The West Plains Zizzers answered an early Hillcrest punt-return touchdown, took a 19–12 lead into halftime and shut out the Hornets in the second half for a 34–12 Homecoming victory. Marshall scored four rushing touchdowns, Maupin scored once and forced a fourth-quarter fumble that ended a Hillcrest threat.
Final score: West Plains 34, Hillcrest 12
First Quarter
West Plains kicked off, and Hillcrest began at its 15. Sargeant made a tackle, followed by a stop involving Stauffer, Roberts and Allen. After a 15-yard Hornets run up the left side that Maupin ended with a tackle, Pabian and Freeman tackled a runner for a loss. Allen chased the quarterback backward, and Evans forced him out of bounds for another loss. Pressure on the next play led to an incomplete pass, and Hillcrest punted to the West Plains 41.
Marshall carried to the 45 on the Zizzers’ first possession. Roberts was stopped behind the line on a run to the right, and Combs’ pass to Judd fell incomplete under coverage. Hillcrest returned Roberts’ punt for a touchdown. Stauffer intercepted the Hornets’ trick-play two-point attempt.
Hillcrest led 6–0 with 7:53 remaining.
Smith returned the kickoff to the 43, but a holding penalty moved West Plains back to the 33. Marshall pushed through the middle to the 38, and Combs found Patillo for a first down at the 47. Marshall gained eight through the center, then followed his blockers through a hole for another first down. He gained eight more around the right side.
A run behind Gerdes’ block gained 10, but a holding penalty moved the Zizzers back to the 36. Smith, No. 14, took advantage of good blocking to earn a first down at the Hillcrest 24. Combs then hit Maupin, who raced to the 3 before being pushed out of bounds. Marshall scored, and Cobb kicked the extra point.
West Plains led 7–6 with 4:40 remaining.
Collins made the tackle on the ensuing kickoff at the Hillcrest 44. Freeman pressured the quarterback, but a quick pass gained a first down at the West Plains 32, where Maupin made the tackle. Allen stopped a run, Judd limited another to three yards, and Freeman chased the quarterback before Evans forced him out of bounds. Hillcrest’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete, giving the Zizzers the ball at their 28.
Marshall was stopped on first down, found a gap for eight yards on second down and was stopped again. Combs converted with a completion to Patillo at the 46. A pass toward Huddleston fell incomplete under pressure before Combs connected with Wade as the quarter ended.
End of first quarter: West Plains 7, Hillcrest 6
Second Quarter
West Plains opened the quarter with the ball at midfield facing third-and-six. Hillcrest jumped offsides, but a Zizzer delay-of-game penalty moved the ball back to the 50. Combs’ pass toward Wade fell incomplete. He then found Egly for a first down at the Hillcrest 41.
Marshall was stopped on the next run, but a Hillcrest personal foul moved the ball to the 26. A pass toward Judd was nearly intercepted. Marshall gained two around the left side, Combs found Patillo at the 8, and Marshall pushed up the middle to the 3. Marshall scored his second touchdown. Cobb’s extra-point attempt hit the goalpost and bounced out.
West Plains led 13–6 with 9:46 remaining in the half.
Collins tackled the kickoff returner at the Hillcrest 36. Roberts pressured the quarterback into an incomplete pass, but Hillcrest’s No. 4 broke away on the next run before Sargeant brought him down at the Zizzer 34. An illegal-procedure penalty moved Hillcrest back to the 39. Freeman pressured the quarterback into another incompletion, but the Hornets followed with a long touchdown pass. Freeman blocked the extra-point kick, preserving the West Plains lead.
West Plains led 13–12 with 8:36 remaining.
Hillcrest tried a short onside kick, and West Plains took over at the 45. Marshall gained two while waiting for his blockers. Combs got the ball back to Maupin, who broke down the left side for a touchdown. Hillcrest stopped Combs on the two-point attempt.
West Plains led 19–12 with 7:46 remaining.
Bell tackled Hillcrest’s No. 4 at the 31 on the kickoff return. The Hornets gained eight on a run-pass option handoff, then completed a pass for a first down at the 44, where Judd made the tackle. Pabian made a tackle before a Hillcrest holding penalty moved the ball back to the 34. Judd stopped a reverse at the 36. With Hillcrest facing second-and-18, Stauffer pressured the quarterback into an incomplete pass. Roberts tackled the receiver at the 44 after a short completion under pressure. Following a West Plains sideline warning, Hillcrest punted, and Roberts returned the ball to the 45.
Combs found Huddleston at the Hillcrest 42, then kept the ball to the 38. Marshall gained one. A fake handoff to Marshall preceded an incomplete pass toward Garcia. Facing fourth-and-three, West Plains called timeout with 3:18 remaining. The fourth-down pass toward Patillo fell incomplete, and Hillcrest took over at its 36.
