WEBB CITY, Mo. – The Webb City Cardinals host the Carthage Tigers on Friday night in a battle of two of the best programs in Missouri.
Webb City is 4-2 this season and ranked #4 in the state in class 5, while Carthage is 5-1 and ranked #1 in the class 5 state poll.
Friday night will be a big test for the Webb City defense, facing a Carthage offense that’s averaging 465 yards per game – led by All-State running back Luke Gall.
“Their physicality and their speed really stand out,” Webb City head coach John Roderique says of Carthage, “Obviously, they have one of the best players in the state of Missouri. You look at what Luke has done over his career and it’s incredible. They’re great tacklers on defense. They do such a good job up front on their schemes offensively. Their quarterback is a real run threat and he’s a fast kid. They’re throwing the ball a little bit more, too. It’s a team we’ve become all too familiar with because we’ve played do many times. You just don’t see any weakness.”
Friday’s game is also a matchup of two of the best coaches in the state – with Roderique on one side leading Webb City, and Jon Guidie on the other side for Carthage.
Roderique is 313-33 in 26 seasons so far at Webb City, while Guidie is 204-71 in his 18th season in Carthage.
“Jon has been over here in Missouri for a long time. He’s brought a great deal of stability over the years and he just has a great program,” Roderique says of Guidie, “They get the most out of their kids. They have a lot of guys that seems like they’ve been here for years and years. I think this is probably the longest rivalry either one of us has had. It’s just respect. We respect the heck out of them. They just do things so well on the football field.”
Friday night’s game kicks off at 7 PM in Webb City.
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