Central to play powerhouse Webb City in Class 4 semifinals

The road to Class 4 state football championships usually runs through Webb City, a town with a population of about 11,000 located seven miles northeast of Joplin, Mo.

Central will travel that road today when it heads on a 336-mile journey to the other side of the state to take on the three-time defending state champion in a Class 4 semifinal at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

The red-hot Tigers (9-4) pack an eight-game winning streak.

Central, which is playing in its first semifinal since 1978, has a resume that is dwarfed by Webb City (12-1).

"I would say Webb City has the richest tradition in Missouri," Central coach Nathan Norman said. "I think Jeff City for a while, but I don't think there's anybody right now that can compete with Webb City and their history."

The Webb City resume reads:

* Eleven state championships, including 10 undefeated seasons.

* The Cardinals' title collection is only second to the 12 Class 1 titles owned by Valle Catholic.

* A 46-game winning streak ended with a 42-35 road loss to Har-Ber High in Springdale, Ark., in Week 2 this season.

* A current 11-game winning streak.

* A 57-1 record over its last 58 games.

* Unbeaten by Missouri teams during the regular season since the 2003 season and unbeaten in conference games since joining the Ozark Conference in 2008, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

* A 16-game winning streak in the postseason.

It all can be a bit intimidating, but Norman has tried to get his team to focus on a game that has yet to be played.

"I have to tell our kids we're not playing the history of Webb City," Norman said. "We're playing Webb City 2013 this Saturday. They put 11 on the field and we put 11 on the field, and I like our chances with our 11 against their 11. ... I think they've bought into it. We'll see."

Webb City, which has produced the likes of former Rams defensive end Grant Wistrom, has found a formula for success started by coach Jerry Kill (now head coach at the University of Minnesota in the Big 10) in the late 1980s and continued by coach John Roderique.

The formula is simple: fundamentals. The Cardinals, reared from youth in football, block and tackle well.

"Where they beat you is their lines," Norman said. "Their [offensive] and defensive line are physical, big kids and well coached. They're not going to do anything tricky. They're going to run the ball and play-action pass and play sound defense."

The Cardinals average 43 rushing plays and eight pass attempts a game.

They'll use an array of running plays that include pitches, fullback dives, counters and double and triple options.

"Their lines play a lot harder than a lot of team's we've seen," Central senior offensive/defensive lineman Martez Carter said. "They stay low and have really good technique and do exactly what they're supposed to do."

Senior Trey Parra, who has 1,360 yards (9.4 ypc) rushing on the season, leads a balanced rushing attack that includes senior senior Kyle Baldasarre (939 yards, 8.3 ypc) and junior Tyler Davison (664, 8.8), according to maxpreps.com. Junior quarterback Devin Pickett has 507 yards rushing (6.0 ypc), while sophomore backup Tyson Roderique (245 yards, 6.4 ypc).

Webb City averages 423 yards of offense per game, with 337.6 yards coming on the ground.

The Cardinals rolled up a season-high 525 yards offense in their 48-20 victory over Carl Juntion in the District 4 championship game. That included a season-high 473 yards rushing.

Junior Kiante Hardin is the primary receiving target with 10 of his 24 receptions going for touchdowns. His 458 yards account for more than 40 percent of the team's air production.

The Cardinals rolled up 336 yards rushing in their quarterfinal win over Westminster and 435 yards offense overall, averaging 6.5 yards per offensive play. Webb City took a 13-6 lead into the second quarter and built a 26-6 lead by halftime.

The Cardinals are playing in the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year, but could be a little more vulnerable than in the past three years.

In addition to its loss to Har-Ber, Webb City nearly had its 48-game winning streak against Missouri schools ended by Class 5 Nixa in Week 5. The Cardinals ultimately prevailed 27-24 in overtime.

Webb City will be charged with stopping a Central offense that has been on roll since Week 6 of the regular season.

Central has averaged 491 yards and 47.5 points over its last eight games and features three single-season record breakers in its offense: Central senior running back Mikey Jones has rushed for 2,045 yards (7.7 ypc); sophomore receiver Al Young has 1,184 yards receiving and 11 TD receptions; and senior quarterback Dennis Vinson has thrown 19 TD passes.

Those three main offensive weapons are accompanied by an offensive line that has both size and experience.

"Once you get to this time of year, everybody is good," senior center/linebacker Scottie Thomas said. "We just have to go out there and play hard."

First-year senior linebacker Ansley Patrick leads the defense with 100 tackles, including a team-high 10 for loss. Patrick, who used to attend Parsons High School in Kansas, grew up about an hour from Webb City.

"We played some of the teams around there in 7-on-7 tournaments, so I kind of have a grudge against them," Patick said with a smile. "They used to beat us."

"It'd be great to beat them. I know them," Patrick said. "These guys know them just because they won a lot. I know them from a different perspective because I've played against them. I'd love to beat them."

All of his teammates will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with Webb City on Saturday.

"We know about the history, how they're a class 4 powerhouse, and they're well-coached and fundamental," Vinson said. "But I feel like our team can beat them. I feel like we can beat anybody we go on the field against. If we play hard and do what we're coached to do, I think we can come out victorious."