The Nixa Eagles didn't have a single running play of more than 10 yards on a muddy field at Republic Sept. 9, but that didn't bother coach Rich Rehagen one bit.

"I like five-yard gains," Rehagen said after his Eagles defeated Republic 24-6. "Our offensive line did some good stuff, our running backs were running the ball hard. We never did pop one, but we just kept grinding."

Nixa grinded out 250 yards of total offense, 185 on the ground, to pick up the come-from-behind win. The Eagles trailed 6-0 midway through the first half after a six-play Republic drive that covered 64 yards. Quarterback Riley Watkins followed a 45-yard scamper with a 10-yard run to set up a 5-yard scoring run by Jake Jones.

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