[wpbvideo id=’306788′]
By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Class 4 No. 6 West Plains hosted No. 5 Camdenton in one of the area’s most anticipated games on Friday.
The Zizzers left little doubt in a 41-7 win.
The Camdenton Lakers opened with an 83-yard bomb from quarterback Paxton DeLaurent to Jaben Shockley, and Jase Nicklas followed it with a two-yard touchdown to move the Lakers up 7-0.
Punting on their first possession, the Zizzers followed with 41 unanswered points. Even an hour-long weather delay couldn’t deter them.
“It was just a great game, and everybody clicked,” said West Plains head coach Steve Ary. “We had the kids ready for every condition. They’re a really special bunch of kids right now. We were ready for the lightning delay…they just do everything they’re supposed to do.”
In the first quarter, West Plains’ Allen Marcak returned a punt deep into Laker territory and Jacob Ackerson put the Zizzers on the board, 7-7. A forced fumble followed, allowing Brayden Lidgard to add to his touchdown collection, 14-7, as the first rainfall of the night began. Trey Cressman added each extra point. Weston Mitchell’s interception was an exciting conclusion to the first quarter, but penalties stopped the advancement.
Lane Jett’s 15-yard carry in the top of the second was countered with a penalty on the next play. Garrett Warren and Marcak each advanced the ball, and Lidgard picked up a chunk of his 177 yards on the night on five carries in the series, culminating in another touchdown, 21-7.
Rackley connected with Warren in the start of the third. A penalty called it back, so they repeated it, scoring once again (28-7). West Plains followed with a forced fumble, but penalties continued to plague them.
Gabe Kurtz and Eli Griffin picked up yardage in the third for Camdenton as the rain poured, and the quarter closed with a lighting delay. When the fourth finally started, West Plains’ Eric Washington helped crush his opposition’s renewed spirits with a 13-yard sack. Sebastian Agnew followed with another quarterback sack, allowing defensive end Bryson Collins a scoop and score, 35-7. Lane Jett ran in the final touchdown of the night, 41-7.
The Lakers limited big plays for their opponents; the Zizzers were forced to pick up yardage bit by bit. Both teams played to the whistle, but in the end, Camdenton couldn’t contend with West Plains’ defense.
“Tonight’s game was a tough Ozark Conference game,” said Camdenton head coach Jeff Shore. “We expected it to be physical and it was a very tough battle. I thought both defenses played very well. The score was not indicative of how the game went. I am very proud of the effort our guys gave.”
West Plains was pushed out of the red zone four times due to penalties. “That was probably the only negative I saw on the night,” said Coach Ary, “but we looked by far like the most physical team, we played with the most emotion.”
“I’m going to give credit to the kids,” added Ary. “They have great attitudes and they are going to do great things.”
Delaurent: 18 completions, 187 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
Shockley: 5 catches for 91 yards
Nicklas: 5 catches for 33 yards and a touchdown
Kurtz: 2 catches for 37 yards
Rackley: 8 completions for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns,
Lidgard: 38 carries for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns
Warren: 3 catches for 25 yards and 1 touchdown
Jett: 5 carries for 30 yards and 1 touchdown
Ackerson 2 catches for 16 yards and 1 touchdown
