McCoy Sullivan’s faith, perseverance and ability to chug a half-gallon of milk daily were all rewarded Thursday.
The Nixa cornerback with shoulder-length blonde hair befitting of a rock star stole the spotlight and a couple would-be Willard pass completions in the Eagles’ 47-14 Homecoming rout of the Tigers.
Two of the plays of the night for the winners were Sullivan specialties.
On Willard’s third offensive series, Tigers quarterback Russell Roweton rifled a spiral 40 yards downfield perfectly placed in the hands of wide receiver Timmy Ruble on the run at the Nixa 20-yard line. However, the instant Ruble reached for the pigskin, Sullivan swatted it away.
High-quality play on both sides.
“(Ruble) kind of beat me, but I got over top and hit it out,” Sullivan said. “I saw an opportunity and broke it up.”
Later in the same Willard drive, Sullivan again denied the Roweton-Ruble combination by out-dueling Ruble in the air and deflecting a pass in the end zone.
Roweton, who has 11 touchdowns on the season and offers from Southwest Baptist and Evangel, never did complete a scoring strike.
“He’s one off the best,” Sullivan said of Roweton. “I was excited. I was ready for a test, I think all of (the defensive backs) were. We had a blast. We knew they were going to chuck it a lot. We had a lot of opportunities. It was a fun game.”
“Roweton is really good. He throws it well and he threw it well tonight,” Nixa coach John Perry said. “We made some plays that helped us out.”
No one is happier to be helping the Eagles out than Sullivan. His emergence as a first-year starter as a junior was triggered by a massive weight gain. Throughout the off-season, he put on 30 pounds.
“Lots of milk, I’ll drink a half-gallon of milk every single day,” Sullivan said when asked how he packed on the weight. “I drink a lot of chocolate milk. Chocolate has a lot of calories in it.
“I look like a brand new person to some of my aunts and uncles who hadn’t seen me in a while,” he added. “Without my (added) strength, I wouldn’t be out here. Last year, there was a lot I couldn’t do because of my size. I got picked on because of my size. Now, that’s not a worry for me. I’m confident.”
Sullivan had to shake off a strained hip flexor he suffered two weeks before Nixa’s season-opener. He was sidelined for the Eagles’ jamboree and their first three games.
“It sucked,” Sullivan said of his injury. “It was driving me insane. My teammates and coaches made sure I was right mentally. That helped me a lot. I give them all the credit for getting me back.”
Sullivan was back in action for Week Four at Branson. He turned in a pick-six in Week Six versus Carl Junction
“Now, I’m ecstatic,” Sullivan said. “It makes me feel like it was all worth it. God always has a plan. Even with those first three weeks I missed, I knew God had a plan for me. This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time. There’s nothing like it.”
“McCoy was fantastic,” Perry said. “I’m really proud of him. He’s worked so hard. It means a lot to him. He’s come back (following his injury) and played great.”
Nixa (7-0) has actually been fortunate in regard to injuries. Sullivan is the only starter who has been out a significant portion of time. Running back Dylan Rebura also missed the season-opene and wide receiver Rylan Michel missed Thursday’s game with a bruised bone in a knee. But Perry expects Michel to play in next week’s showdown at Republic.
“We’re lucky to be healthy for the most part,” Sullivan said. “Our strength coaches and trainers do a really good job for us.”
Flint sharp as a slot receiver
In Michel’s place, Keivon Flint moved from wideout to slot receiver and also handled Michel’s kick return duties.
Flint was fine from the get-go, returning the opening kickoff to the Willard 35-yard line.
“I caught it, you always have got it catch hit first,” Flint said of the kickoff. “We had a wedge left and all the blockers had perfect blocks. That boosted my confidence right away.”
Flint felt settled in his new surroundings at slot.
“Rylan does great things for our team, so I knew had to replace hm, do my thing and make some plays for the team,” Flint said. “I wasn’t nervous before the game. But in practices this week, I was (nervous) because I had never really run slot before.”
Flint, who had one catch on the season prior to Thursday, finished with three receptions for 97 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown from quarterback Nate Uber.
On the touchdown, Flint reached a bit behind himself for the pass. After a Willard defender fell as Flint caught the ball, he turned toward the end zone with no defender in sight.
“The defender was between me and the ball. I knew I had to get around him to make the catch and was almost thinking at one point to play defense and swat (the ball) down,” Flint said. “But he missed it when he dove for it and I caught it. There was nobody between me and the (end zone).”
It was Flint’s first varsity touchdown.
“It means everything,” he said.
Flint wasn’t flawless. He later dropped a sure-fire touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Blevins.
“I would have loved that, it was perfect ball right in the bread basket,” Flint said “It hit my face mask a little bit and I dropped it. But I’ve got to keep my head up.
“I fell like I kind of proved myself tonight,” he added. “I hope Rylan can get back as soon as possible because he’s a great player. I’m going to do everything I can in his place.”
Rider runs 'like a cat'
Nixa (7-0) ran away from Willard (3-4) and had the turbo clock in effect for a good portion of the fourth quarter, despite turning the ball over three times inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line.
The Eagles lost two fumbles at the Willard one-yard line and had a pass picked off at the Tigers’ 10.
Otherwise, Nixa’s offense was unstoppable. The Eagles' O-line dominated the proceedings and running back Malachi Rider put on a spectacular show. Rider repeatedly eluded defenders with spin moves to his left and right. He posted four touchdown runs.
“The spin moves are great,” Perry said. “He’s kind of like a cat. You could hit him and throw him up in the air and he lands on his feet and runs toward the end zone.”
Nixa safety Spencer Ward was tabbed Homecoming king.
Nixa 47, Willard 13
Willard 6 0 0 7 - 13
Nixa 19 14 7 7 - 47
Scoring
N - Malachi Rider 2 run (Braden Kahmke kick)
N - Rider 55 run (kick no good)
W - Fumble recovery in end zone (Jon Lupescu kick)
N - Dylan Rebura 35 run (kick no good)
N - Rebura 3 run (Kahmke kick)
N - Keivon Flint 61 pass from Nate Uber (Kahmke kick)
N - Rider 9 run (Kahmke kick)
N - Rider 1 run (Kahmke kick)
W - Elias Manteris 68 run (Jon Lupescu kick)
