By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The 2021 season was a season of growth for the Lebanon Yellowjackets in more ways than one.
First, the Yellowjackets graduated a large and successful Class of 2020 and had to work to overcome that loss. Along with that, the 2021 squad had to deal with the struggle its assistant coach, Jacob Woolsey, went through with COVID-19.
“We were able to adjust well to new positions and new players,” Lebanon coach Matt Jernigan said of the team’s play. “We also grew close as a team last season. Numbers were an issue last season for many teams around the area and our team was no different.
“We know that our culture is strong on our team and that showed last season with Coach (Jacob) Woolsey’s battle with COVID-19. Coach was on a ventilator and not expected to make it during our season last year. Our players really came together and grew close during that time. We saw that soccer is not all that matters in this life. Coach miraculously made it through and our team has really grown through the whole experience.”
The Yellowjackets also battled through an 8-16 record overall, 1-9 in the Ozark Conference and a first-round loss in the Class 3 District 10 tournament.
Key losses from last year’s group include Ryder Rhoades and Quinton Doughty.
• Ryder Rhoades, midfielder – Scored 7 goals with 10 assists. Earned All-OC and all-district honors. “Ryder was the leader of our team in the midfield,” Jernigan said. “He had great vision and love for the game.”
• Quinton Doughty, forward – Scored 23 goals with 5 assists. Was an All-OC and all-district selection. “Quinton was a workhorse up top and our leading scorer. His athleticism will be hard to replace.”
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Seniors Clayton Frazier, Dylan Jamieson and Trevor Mients will help lead the way for Lebanon this season.
• Clayton Frazier, senior goalkeeper – Recorded 3 shutouts. “Clayton has been a starter for us for two years and is going to be our key in a young and inexperienced defense,” Jernigan said. “He has great skill and knowledge of the game.”
• Dylan Jamieson, senior defender – Scored 2 goals with 3 assists. “Dylan is a strong player with a big leg. We are looking for him to move from midfield to the defense this year and give us some experience back there. He has the ability to play any position this year depending on what we need the most.”
• Trevor Mients, senior midfielder – “Trevor is another player who can play anywhere. He has played defense for us as well as midfield at the varsity level. He will give us versatility and the ability to strengthen our midfield or defense depending on the game.”
Jernigan has several sophomores who could provide an immediate impact for the Yellowjackets, as well as six freshmen who have played a lot of soccer.
“We are excited to see how they transition to the high school game,” Jernigan said.
• Noah Anderson, sophomore forward – “Noah stepped in last year and scored four goals as a freshman,” Jernigan said. “He is a speedster and has the ability to score goals for us this year. He was hampered by injuries last fall and we are hoping that he can be healthy and have a great season for us.”
• Brock Piercy, sophomore midfielder – “Brock is a hard worker that loves the game. He has been working hard in the offseason and we expect him to have a big impact this year.”
• Chris Kilburn, sophomore midfielder – “Chris started for us as a freshman last year and did a great job filling our midfield. He will take a larger role this year with the graduation of Ryder Rhoades.”
• Ethan Fisher, sophomore defender – “Ethan played in our defense last year and did a great job. We expect him to take a big step this year and develop into a very good defensive player for us the next few years.”
• Jacob Reagan, sophomore midfielder – “Jacob was a JV player for us last year and has been playing club all offseason. He has improved tremendously and has had a great summer for us. We are excited to see what he will do this year.”
• Cameron Derenbecher, sophomore forward – “Cameron is a spark. He is extremely athletic and improving day by day. He has had a great summer and we are looking for him to compete for a forward spot on varsity this year.”
Lebanon’s youth will be both its strength and its challenge, Jernigan says.
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“We have young kids who want to battle for spots,” Jernigan said. “We have a group of freshmen and sophomores who will push our upperclassmen to compete at a higher level. But, we will need to grow up fast this year. Our upperclassmen will need to work hard and lead the way for the youth of our program.”
Lebanon will participate in a jamboree at Camdenton with Bolivar and Branson on Aug. 22 before opening the regular season at Glendale on Aug. 30.
“We hope to improve throughout the season and play our best soccer at the end of the year,” Jernigan said. “We have a very good core to build around and we have some young players with some great skill. We hope to compete night in and night out. We are in a very tough conference and know that each game will be a battle.”
