Seeing is believing.  And you had to be there to see it and believe it Friday night as Joplin moved ahead of the Tigers in the Ozark Conference by scoring twice in the waning minutes for a mind-boggling 49-48 win Friday at Tiger Stadium. 

After Waynesville took what seemed to be a commanding 48-35 lead with 4:33 remaining on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Varon Martinez to Seth Hedrick, the Eagles benefited from a Tiger personal foul and a recovered onside kick to set up their last two touchdowns.  Both of the scores were made by senior Skyler Duley who tallied all seven of Joplin’s td.s in the game. 

Following the Tigers’ last score, the Tiger defense took over and forced Joplin into a fourth and 20 situation.  The Eagles elected to go for it, but the 19-yard gain was just short.  It should have been Waynesville ball, but a personal foul gave Joplin first and ten at the Tiger 32.   Joplin pushed the ball to the WHS three where Duley went in for the td.  Joplin’s ensuing onside kick dropped just behind the Tiger up men and the Eagles scrambled for possession at the Tiger 38.  A long run by quarterback Colby Cornett set up another three-yard td by Duley.  The extra point was good, and the Tigers had their backs to the wall with 30 seconds remaining. 

But they never say die, and on first down from the Waynesville 13, Martinez found Nigel Farmer for a 39 yard pass  to the Joplin 48.  Another first down play put the ball at the Joplin 25 with less than two seconds remaining.  The Tigers’ 43 yard field goal attempt was just short to end the game. 

The game was filled with big plays as Duley took the opening kickoff 88 yards to put Joplin ahead and Hedrick returned the second half kickoff 90 yards to boost the Tigers to a 28-21 advantage.  Joplin had led 21-7 after one quarter, but Martinez began the Waynesville comeback with a 21-yard run to start the second and added another td to tie it by halftime.  After Hedrick’s big return, linebacker Raishon Picket returned an interception 40 yards to paydirt, Martinez answered a Joplin td with an 80 yard run on first down and later connected with Hedrick on the 51-yard play mentioned earlier. 

The partisan crowd sat stunned at the end of the game on Military Night.  While Duley put his name in the Joplin record books, Martinez’s star shown brightly too.  The Tiger qb accounted for some 370 yards total offense and five touchdowns, four rushing and one in the air.  Joplin moved to within a game of first place with the win and the Tigers fell into a fifth place tie with Lebanon and Hillcrest.  WHS travels to Camdenton next week.