CARTHAGE — The 'Blue Hogs' moniker is not just a one-year nickname for the big boys controlling the line of scrimmage.
It's a nickname that has been passed down from generations of offensive linemen for Carthage football.
"It has been here for a long time," Carthage senior offensive tackle Garrett Lilienkamp said. "We are all the same team, but it's our own little thing. A lot of times our theme is we have to focus on Blue Hogs. Blue Hogs will win us games. And we believe a lot of our games are won up front."
Thanks in large part to its intimidating play in the trenches, the Class 5 No. 2 Tigers (6-0) added another dominant victory to their resume with a 42-7 win over Willard on Friday night at David Haffner Stadium.
"Our offensive line has been fantastic," Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. "We thought we had a chance to be pretty good up front coming into the year. We have a couple new faces up there, but with our veterans like Gavin (VanGilder), Garrett and Anthony Strickland, those three seniors have done fantastic. Drew (Musche) and Malachi (Housh). Tyler (Willis), our tight end, has been just as important up front.
"Brett Rockers at H-Back. All those guys. They know what their role is. They have done a great job so far. (The Blue Hogs) are just growing into their identity."
And the Carthage offensive line paved the way for what was a furious first half performance against Willard.
Carthage, which scored all of its points in the first half, jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first stanza and tallied 28 more in the second quarter. The Tigers went seven plays and 63 yards on their opening drive, which was capped by a one-yard touchdown run from junior running back Luke Gall.
After forcing Willard to a quick three-and-out, Carthage struck again on its ensuing drive. Gall found pay dirt for the second time with a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers' a two-score advantage at the 3:59 mark in the first quarter.
Carthage quarterback Caden Kabance then added a 2-yard touchdown run to stretch the lead to 20-0 with 9:58 to play in the first half. Looking to generate even more offensive momentum, Guidie went for the onside kick that Chris Mejia successfully recovered at midfield.
And Aiden Rogers quickly scored on a 1-yard run as Carthage built a commanding 27-0 lead just one minute later. Gall, who eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the season with 61 yards on nine carries, scored his final touchdown of the night with a 16-yard run off a pitch to the right side.
To cap Carthage's scoring in the first half, Micah Lindsey intercepted a pass from Willard quarterback Russell Roweton and returned it 12 yards for the pick-6. Lindsey also picked up a sack earlier in the game.
"Same Micah Lindsey we have been seeing," Guidie said. "I don't know where he is stat-wise in terms of sacks or tackles for losses, but man, he is a tough block. When he wants to go, he is hard to block."
Carthage tallied 240 total yards of offense alone in the first half.
Kabance completed 5 of 7 passes for 45 yards and amassed 65 yards on the ground in seven attempts. Braxdon Tate caught four passes for 39 yards.
The Carthage defense limited Willard (0-6) to 104 yards of offense (57 rush and 47 pass). Gavin Walker scored Willard's only touchdown with a 4-yard run with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
"We were just efficient," Guidie said. "I thought both our quarterback and running back did their thing. Our offensive line was fantastic. We threw the ball a little bit the first half because we wanted to, not necessarily because we needed to, which is nice. Very pleased with that. The defense was fantastic. I think Willard got one offensive first down in the first half, so I was very happy with them. Just a good team-effort."
Carthage travels to Joplin, a 45-14 victor over Republic, at 7 p.m. on Friday at Junge Field in what will be a pivotal COC matchup next week.
"It's going to be a great game," Lilienkamp said.
-Derek Shore, Joplin Globe Sports