Defending state champ Webb City stomps to decisive 35-0 win over Harrisonville

By the time the Harrisonville defense found a way to slow down the Webb City Cardinals, it was too late.

The Cardinals scored on their first two possessions, added a defensive touchdown and a Hail Mary and rolled to a 35-0 win over Harrisonville in the Missouri Class 4 quarterfinals Friday night.

“They’re a tremendous team, and they showed why they’re so hard to beat,” Harrisonville coach Brent Maxwell said. “They do so many things right, it makes it hard to come back from an early deficit.”

Webb City, 13-0 and the four-time defending state champion, advances to the semifinals. Harrisonville ends its season 11-2.

The Cardinals opened the game with 14 quick points, needing just six plays to take a 7-0 lead on Tyson Roderique’s16-yard pass to Bradyn Ansley and then, after a Wildcat three-and-out, marching 13 plays on 62 yards to go up 14-0.

The Harrisonville defense stiffened after that. In fact, nearly one-third of Webb City’s offense on the night — 334 yards — was accumulated on those first two drives.

But the Cardinals got a touchdown on a fumble in the end zone to end the first quarter and got a 32-yard Hail Mary from Roderique to Kiante Hardin on the final play of the first half, after a third-down pass hit the ground with just six-tenths of a second left on the clock.

“Going up 14-0 and getting a little bit of breathing room is big because they’re a good defensive team, and you saw that after the first quarter,” Webb City coach John Roderique said. “What made that start so much better was the defensive score.”

Webb City’s defense was dominant, holding Harrisonville under 100 yards of offense until the game’s final drive and forcing three turnovers.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, were balanced and efficient. Five running backs had between 29 and 49 yards, and Roderique hit six receivers in throwing for 153 yards. Webb City held the ball for all but 8 minutes, 12 seconds of the first half.

“It’s always going to hurt to lose a game in this spot, but you have to tip your hat to Webb City. They’re a great program,” Maxwell said. “I hope our kids will be able to look back at this season and see what they accomplished.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2014 at 10:36 PM with the headline "Defending state champ Webb City stomps to decisive 35-0 win over Harrisonville."