It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Republic Tigers had no problem doing just that on Friday. They skirted past Lebanon 35-32. The win was familiar territory for Republic who now have four in a row.
Republic's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Wyatt Woods, who rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 16 yards and a touchdown. Kanon Krol was another key contributor, rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry.
Despite the loss, Lebanon still got an impressive performance from Gavin Smith, who rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.3 yards per carry, and also threw for 76 yards and a touchdown while completing 90% of his passes. Smith was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 67 yards.
Republic is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season. As for Lebanon, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-1.
Republic will be playing in front of their home fans against Helias at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. One thing working in Helias' favor is that they have now posted big point totals in their last four contests. Lebanon does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
