Week 5: WC v. Nixa

After three weeks of pounding the pavement, Webb City returned home to host the Nixa Eagles - who came in fresh off wins against Neosho and Carthage and just a 1-point loss to Branson from being unbeaten.

What was known about Nixa was that they had a big running back and were tough and physical. The questions for WC seemed to swirl more around the health of QB Patrick Drake. I am told there was some speculation ahead of the game that perhaps the Cards should go with Sophomore Breckin Williams regardless of Pat's health. The first half on Friday showed 2 things:
1. Pat is healthy
2. When it comes to running the offense - and I mean all of it, which is what makes it so dangerous - Pat knows what he's doing and that comes from a lot of experience.

The Cards came out hot and early on this looked to be a blowout. For most of the first half, Nixa couldn't stop WC. Webb never punted in the first half - a fumble and the half ending were the only two times WC didn't put it in the end-zone.

The second half was a little different story. Nixa hung in there and refused to give up. They made some adjustments at halftime and WC was no longer able to score at will. Strong defense and 3 interceptions allowed WC to cruise on to the win.

After 2 weeks of weaker opponents, Nixa was a legitimate test for WC. Next Friday Neosho comes to town. That game has been highlighted on the schedule for a while, but has lost some of its hype after Neosho dropped not only the game with Nixa, but then lost a close one at home against Carthage on Friday. My take on that isn't that Neosho is weaker than people thought, but more likely they're going to be very hungry when they roll into Cardinal Stadium. WC will need to be very focused on this opponent (not looking past them to Branson or Carthage) to stay unbeaten.