WEBB CITY - After helping Webb City win a district championship as a freshman while finishing second on the team in receiving yards, junior Terrell Kabala had to sit and watch the majority of his sophomore year after tearing his ACL.
On Friday, Kabala scored all three of Webb City's touchdowns in a 21-12 win over COC rival Carthage at Cardinal Stadium.
Webb City scored on its first two possessions before the Tigers realized what had happened.
Webb City found paydirt from 28 yards out on the game's opening possession. After a defensive stop, senior quarterback Cade Beason found Kabala on the first play of the drive, a 40-yard bomb.
Beason, Webb City's quarterback, who had missed the last two games due to a knee injury, finished the night with three completions, all of which went to Kabala. Webb City's senior Durand Henderson also rushed for 100 yards on just 14 carries.
Kabala's hat trick score came in the third quarter, a 65-yard pick-6, which gave Webb City a 21-6 advantage. It came when Kabala jumped a route intended for standout receiver Jayden Morgan, racing untouched to the end zone.
The Tigers battled back steadily moving the ball up and down the field, controlling time of possession, gaining good field position, and ultimately outgaining their opponent, but the Cardinal defense held more times than it bent. A Carthage drive stalled at the Webb City 1 yard line when a bad exchange between quarterback and runningback turned the ball over to Webb City. Two plays earlier, it appeared the Tigers had scored but the play was marked down inside the 1-yard line.  The Carthage offense was again halted when Webb City intercepted a pass and turned it into a pick-6. 
Carthage did finish with 361 yards, out-gaining Webb City by 119 yards of total offense. The Tigers also ran nearly double the plays (66-34), were even in the turnover department and dominated time of possession, third down conversions and were penalized six fewer times.  After the first two Webb City possessions in which the Cardinals scored, the Tiger defense rose to the occasion through the rest of the game not giving up another score.  Two defensive teams went toe to toe most of the evening keeping each others high powered offenses in check.
The Tigers didn't show up in Webb City looking for a moral victory, but they certainly found one.
Playing without standout quarterback Zeke Sappington and leading rusher Tyler Mueller, Carthage was able to overcome a slow start and go toe-to-toe with the Cardinals on the road. 
While Sappington could be out for the remainder of the year, sophomore Patrick Charlton – who racked up 269 yards and a touchdown – reaffirmed that Carthage is still a premier Class 5 team, especially in Webb City's eyes.
The two teams won't meet again until 2019, but don't be shocked to see the rivals make similar trips to Columbia in roughly two months.
The Tigers will return home on September 28 as they host Branson.  It will also be Homecoming for Carthage.