By Jeff Kessinger (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Camdenton’s Paxton DeLaurent was grabbing a drink of water before halftime, trying to stay cool on a muggy Ozarks night, when he got his first congratulations.
For what? Well, he wasn’t exactly sure at first.
“One of the parents told me and gave me a clap. It was a surreal moment,” DeLaurent said.
The lanky senior received lots of congratulations Friday night as he broke the school record for career touchdown passes in a 63-7 win over Parkview at JFK Stadium in Springfield.
“Coach (Jeff) Shore told me in the offseason he expected me to throw nine touchdown passes in the first game to break it, but then we just forgot about it once we got into the season,” DeLaurent said.
“I didn’t really think about it. I want him to throw as many as he possibly can,” Shore said. “I’m super happy for him. He’s just been tremendous. He’s a great kid, No. 1, and he’s a great quarterback.”
Shore could’ve felt a little bummed. It was, after all, his record that DeLaurent broke. Shore set the mark in 1987. That was a different era, as ground-heavy Laker teams dominated the area. Now Camdenton does it with a passing attack that includes five receivers.
“He broke it on a play-action pass from our power-I formation, which is more what we used to run in the old days,” Shore said. DeLaurent called it “poetic justice.”
Every formation seemed to work for Camdenton, ranked third in Class 4. Nothing was going to keep the Lakers out of the end zone, not even the Lakers themselves. Camdenton overcame five offensive penalties to score on six of seven first-half possession on its way to a 42-7 halftime lead.
Two of those penalties erased touchdowns in the same possession. First an offensive pass interference flag negated a 33-yard strike from DeLaurent to Eli Griffin. Then an ineligible receiver downfield call wiped off a 7-yard pass to Collin Thomas.
Third time’s the charm, though. On 2nd and goal, DeLaurent threw a quick slant to Cooper Ezard to push the Lakers’ lead to 21-0 late in the first quarter.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“We’ve still got a lot to work on,” DeLaurent said. “Our receivers didn’t run very hard routes and I made a few bad reads. The offensive line really improved tonight, though, so that was a good test for them.”
The Lakers were far from done scoring. DeLaurent put on a show in the first half, completing 25 of 33 passes for 271 yards and six touchdowns. That sixth score, for 5 yards to Talon Randazzo, was the record-setter.
Parkview got its lone touchdown in the first half, and it was a moment of electricity. Dontae Taylor slipped behind his defender, hauled in a pass from Caden Burks and outsprinted the defense for an 86-yard touchdown.
That only closed the cap to 35-7, though, and Camdenton tacked on two touchdowns early in the third quarter to put the game well out of reach.
DeLaurent’s final line for the night: 27-for-36 passing, for 305 yards and seven touchdowns. He also scrambled for 36 yards on eight carries. Ezard finished with a team-high 90 yards and three touchdowns on seven receptions. Griffin had three catches for 59 yards.
Shore still has a little bit of bragging rights on his senior QB. Camdenton’s coach reminded the post-game huddle he once hit nine 3-pointers in a Lakers basketball game. That record still stands.
“He always gives me a hard time about that one,” DeLaurent, a talented basketball player in his own right, said. “That’s the next goal.”
Camdenton is back home Sept. 13 to host West Plains in a big early-season showdown. Parkview, meanwhile, travels to the Southside to take on Kickapoo.
SCORING SUMMARY
CHS – 21 28 14 0 — 63
PHS – 0 7 0 0 — 7
First Quarter
9:46 Camdenton — Eli Griffin 15 pass from Paxton DeLaurent (Luke Galbreath kick) 7-0
7:45 Camdenton — Mason Draper 2 run (Galbreath kick) 14-0
2:01 Camdenton — Cooper Ezard 12 pass from DeLaurent (Galbreath kick) 21-0
Second Quarter
10:45 Camdenton — Ezard 9 pass from DeLaurent (Galbreath kick) 28-0
7:19 Camdenton — Jase Nicklas 10 pass from DeLaurent (Galbreath kick) 35-0
6:20 Parkview — Donate Taylor 86 pass from Caden Burks (Trevor Boice kick) 35-7
5:21 Camdenton — Chris Anderson 5 pass from DeLaurent (Galbreath kick) 42-7
0:04 Camdenton — Mason Kinney 2 pass from DeLaurent (Galbreath kick) 49-7
Third Quarter
6:34 Camdenton — Ezard 17 pass from DeLaurent (Galbreath kick) 56-7
1:42 Camdenton — Cale Bentley 9 pass from Jacob Wormsley (Galbreath kick) 63-7
