It hasn’t been a dream season for Harrisonville, but on Friday night the Wildcats lived the dream.
Harrisonville could do no wrong in the first two quarters of its matchup with Missouri River Valley Conference West rival Odessa, especially Wildcat running back Nate Reynolds. Reynolds’ five touchdowns, and a pivotal goal line stand in the first half, powered the Wildcats to a convincing 42-14 victory at Memorial Stadium in Harrisonville.
Reynolds, a 5-foot-8, 172-pound junior, scored four of his TDs in first half as Harrisonville (5-4, 4-2 MRVC West) rolled out to a 35-14 halftime lead. The Wildcats scored every time they had the ball except for the very end of the half and there was little Odessa (7-2, 4-2 and ranked No. 8 in Class 3) could do to stop their option attack.
“It felt too perfect, honestly,” said Reynolds, who entered the game with almost 1,100 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns for the year. “That’s’ why at halftime we talked about having to keep the same momentum, we couldn’t slow down because it seemed too perfect to be true.”
Harrisonville couldn’t slow down in the first half, not while Odessa was making a game of it. The Bulldogs led 14-13 after a back-and-forth first quarter, and they were within 19-14 when they had a first and goal at the Harrisonville 6-yard line midway through the second quarter.
On third and goal from the Wildcats’ 2, Odessa quarterback Douryun D’obron lost four yards on a keeper. On fourth down, a bad snap thwarted a field goal attempt.
Three plays later, Reynolds sprinted down the left sideline 87 yards for his third TD of the night. Harrisonville had a 27-14 lead and it would never be close after that.
“Having that stop made the game,” Reynolds said. “We were talking on the sideline that we needed the stop and when it came down to it, we knew we needed to execute. Running for that touchdown felt pretty good.”
“That was huge,” Harrisonville coach Brent Maxwell said. “Kids showed a lot of resiliency there I think. (Odessa) was able to answer the first two and our kids didn’t lose their composure, didn’t panic.”
Reynolds opened the scoring ‘with a 20-yard TD run that capped an 8-play, 60-yard drive on Harrisonville’s first possession. A bad snap on the extra point attempt left the Wildcats with a 6-0 lead.
Odessa’s first drive ended with a 10-yard TD run from D’obron and a 7-6 lead, and Reynolds scored from 13 yards out on the Wildcats’ next possession for a 13-7 lead. D’obron scored again on a 29-yard run, and Odessa took a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.
But back came the Wildcats, who took the lead for good on a punishing 19-yard run by Reynolds, who also scored on a 24-yard run in the fourth quarter.
“He showed a lot of grit, broke a few tackles and made some big runs,” Maxwell said. “You just hold your breath every time he touches the ball because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Harrisonville’s other TD came from quarterback Mason Mitchell on 30-yard pass to Eli Baker in the final minute of the half. That put the Wildcats up 35-14 and all but sealed Odessa’s fate.
“I really don’t have anything to say,” Odessa coach Mark Thomas said. “They beat us in every phase of the game after the first quarter. We didn’t handle adversity very well and that was disappointing.”
Even with the loss, Odessa should have one of the top seeds in Class 3 District 7 as postseason play gets under way next week. The Bulldogs, who had the No. 1 seed going into Friday, should wind up with a home game in the first round. So should Harrisonville, which stood No. 2 in Class 4 District 7.
Not bad for a team that started the season 0-3.
“This group, they’re starting to figure it out,” Maxwell said. “They’re starting to believe and trust in each other and the coaches and hopefully we’re going to peak at the right time.”
