CARTHAGE - There was a lot of good for the Carthage football team in its 35-0 shutout of Nixa in last week's season opener.
The bad? Well, there was some of that, too, and head coach Jon Guidie has made sure to address it as the Tigers head into their Week 2 Central Ozark Conference tilt with Carl Junction. The two teams face off tonight at 7 at David Haffner Stadium in Carthage.
"Penalties were a bit of a concern," Guidie said. "We've stressed that pretty heavily this week, and just staying focused on what we need to be focused on. One thing we have to be better at is eliminating those mental mistakes that are away from the ball and don't have any bearing on the play."
Carthage totaled eight penalties for 60 yards against the Eagles. In the offense's 10 possessions in the game, seven were hindered by yellow flags.
"And four of our drives were started by a penalty," Guidie added. "So we're playing behind the sticks and trying to get caught up. It's something we have to clean up moving forward. Hopefully we come out this week and do a little bit better at eliminating those mistakes. We don't want to have any self-inflicted wounds that would give a good Carl Junction defense any sort of advantage or momentum."
On the other hand, the Carthage offense was virtually unstoppable when it wasn't getting in its own way in Week 1. The team totaled 386 yards — senior running back Tyler Mueller and junior quarterback Patrick Carlton accounting for the bulk of it with 159 and 180 yards, respectively.
"I think what stood out the most to us on film was Tyler's speed," Guidie said. "You know, he was always a physical guy who could make people miss and run through tackles. But I think he worked on his athleticism and his speed, because it really showed versus Nixa. He got out and ran a couple of times and it was pretty impressive. And for Pat, he did a great job of controlling the offense, making good decisions and being physical on his runs. Both of those guys I think are better versions of themselves this season, and that's saying something."
Previewing Carl Junction, Guidie said Carthage will have its hands full as it goes up against "a very aggressive and physical team on both sides of the ball."
"It probably starts with their defense," Guidie said of Carl Junction, which suffered a 34-0 loss to Webb City last week. "Watching them play Webb City, I think they were really aggressive, physical, fast. I think their two defensive tackles are very good, and I think they have an inside linebacker, the (Noah) Southern kid, who's a downhill, physical player. And then behind him, (Teagan) Armentrout makes a lot of plays in the secondary.
"And then offensively, there are some things that they do with multiple formations and motion, and you have to be very disciplined against them on defense. We have to make sure we get lined up right and not be fooled."
In Carthage's season opener, Nixa was shut out despite registering 250 yards of offense. The Eagles advanced inside the Carthage 30-yard line three times — twice inside the 10 — but ended up turning the ball over on downs on each occasion. Senior linebacker Kale Schrader and junior defensive back D.J. Witt were Carthage's leading tacklers with 14 and 11 tackles, respectively.
"Defensively we were really good, and hopefully that carries over to this week," Guidie said. "This is a new Carl Junction offense with different challenges we'll be seeing. But like I said, if we can play disciplined and keep our eyes where they should be, that will be our best chance at getting some stops and giving the ball back to our offense."
Carthage and Carl Junction have split their last two meetings, with Carthage earning a 42-18 home triumph last season and the Bulldogs claiming a 49-7 home victory in 2017.

-Jared Porter, Joplin Globe Sports Online