Cape Central football team set to face top-ranked Webb City in Class 4 semifinal

Success can be subjective, defined in relative terms.

In that context, these are indeed golden days for the Cape Central football team.

The Tigers played in their first state semifinal in 35 years when they reached the Class 4 semifinals in 2013, the first of an unparalleled run for the program.

Central went a step further in 2014, reaching the state championship game.

The Tigers (9-4) will play in their third consecutive state semifinal at 1 p.m. Saturday when they host Webb City (13-0).

Central's Kway'Chon Chisom looks to the jumbotron during the Class 4 state championship against Webb City at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Webb City won 48-21 for its 13th state title. Chisom has both rushed and passed for more than 900 yards in his first year as starting quarterback for the Tigers.

"I tell you one thing that impresses me, and people compliment us sometimes, but with the number of guys that they've lost and the players that they lost and to see them right back here says a lot about their coaching staff," Webb City coach John Roderique said. "When you see kids are well coached on film, like they are right now, that's pretty amazing, three years in a row in the semifinal game, and last year in the championship game, that says a lot about their coaching staff there at Cape Central."

While these may be golden times for Central football, Roderique's Cardinals have set the gold standard for high school football success in Missouri.

The Cardinals have played the role of terminator for the last two Central seasons, but therein lies no shame for the Tigers.

Central is but a two-time victim for the Cardinals, who are the five-time defending Class 4 state champions and are 87-1 since the start of the 2010 season. Webb City, which owns 13 state championships overall, has not lost to a Missouri team since a 38-13 setback to Kearney in the Class 4 semifinals in 2009.

In 2013, Central made the 336-mile trek to the town of about 11,000, located seven miles northeast of Joplin, Missouri. It was Nathan Norman's third season as the Tigers' head coach as well as Central's third year in its 5,000-seat, $2.9 million facility after not having hosted a varsity football game on school premises for the previous 100 years of the program. Tiger Stadium, which hosted its first game on Sept. 2, 2011, now hosts its biggest game.

"It's huge for the community, and it's great for our school," Norman said. "I know, I don't think, I know our kids don't realize what they have in front of us here, and probably a lot of the community doesn't, but I do. And my coaches do. Being coaches, you've got the best high school football program in the state, and they're coming into Southeast Missouri and play at our house. We're going to have hopefully a very competitive football game Saturday."

Webb City is shooting for its 12th undefeated season in its history and third straight.

Like Central, the Cardinals suffered heavy losses to graduation from last year's team. The Cardinals return senior Tyson Roderique, son of the coach, at quarterback, and two offensive linemen, but they lost their entire defensive line, including three players that went on to play at the college level.

Despite those losses, Webb City launched its unbeaten regular season with a 31-0 victory over Carthage, which will play Chaminade in the Class 5 semifinals Saturday. In Week 2, the Cardinals defeated defending Missouri Class 6 state champion Rockhurst 49-20, and followed it up with a 36-26 road win over Class 7 Arkansas power Har-Ber. It was the only loss of season for top-ranked Har-Ber, which accounted for Webb City's lone loss -- Week 2 of the 2013 season -- since the start of the 2010 season.

The Cardinals, who play all Class 5 schools in the Ozark Conference, have since extended their winning streak to 41 games through this year's postseason. The Cardinals' reign nearly ended in the Class 5 District 1 semifinals, but they managed to rally past fifth-ranked Carl Junction with a late fourth-quarter TD after losing Tyson Roderique to an elbow injury in the first half. Senior backup quarterback Andrew Greek directed the Cardinals to a 14-7 win over Carl Junction, which only previous lost to defending Class 2 state champion Lamar.

"I think everybody looks back at the Carl Junction game," John Roderique said. "We had an opportunity to get beat that game, and we came back. Our defense got a stop and a turnover, and our offense scored late to win. It seems like we played pretty well these last two times out."

Webb City has since defeated two more state-ranked teams -- No. 8 West Plains and No. 3 Harrisonville -- to reach the semifinals. West Plains, which lost 45-12, had just one previous loss on the year to state-ranked Class 6 Springfield Kickapoo, while Harrisonville, previously unbeaten, was subjected to a running clock in a 45-7 loss.

