Special to the News-Leader
REPUBLIC — After five straight years with three wins or fewer, Republic finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2014 after a 42-3 thrashing of Branson
“It wasn’t always easy. They had to take some lumps,” first-year head coach Ryan Cornelsen said. “I was really proud of the fact that we took some lumps and continued to get better.”
It hasn't been a perfect season by any means. Tough losses to some of the conference’s best teams were the lumps, but the team’s response to adversity and its commitment stood tall and made the winning season possible.