yards to the rushing attack.
Wallace completed 6-of-11 of his throws for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Penalties posed challenges for both teams, with East Prairie committing eight for 50 yards and NMCC accumulating 13 for 105 yards.
“It’s definitely something we have to clean up,” Fullhart said.
NMCC will travel to Dexter (2-0) next Friday.
“I’m just really proud of our guys for showing up,” Fullhart concluded. “It was an intense game and I’m proud of our guys for keeping their cool. We are going to have to stick together and get better.”
East Prairie will also be on the road next week, traveling to Portageville (1-1).
“We’ve grown so much and I’m so proud of this team,” Stalker concluded. “I feel like the whole town is behind us. Our community and football team showed class and respect and I couldn’t be more proud of them for that.”
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