Neighborhood rivalries are not unusual among area schools, but the Highway 5 Rivalry between Lebanon and Camdenton is so special that it comes with its own shiny trophy. And for the second straight year, that trophy resides in Lebanon after the Class 5 Yellowjackets spoiled Camdenton’s home-opener with a 28-19 win over the 7th ranked team in the state in Class 4.
And although the two towns are separated by 25 miles, their styles of play are pretty much side-by-side. Both teams like smash-mouth football built being strong running games, and both feature a star running back who carries most of the load.
For Camdenton that’s Jay Griffin, who came into the match-up averaging 198-yards-per-game rushing for a Laker team that was averaging 46-points after its wins over Hillcrest and West Plains.
For Lebanon, it was John Berry, who came into the match-up averaging 107-yards-per-game rushing for a Yellowjacket team that averaged 36-points in wins over Rolla and Waynesville.
As expected, it was a nip-and-tuck struggle decided by the boys in the trenches. And the Jackets had just enough sting to pull it out as Berry would finish wih 220-yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns compared to Griffin’s 159-yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. Lebanon had 333 total yards compared to the Lakers 319.
The Yellowjackets set the tone on their opening drive, moving 65-yards with Berry breaking head-on tackles for the last 12-yards to put Lebanon ahead 7-0 less than five minutes-in.
Camdenton retaliated with a 62-yard surge with Griffin covering the final nine-yards but the Lakers missed the extra-point and still trailed 7-6. And they never got any closer.
A five-yard run by Berry at 7:44 of the second quarter increased Lebanon’s lead to 14-6 and it stayed that way until the half although Camdenton had a chance to score a potential tying touchdown just before intermission.
But when the Lakers failed to convert on a fourth-and-inches from the Lebanon 12-yard line with 12-seconds remaining in the half, Lebanon’s defense had come up with a crucial stop that would prove to be very costly to Camdenton’s victory chances.
That’s because in the third quarter the Lakers would have taken the lead on a 61-yard drive with Griffin’s five-yard touchdown. Instead, it only pulled them within 14-12 and a missed two-point conversion kept the Jackets in-front.
And instead of playing from behind, Lebanon added to its lead, moving 61-yards with a one-yard quarterback sneak by Cole Breeden putting the Yellowjackets up 21-12 with 9:54 left in the game.
Camdenton never quit, needing less than two-minutes and six plays to cover 60-yards with quarterback Isiah Lumley finding receiver (and part-time quarterback) Dyllan Decker from 18-yards-out for a touchdown to pull the Lakers within 21-19.
But Lebanon then put the hammer-down with a time-consuming 11-play, 54-yard march with Berry breaking-free from 24-yards for the clinching touchdown and the final 28-19 Jacket margin.
Camdenton did have one last chance to score that ended with a Lebanon interception in the end zone by Dillon Leck, setting off a wild-celebration by Yellowjacket fans that saw the student-section join the team in the center of the field to soak-in the moment and hold the trophy up high.
“This game means a lot to everybody in Lebanon,” Berry said after the win. “It’s a great rivalry. Some say the best rivalry In Missouri. I would think so.”
And as to how he accounted for 220 of his team’s 333-total yards?
“It’s all about the linemen,” Berry replied. “I couldn’t do anything without them. I can’t thank them enough.”
Still undefeated now at 3-0, Lebanon has plenty of challenges ahead including another unbeaten team, Glendale, next week at home.
“Just gotta keep our heads on straight,” Berry said when referring to his team’s strong start. “Keep grinding it out. It’s a process.”
