3 reasons why Nixa is still a championship contender — even without its star running back
REPUBLIC — Despite not having star junior running back Ramone Greene Jr. due to injury, Nixa is still a serious contender in the Central Ozark Conference — and in the state of Missouri.
Even there were some scares throughout Nixa's 21-10 win over Republic on Friday night, the Eagles still found a way to win and show why they're still one of the elite teams in southwest Missouri.
Green, recovering from a broken collarbone, could be back sometime this season, but the Eagles are finding their way wiHere are three things that still make the Eagles legit even without one of the best running backs in the state:
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The Eagles adapt and overcome
The first half did not go well for the Eagles. Republic’s defense had them in a box and they were giving up big gains on defense. A Republic field goal at the end of the first half put Nixa in a 10-0 hole.
“That first half was on me,” head coach John Perry said. “I wasn’t good enough as a coach, I wasn’t good enough this week in practice and I probably underestimated (Republic). That’s disrespectful on my part.”
It’s a good thing football has two halves, because Nixa needed the second.
Perry made the change of switching senior Casen Hammitt to H-back and moving sophomore Spencer Ward to runningback.
Ward is the younger brother of current Missouri State true freshman Steven Ward — who was a star linebacker at Nixa a year ago and was named the News-Leader's 2020 High School Football Player of the Year.
The change resulted in Ward rushing for 154 yards and a touchdown in the second half, including two rushes over 60 yards.
Defensively, the Eagles made some adjustments and stifled the Tiger offense, and didn’t allow another point.
“Championship teams don’t flinch when things go bad,” Perry said. “I’m fixing to see what we have with a little adversity. Life is full of adversity. We’re training them to be great fathers and husbands when bad things happen because they’re going to happen.”
Spencer Ward had his breakout game
As previously mentioned, Ward put on an absolutely electric second-half performance.
On the first play of the second half, Ward juked a defender, broke several tackles and took it 70 yards for a touchdown making the score 10-7.
“I’m just running angry,” Ward said. “I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder. I’m not trying to be known as Steven Ward’s little brother, I’m trying to be known as Spencer Ward.”
Every rush he had, he did something special. He was making people miss, stiff-arming people into the turf and doing it all because his team needed him to.
His ability to step right into the running back role at halftime and make an immediate impact was a big reason Nixa was able to win the game.
“We just needed to get something going and that's why they put me at tailback,” Ward said. “I told coach he can trust me and I went out there and proved that.”
The Eagles have big-play ability
Ward wasn’t the only player that contributed to scoring via big plays.
Junior receiver Kael Combs and sophomore receiver Rylan Michel both had big, game-changing plays.
Combs caught a slant, broke a couple of tackles and took it 30 yards to the house giving Nixa a 14-10 lead midway through the third quarter.
Michel’s big play iced the game.
After an unsportsmanlike penalty pushed the Eagles back to their own 14 yard-line, Michel ran a fade down the Nixa sideline, beat his defender by several yards and took it 86 yards for a score with players and spectators going crazy.
The catch and run put Nixa up 21-10 with 11 minutes left in the game.
“It was a play that we thought we had at halftime,” Perry said “I figured ‘What the heck. If it was going to be a touchdown now is a good time for one.’ So we called it and let it rip and it turned out great.”
A championship mentality, emerging stars, and ability to score from anywhere on the field make Nixa a real contender.
Nixa (3-1) is on the road to face Neosho (0-4) next week.