By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The 2020 season was a record-setting one for the Lebanon boys’ soccer team, as the Yellowjackets set a school record for victories and captured the program’s first district championship.
“We broke 14 school records and had arguably the best season in program history,” Lebanon head coach Matt Jernigan said. “We had a phenomenal group of seniors who worked hard for four years to get to that level.
“We were excited to get the season in with COVID going on, and we were also very blessed that we only had a couple of players quarantined at any point of the season.”
The Yellowjackets wrapped up the 2020 season with a 17-9 overall record, 4-4 record in the Ozark Conference and a 3-1 Class 3 District 9 championship victory over OC foe Rolla, before falling to fellow OC member Glendale in the Class 3 sectional round.
Lebanon will have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of Zach Richards, Luis Vazquez, Cameron Fisher, Angel Pedroza, Evan Rogers, Austin Barber and Eli Myers.
Richards, who is now playing at Central Methodist University, scored 41 goals with 11 assists and was named to the Class 3 All-State first team, Class 3 All-Region 3; Class 3 District 9 first team; All-Ozark Conference first team, as well as OC co-player of the year.
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Vazquez, now playing for Crowder College, scored 14 goals with 5 assists and earned all-region, all-district first team/offensive player of the year and all-conference first-team honors.
Fisher (all-region, all-district, all-conference second team), Angel (all-district second team), Rogers (all-district second team) and Barber (all-district second team) also were key members to Lebanon’s record run.
“Our senior class were leaders on the field and off the field,” Jernigan said. “Zach Richards is one of the best players ever to play at Lebanon. His goal-scoring ability was amazing. He knew how to find the net and also had the ability to make the players around him better. Zach is the player that everyone will look at in this senior class, but we had a supporting cast that was phenomenal.
“We are graduating all four of our defenders and they had a great year. We gave up the least goals in a season since 2002. All of our seniors were a part of that and will be missed.”
The Yellowjackets do return experience with four seniors, including Quinton Doughty and Ryder Rhoades, who are receiving college interest, along with two juniors to the 2021 roster.
Quinton Doughty, senior, midfielder, 9 goals, 8 assists, all-district second team, all-OC second team – “Quinton is a great scorer and we will be looking to him a lot this season,” Jernigan said. “He has been playing club in the offseason and has improved his game a lot. He is getting college looks and will be a key for us this year.”
Ryder Rhoads, senior, midfielder, 6 goals, 19 assists (Lebanon record for assists in a season), all-OC honorable mention – “Ryder is a versatile player who we will look to fill many roles this year. Ryder is one of the smartest players I have ever coached and a great leader. He knows the game so well and is ready to take the next step for our team.”
Clayton Frazier, junior, goalkeeper – “Clayton stepped up as a sophomore in goal for us last year as our starter. He is continuing to improve and will look to anchor our defense this year.”
Logan Durbin, senior, defender – “Logan is our lone returning varsity player in the defense. He will be looked at to be vocal in the defense and lead our younger players back there.”
Dylan Jamieson – junior, midfielder – “Dylan has been a swing player for us and will be looked at this season to step into a varsity role. We are excited to see him develop in his varsity role.”
Kaden Hooper – senior, midfielder – “Kaden played some varsity for us last year and has a great feel for the game in the midfield. We are looking for him to have a breakout season this year.”
While the numbers might have been low for summer workouts, Jernigan said he has seen improvement and is excited to see what the improvement looks like this fall with several younger players looking to compete for varsity spots.
A few of those newcomers include: Ethan Fisher, freshman, defender; Noah Anderson, freshman, midfielder/forward; Brock Piercy, freshman, midfielder; Jeremiah Rivera, freshman, defender; Trevor Meints, junior, defender; and Caden Morris, junior, midfielder.
And while that youth will be a challenge, at least at the start of the season, Doughty and Rhoades will be counted on to lead the young Yellowjackets.
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“I think Quinton’s ability to score will be a strength for our team,” Jernigan said. “He is a physical player who has the speed and skill to be a problem for defenses. Ryder Rhoades will also lead our team. He is a very smart player who will take us to the next level. I am excited to see how he helps develop our younger players.”
Rhoades set the program record for assists in a season last year with 19 and needs just 12 more to tie the overall record set in 2020 by Richards.
The Yellowjackets will look to defend their district title when they open the regular season in their own tournament on Aug. 27-28. Before that, they will host a jamboree with Branson, Bolivar and Camdenton on Aug. 20 or 23.
“We know that we have a lot of experience to replace,” Jernigan said. “This group has been waiting their turn to step up after our senior group last year. They have seen the work ethic it takes to succeed, and I think they are ready to have their time. I am excited to see how we grow as a team throughout the season.”
