Missouri Class 5 semifinals recap

There will be a new champion crowned in Class 5 in Missouri after Webb City knocked off Jackson in the semifinals on Saturday. <strong>WEBB CITY 35, JACKSON 21</strong> Webb City has been the story of the Class 5 playoffs and the Cardinals added another chapter by knocking off top-ranked, undefeated and reigning state champion Jackson and snapping the Indians’ 26-game win streak on Saturday afternoon. Webb City (10-3), which advances to the state championship game in search of its 16th state title, put together a dominant performance in the first half and took a 28-6 lead into halftime. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on their first five possessions and held the high-scoring offense of Jackson (12-1) in check. The visitors entered Saturday’s showdown averaging 48.8 points per game and allowing just 8.8. Jackson’s 21 points scored against Webb City was its lowest output since scoring 21 in the Class 5 championship game overtime loss to Carthage in 2019. Senior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="232303" first="Cade" last="Wilson"]</strong> led the way for Webb City with 141 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. As a team, the Cardinals chewed up 268 yards on the ground and 397 yards in total. Senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="242723" first="Cohl" last="Vaden"]</strong> passed for 129 yards and ran for 60 yards. Junior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="242730" first="Dante" last="Washington"]</strong> caught three passes for 71 yards. Junior LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="241949" first="Billy" last="Wolfe"]</strong> was credited with a team-high 14 tackles, while senior DB <strong>Brentan Wilson</strong> and junior DB <strong>Kaylor Darnell</strong> added 12 tackles each. Jackson senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="174970" first="Cameron" last="Marchi"]</strong> completed 24 of 40 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and a score. Senior RB <strong>Josh Wehrenberg</strong> ran for 80 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Senior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96164" first="Kannen" last="Turley"]</strong> caught seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. <strong>HOLT 31, FORT OSAGE 14</strong> Holt’s dream season continued with a victory in its second semifinal appearance in school history, and first since 2003, to earn a berth in the Class 5 championship game. The Indians (13-0) used a strong all-around performance and two fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away from Fort Osage. Senior RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="37579" first="Kyle" last="Wuebbeling"]</strong> rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Junior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="37715" first="Owen" last="Merrell"]</strong>, who took over for standout senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="37580" first="Cooper" last="Brown"]</strong> after Brown went out with an injury, rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and passed for 49 yards. Brown, one of the state’s top quarterbacks the past two seasons, suffered a fractured clavicle in the quarterfinal win against Chaminade, according to reports, and tried to play through it in the semifinals. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 71 yards and ran for four yards before exiting the game. He is not expected to play in the state championship game against Webb City. Holt’s defense came up big to limit Fort Osage (11-2) and end the Indians’ nine-game win streak. Senior LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="96295" first="Zakhi" last="Johnson"]</strong> and junior DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104130" first="Richard" last="Meyer"]</strong> each recorded 17 tackles. Junior linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="104128" first="Kaden" last="Moore"]</strong> recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Junior CB [player_tooltip player_id="172186" first="Jack" last="Byrne"] recorded his sixth interception of the season. Junior WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="101698" first="Larenzo" last="Fenner"]</strong> returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter for Fort Osage. Junior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="181613" first="Greg" last="Menne"]</strong> threw a touchdown pass to junior WR <strong>Christen Penamon</strong> in the third quarter. <em><strong>You can follow Nate Latsch on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/natelatsch">@natelatsch</a>.</strong></em> &nbsp;