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By NOLAN EPSTEIN, Springfield, MO – Playing their first full game after losing star running back Maverick McGee to injury, the Kickapoo Chiefs (7-1) showed they’re carrying on just fine, which is a scary message to their opponents going forward.
McGee broke his foot in the second quarter of last Friday’s win at West Plains – likely ending his season after amassing 823 and 17 touchdowns in his senior campaign. But if there were any questions raised as to who would be able to fill his shoes, senior QB Chris Lawson profoundly answered them.
On Friday, Lawson picked Lebanon (5-3) apart with his arm as well as his legs – throwing for 152 yards and two touchdowns while adding 161 more yards and three TDs on the ground on the way to a 41-8 triumph over the Yellowjackets.
“With the loss of Maverick, I think that really kind of put the majority of the weight of the offense on my shoulders, at least at the skill position,” said Lawson after the victory. “But we also have plenty of talent around us and I thought they did a really good job tonight.”
That talent around Lawson came partly in the form of 11 carries and 63 yards from senior rusher Devin Kruse, who saw an increased workload due to the injury to McGee. Senior Corey Dye and youngster Keyshawn Jackson also received touches on the ground in key moments to help the Chiefs drive downfield and frustrate Lebanon’s defensive line.
Still, Kickapoo’s offensive attack started with Lawson, who honored his good friend watching from the sidelines by putting up monster numbers through three quarters before being rested in the fourth.
“There was no surprise with Lawson,” Lebanon head coach Will Christian said. “McGee is obviously extremely good and I’m sad for him. You don’t ever want that to happen to a young man, but Lawson became more of the feature tonight and he showed that he’s equally or more dangerous.”
The impressive performance from the Kickapoo signal caller was pleasing to head coach Kurt Thompson, but he was just as happy with what he saw from the supporting cast on Friday – pointing out Kruse in particular.
“We got out of Devin what we thought we would get,” Thompson said of Kruse, who also caught a 38-yard TD pass in the third quarter. “He’s shifty, he’s hard to tackle.”
Junior kicker Joshua Scheiderer accounted for the remainder of the points that Lawson wasn’t responsible for – drilling field goals from 21 yards out in the second period and 35 yards away in the third to add to a sizable lead that the Chiefs would defend valiantly.
In the win, Kickapoo yielded just 141 yards of total offense to the Yellowjackets, which goes down as Lebanon’s lowest offensive output of the season.
“Our defense played outstanding,” added Thompson. “Our defensive coaches did a great job preparing our kids and had a great game plan. They played well.”
The victory keeps Kickapoo, which hosts Waynesville to finish out the regular season, at the top spot in the district standings as they hold a small points lead over second-place Lee’s Summit. Lebanon, rounding out the regular season by hosting Parkview, sits in third place in its district behind Ozark and first-place Glendale.
Kickapoo 41, Lebanon 8
Lebanon 0-0-8-0 – 8
Kickapoo 14-10-14-3 – 41
First quarter
Kickapoo – Lawson 1 run (kick good)
Kickapoo – Martus 3 catch from Lawson (kick good)
Second quarter
Kickapoo – Scheiderer 21 kick
Kickapoo – Lawson 12 run (kick good)
Third quarter
Kickapoo – Kruse 38 catch from Lawson (kick good)
Lebanon – Ehrhardt 8 catch from Breeden (2-point conv good)
Kickapoo – Lawson 1 run (kick good)
Fourth quarter
Kickapoo – Scheiderer 35 kick
