By Brock Sisney (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
LAMAR — The Lamar Tigers are playing for a Class 2 football state championship for the first time since 2017 by virtue of their 42-7 semifinal domination Saturday afternoon of the Jefferson (Festus) Blue Jays at Thomas M. O’Sullivan Stadium.
On Saturday, Lamar scored 14 points in the game’s first 2 minutes, 52 seconds and the Tigers built a 35-0 halftime lead after scoring on all five of their possessions.
First-year head coach Jared Beshore, a standout player on the first three of the Tigers’ seven straight title teams before lining up in the secondary four seasons at Missouri State, said the Tigers emphasize starting fast and added, “We punched them (Jefferson) right in the mouth.”
The Tigers sure did just that.
Less than a minute in, on just the second play from scrimmage, sophomore running back Logan Crockett broke a 60-yard touchdown run.
Jefferson senior Will Schnitzler fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and six plays later, Lamar senior running back Cade Griffith scored on a 8-yard run.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The first-half numbers Saturday don’t lie.
The Tigers — led by their powerful offensive line — totaled 324 yards and generated five touchdowns and nine first downs from their 31 total offensive plays. Jefferson helped out Lamar with two first downs by committing offside penalties. The Tigers had only a single play result in negative yardage.
Conversely, Jefferson punted four times, turned it over on a kickoff return, and had one brief possession before halftime because Lamar senior quarterback Case Tucker scored on a 1-yard run with only 14.4 seconds remaining in the half. The Blue Jays had their would-be first TD — a 42-yard pass from senior quarterback Drew Breeze to senior Colby Ott straight down the middle of the field — nullified by an ineligible receiver downfield penalty.
To start the second half, Jefferson punted after one first down and Lamar then scored a sixth TD on a Joel Beshore 3-yard run with 3:35 remaining in the third.
The game then remained in turbo clock mode the rest of the way and the Tigers brought on their reserves both offensively and defensively for most of the fourth quarter, giving their sophomores and freshmen more taste of postseason competition.
Schnitzler broke the shutout with a 20-yard TD run.
Lamar takes an 11-1 overall record and a nine-game winning streak into the Class 2 title tilt this coming Friday against unbeaten St. Pius X (Kansas City). St. Pius X posted a 31-14 victory Saturday over previously unbeaten Palmyra. Lamar’s only loss came in Week 3 against Class 4 McDonald County, a 42-41 heartbreaker.
Lamar and St. Pius X battle for all the marbles at 7 p.m. Friday at Blair Oaks High School in Jefferson City. The Missouri State High School Activities Association decided this season to hold the Show Me Bowl Football Championships at high school locations rather than the traditional collegiate locations due to COVID-19 and venue limitations.
The Tigers are pursuing their eighth state title — they won a state-record seven straight Class 2 state titles from 2011 through 2017.
The Warriors, meanwhile, are seeking their first state title in football since 2002. St. Pius X also won Class 2 titles in 1998 and 2000 under former head coach Rick Byers. The Warriors are coached this season by first-year head coach Anthony Simone, a former player for Byers on at least the 2002 state championship team.