"The biggest thing that stands out when you watch a Webb City is how hard their kids play each and every play," Norman said. "They're well coached. I know that sounds repetitive; I've said it a bunch, but there are a lot of well-coached teams in our area. But they do it every single play, and that's the way I can sum them up and describe them. They look like they're playing for a state championship, and it's fourth-and-1 every single play. That's the energy that they bring. And that's a huge compliment to them, and that's what we're striving to do at Cape Central and what every team in the state should want to do."

Tyson Roderique scored two rushing touchdowns against the Tigers in last year's championship game and has rushed for 614 yards (8.1 ypc) and passed for 870 yards despite missing three games midway through the season due to injury.

"He can run. He can throw and does a great job of managing their offense," Norman said. "He's definitely a difference-maker for them. He's really a talented kid."

Roderique is just one of four players for the run-oriented Cardinals to have at least 450 yards rushing on the season. Senior Keaton Burroughs, a 6-foot, 200-pound running back who also scored two touchdowns against the Tigers last year, leads the way with 1,295 yards rushing (7.6 ypc) and 23 TDs. Junior Hunter Vanlue, who also scored in last year's title game, is third with 574 yards rushing (6.8 ypc), while 6-5, 210-pound Kaden Roy, a defensive standout at linebacker, has 488 yards.

Webb City's signature feature over the years has been their linemen, and the offense, which averages 276 yards rushing per game (6.1 ypc), returns 6-4, 285-pound tackle Trystan Castillo, who has committed to Missouri.

"On offense, they're just a machine," Norman said. "They're not going to try to trick you and be fancy. They're going to run the option, and they're going to run it well, and you're going to have to stop it."

Central's offense, directed by junior quarterback Kway'Chon Chisom, is averaging 388 yards a game, with 308 yards coming on the ground. He is one of three Tigers to have rushed for at least 900 yards on the season, and he has passed for 978 yards and 17 TDs with six interceptions. Senior Al Young is the most versatile weapon in the Tigers' arsenal, with 947 yards rushing (8.9 ypc, 13 TDs) and 766 yards receiving (23.2 ypc). Fourteen of his 33 receptions have gone for TDs.

"It seems like Al Young has been starting there for six years," Roderique said with a laugh.

The ground-oriented attack features 5-11, 195-pound sophomore Aaron Harris, who has rushed for 1,525 yards (7.3 ypc) and 11 TDs.

"The quarterback is a very dynamic player from two sides of the ball, and the running back, I'm surprised to see he's a sophomore, but he's a really, strong physical runner," Roderique said.

Both teams' rebuilt defenses will be tasked with stopping each other's power running games.

"We're kind of wondering about that matchup, and I'm sure they're wondering how their matchup is going to be with our offensive line," Roderique said.

Central won the SEMO North Conference championship and outscored its three district opponents 124-34 before defeating seventh-ranked Affton 54-28 in the quarterfinals for the second straight year.

"Our program has taken a step in the right direction each and every year," Norman said. "We're getting a little bit better. I think our kids have gotten more consistent, and their confidence level has went up. And they get better in the weight room, and those are the big three areas. That's what Webb City does so well. Their kids are so physical. You just don't wake up and get that. They work, and they work. And they lift, and they get that by hard work in the weight room.

"That's the biggest thing that I've tried to change was our kids' attitude toward the weight room and their attitude toward winning, and those things go hand in hand. Once you get bigger and stronger, you're going to be more confident, and that's going to lead to winning games. It's continual and all builds on each other."

Webb City beat the Tigers 46-0 in 2013 and recovered from a 14-0 deficit in last year's title game to beat Central 48-21.

"The first time we played them two years, we were just so outmatched physically. It wasn't even a game," Norman said. "And last year we closed the gap a little bit -- just a little bit -- and we're going to see what happens Saturday."

The winner will play the winner of the other semifinal between Westminster (13-0) and Kearney (12-1) in the state championship game on Nov. 27 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.