CARTHAGE — Five minutes into the first quarter, Luke Gall had a stat line that most running backs would be thrilled to have at the end of an entire game.
Two touchdowns and 102 rushing yards — all compiled on his first four touches of the football.
In just one half of play, Gall finished with three TDs and 183 yards of total offense — 134 rushing, 49 receiving — as Carthage jumped out to an early lead in an eventual 42-20 victory over Willard on Friday in a Class 5 District 6 semifinal game at David Haffner Stadium.
"We talked about coming out and getting a fast start," Carthage head coach Jon Guidie. "We wanted to come out, execute well on offense and play good defense, and I thought we did that — especially in the first half."
The triumph advanced Carthage to the district championship to take on Webb City, a 35-7 victory over Republic, next Friday at 7 p.m. in Carthage. It will mark Carthage's eighth consecutive year to make a district championship game.
Carthage earned a 42-14 victory over the Cardinals in Week 4 of the regular season.
"We've got to go back to work, study them on film and put a plan together," Guidie said of next week's matchup.
Friday night's lopsided affair saw Carthage build a 35-0 lead by halftime and force a running clock for most of the third quarter. Willard did some cosmetic work on the final score with two unanswered TDs in the fourth.
The Carthage offense set the tone immediately in the game as the first offensive snap saw Gall take a handoff from quarterback Caden Kabance and break a pair of arm tackles en route to a 68-yard TD run.
Following a quick three-and-out by Willard, Gall registered rushing gains of 13 and nine yards before finding the end zone again on a 12-yard carry, giving Carthage a 14-0 lead with 7:00 still to play in the opening stanza.
"Obviously Luke means so much both on offense and defense (at linebacker)," Guidie said. "Just his presence alone is big for us. I've said this before: Nobody works harder than him. So everything that he gets, he earns. It just makes you happy as a coach to see that work get rewarded every single Friday."
CHS ended up scoring TDs on its first five drives of the first half. Gall's third score — a 6-yard TD run — opened up a 35-0 advantage with 3:58 remaining in the second quarter.
"I say this every time I'm asked about my games: Our blockers up front and on the outside are really good at what they do," Gall said. "We have more of a complete team than what I've ever played on in my entire life. It's everybody doing their part every play, and it's definitely not just me."
Willard was held scoreless in the first half despite having possession of the football in Carthage territory on four occasions — twice following lengthy kickoff returns, once after a 56-yard scamper by running back Owen Bushnell and once after a Carthage punt was downed at the CHS 44-yard line.
The Carthage defense forced three punts, two turnovers on downs and had one takeaway on an interception by Clay Kinder in the opening half to keep Willard off the scoreboard.
"Our kickoffs weren't great, and we definitely need some work on that," Guidie said. "But the defense was able to make some good stands there and get the ball back."
Carthage sat most of its starters for the entire second half.
Willard opened the third quarter with a 58-yard drive that milked more than eight minuted off the clock and resulted in a 2-yard TD carry by Bushnell. Following a missed extra-point kick, the Carthage lead was trimmed to 35-6.
CHS responded with its final score of the night three minutes later when Cale Patrick took a sweep handoff 53 yards to balloon the lead to its largest of the night, 42-6, with 13 seconds left in the third quarter.
Kabance added 36 rushing yards and two TDs for Carthage in the first half. He also completed six of eight passes for 155 yards. Hudson Moore caught four passes for 65 yards, while Tyler Willis had a pair of catches for 39 yards.
Bushnell paced the Willard offense with 127 yards and two TDs on 18 carries. Quarterback Russell Roweton threw for 135 yards and had a 22-yard TD pass to Trey Pulford in the fourth quarter.
-Jared Porter, Joplin Globe Sports