Freeman, Allen, Evans and their teammates made a stop, and Judd forced a runner out for a loss. A Zizzer facemask penalty moved Hillcrest to the West Plains 48. Roberts pressured the quarterback into an incompletion, and a Hornets holding penalty pushed the ball back to their 43. Judd sacked the quarterback at the 37. Maupin tackled a receiver at the 48, and Evans tackled the scrambling quarterback. West Plains called timeout with 1:13 left before Hillcrest punted.
Maupin covered the punt at the Zizzer 13. After an illegal-procedure penalty against West Plains, Combs completed a pass to Marshall for four yards, and Marshall ran to the 16 as the half ended.
Halftime: West Plains 19, Hillcrest 12
Third Quarter
Hillcrest opened the half with an onside kick to the 49. A Hornets penalty moved the ball back to the 45. Roberts ran around the right side for eight yards. Combs handed to Roberts, who threw deep to Marshall for a completion at the 12, but offsetting penalties erased the play and brought back second down.
Marshall gained one, and Combs kept the ball for a first down at the Hillcrest 33. Combs was stopped on another keeper, completed a short pass to Wade for one yard, then missed Wade deep. Hillcrest declined an illegal-procedure penalty against West Plains. Combs’ fourth-down pass toward Wade fell incomplete, giving the Hornets the ball at their 32.
Hillcrest gained a first down at the Zizzer 39 on an RPO run by No. 2, then another at the 27 on a quarterback keeper. Allen tackled a runner for a loss. Freeman and Stauffer pressured the quarterback into intentional grounding, moving the ball back to the 48. Evans pressured an incomplete pass on the next play, and Hillcrest punted to the West Plains 24.
Marshall reached the 30, then took a pitch from Combs to the 42 for a first down. Smith, No. 14, ran to the Hillcrest 38, but West Plains fumbled and Hillcrest recovered at the 44.
A Zizzer pass-interference penalty on Hillcrest’s deep throw moved the ball to the West Plains 41. A holding penalty erased a Hornets quarterback run and moved Hillcrest back to its 49. After a deep incompletion, another Hillcrest penalty pushed the ball to the 44. Huxley and Allen stopped a short run, and Judd tackled a receiver at the 33. Freeman broke through to stop a run for a loss at the 38, with Huxley and Davis also involved. A long pass fell incomplete, and West Plains took over on downs at its 38.
Combs hit Wade at the 42, then completed a deep pass to Egly at the Hillcrest 30 after Egly battled for the ball. Marshall powered to the 15 and took a pitch to the 8. Hillcrest called timeout with 49 seconds left. Marshall pushed to the 1, then scored his third touchdown. Combs completed the two-point pass to Egly.
West Plains led 27–12 with 33 seconds remaining.
Colvin and teammates tackled Hillcrest’s deep kickoff return at the 8. The Hornets’ quarterback kept the ball for a first down at the 21, where Allen made the tackle, as the quarter ended.
End of third quarter: West Plains 27, Hillcrest 12
Fourth Quarter
Hillcrest began at its 21. Bell made a tackle at the 26 with help from Warren and others. Warren and Roberts stopped the next play at the 30, and Evans and Freeman helped stop the Hornets on third down. Hillcrest converted fourth-and-one with a quick screen pass to the 36, where Warren made the tackle.
Judd grabbed and tripped up a runner before Maupin finished the tackle at the 43. A Hillcrest delay-of-game penalty followed. Roberts broke up a pass but was called for pass interference. On a subsequent long pass, Maupin hit the receiver and forced a fumble that resulted in a touchback. West Plains took over at its 20.
Combs completed a pass to Marshall at the 25. Marshall ran to the 29, then took an RPO handoff for a first down at the 36. Combs’ deep pass toward Patillo fell incomplete. With a block from Judd, Marshall broke loose to the Hillcrest 20. Marshall then ran through the middle, changed direction and fought his way into the end zone for his fourth touchdown. Cobb added the extra point.
West Plains led 34–12 with 5:55 remaining.
Hillcrest fair-caught the kickoff at its 15. Huxley pressured the quarterback into an incomplete pass, and Judd grabbed the next runner before Allen brought him down. On third-and-eight at the 17, Pabian forced a receiver out at the 21 after a screen pass. Hillcrest converted on fourth down with a completion to the 29.
The Hornets completed another pass for a first down at the 43, where Roberts made the tackle. Sargeant tackled a receiver at the 49. Hutchinson forced the quarterback out of bounds at the 44, and Warren chased down a runner at the 38. Sargeant covered an incomplete pass. After a short completion and a West Plains personal-foul penalty, Hillcrest had the ball at the 17.
Stauffer chased the quarterback into an incomplete pass. Warren broke up a pass toward the end zone, and Bell pressured another incompletion. Huxley sacked the quarterback on fourth down, ending Hillcrest’s final threat.
Marshall carried to the 34, and Smith, No. 14, gained a first down at the 47. Combs took a knee, and the clock expired.
Final: West Plains 34, Hillcrest 12
The Zizzers recovered from the early punt-return touchdown and protected their lead with a blocked extra point and a second-half shutout. Marshall’s four touchdowns led the offense, while Maupin’s forced fumble stopped Hillcrest’s best fourth-quarter chance to close the gap.
