OZARK, Mo. — Caden Kabance didn't have the appearance of a high school football player making his first varsity start at quarterback.
Many eyes were on the senior and third-year starter for Carthage as he lined up under center for the first time in his varsity career on Friday night. And he didn't disappoint, amassing four touchdowns and 223 yards of total offense as Carthage rolled to a 49-14 win over Ozark in the season opener at the Ozark football field.
"That's what we knew (he was capable of)," Carthage head coach Jon Guidie said of Kabance. "We've seen him over the years. He's an athletic kid, he's smart and he's a competitor. … What a great job he did."
Kabance, a two-way starter at wide receiver and defensive back in the two previous seasons, made the transition to QB in the offseason to replace Carthage graduate and all-stater Patrick Carlton at the position.
"A lot of pressure on him," Guidie added. "Graduating Pat, filling his shoes and coming in and being as productive as he was tonight, it's fantastic."
Kabance raised the eyebrows of many midway through the second quarter when Carthage was backed up deep in its own territory. On a speed option, he faked a pitch to running back Luke Gall and proceeded to break through a host of defenders near the line of scrimmage before finding open space for a 92-yard TD run that put his team up 28-0.
"First off, it was great blocking by the line," Kabance said. "I mean, they executed perfectly. I saw the outside backer and was about to pitch off of him. And then he stepped out on Luke. So I just took it up and broke a couple of tackles and ran a long ways."
In three quarters of play, the newly-appointed signal caller recorded 138 yards and four TDs on 14 carries. And it wasn't just the legs of Kabance that fueled the Carthage offense either, as he finished 8 of 11 passing for 85 yards.
First-year starters Braxdon Tate and Brett Rockers, both seniors, chipped in 56 and 13 receiving yards, respectively, for CHS. Fellow senior Cale Patrick had one catch for 16 yards and also had a seven-yard TD run on a jet sweep that put Carthage up 21-0 early in the second quarter.
"(Tate and Rockers) are four-year players in our program and got their first start tonight on varsity," Guidie said. "They just stayed with it and stayed with it, and here they are. … You saw how hard those two play. I mean, Brett is everywhere and involved in just about everything. and then Braxdon was out here catching some balls when we needed them, making big catch after big catch. I'm very proud of both of them."
Gall, a returning all-conference running back as well as an all-state linebacker, got in on the scoring for Carthage on the first play of the second half when he broke a run up the middle for an 80-yard touchdown. He finished with 141 yards on 10 carries.
Guidie credited his team's offensive efficiency to the battles being won up front by Carthage's offensive line that's anchored by returning starters Garrett Lilienkamp and Gavin VanGilder.
"If you know anything about us, our offensive line takes great pride in being able to line up and communicate and adjust to what the defense is doing," Guidie said. "We had three new starters on that offensive line tonight along with our two veteran guys. Big, big credit to those guys up front."
Likewise, the Carthage defense dominated early and often over the course of the night. It started on Ozark's second offensive snap when a fumble in the backfield was scooped up by senior defensive end Max Williams, a second-year starter, and returned 50 yards for a touchdown that gave Carthage an early 7-0 lead.
"I just knew I had to go get it when I saw the football on the ground," Williams said. "I hadn't had a touchdown in my four years of high school, so I knew that was my chance and I had to take it."
In the first half alone, Carthage's defensive unit recovered one fumble and forced three turnovers on downs and two punts as it shut down Ozark on its first six offensive drives. Two pivotal stops came on drives in which Ozark had advanced into the red zone.
"We gave up two big plays in the first half, and that offense makes a living off of some big plays," Guidie said. "We knew that might happen, but we saved touchdowns on both of them and then we bowed up. That was the biggest thing."
It wasn't until the final minute of the third quarter that Ozark managed to find the end zone on a five-yard run by Tevis Larson.
A 49-7 Carthage lead at the start of the fourth quarter resulted in the enforcement of a running clock for the final 12 minutes of the game — a span in which Carthage played most of its reserves. Ozark capped the scoring on the night with a six-yard TD run by Brock Dodd with 27 seconds remaining.
Running back Jack Bowers led Ozark with 112 yards on 15 carries while Jace Whatley led the team in receiving with three catches for 116 yards. Quarterback Jace Easley completed just three of seven passes but managed to total 120 yards through the air.
Carthage hosts Carl Junction next Friday at David Haffner Stadium.
-Jared Porter, Joplin Globe Sports