LAMAR, Mo. —
Zakk Yokley insists the facial scruff is not a by-product of No-Shave November.
“It’s for good luck, call it the secret behind the speed,” the 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior defensive end for Lamar explained.
Whether it was the beard or “beast mode” as described by fellow senior Cory Lear, Yokley’s defensive effort set the tone early Monday night as Lamar dispatched El Dorado Springs 62-6 in the Missouri Class 2 regional championship at Thomas M. O’Sullivan Stadium.
The victory sends the Tigers (11-1) into Saturday’s quarterfinal contest at Liberty-Mountain View. The Eagles beat Fair Grove 61-26.
El Dorado Springs concluded its season with a 6-6 record.
Yokley racked up two quarterback sacks of Bulldog senior Garrett Mays and stuffed him for a loss on a keeper, all in the first half. The Tigers limited El Dorado Springs to five first downs — again, all in the first hal. The Bulldogs had 120 yards rushing on 38 carries and seven yards passing on 2 of 8 accuracy.
“It’s the job of the defensive line to set the line of scrimmage,” said Yokley, who was a member of the Tigers’ 4x100-meter state qualifying relay team last spring.
“The defensive line, we try to keep the ball carrier from getting past us. We know we have talent and speed at linebacker and those guys do a good job making plays, but our line tries to get up field and disrupt the play as much as we can.”
Junior linebackers Dallas Doyle and Jade Morgan and junior tackle Keenan Begley also had first-half sacks for the Tigers.
“Coach Lundine (Lamar defensive coordinator Thad Lundine) came up with a good scheme that put our players in a position to make plays,” said Lamar head coach Scott Bailey. “Early in the game, they were moving the ball on the ground. He challenged the defense and they responded. I thought we played great defense on all but one play.”
The one play Bailey referred to was Mays’ 60-yard touchdown run with 6:08 left in the second quarter. Mays took the snap, slipped between his left guard and center and scooted down the near sideline for the Bulldogs’ lone score and accounted for the majority of his 75 yards rushing on 16 carries.
It did little to derail the juggernaut that is the Lamar offense.
Scoring eight touchdowns over 29 offensive snaps — all running plays — the Tigers built a 56-6 halftime lead.
The Tigers’ shotgun wing-T offense, with senior Markell White and sophomore Jared Beshore at opposite wingbacks and senior Brett Campbell and sophomore Levi Peterson lining as dual quarterbacks in the shotgun, ran wingback sweep left and wingback sweep right repeatedly until the El Dorado Springs defense started to key on the play. They tossed in a few quarterback draws and counter plays into the mix.
Beshore opened the scoring with a 20-yard run 9:32 into the game. White capped back-to-back possessions with scoring runs of 3 and 37 yards, Campbell added a 6-yard run on a keeper and Beshore broke a 69 yard touchdown run on a third-and-13 play with 7:05 left in the second quarter for a 35-0 lead.
Following Mays’ touchdown, White answered with touchdown runs on three consecutive carries — 34, 39 and 26 yards — concluding his night at halftime with 238 yards on 13 carries with five touchdowns.
Petersen scored the Tigers’ final touchdown on the first play of the third quarter, resulting in a non-stop clock in the second half.
Beshore finished with 112 yards on 7 carries, Petersen added 110 yards on five carries as White, Beshore and Peterson accounted for 460 of the Tigers 519 yards rushing on 48 carries.
Sports
November 8, 2011
Lamar powers into quarterfinals
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Outlaws open season Thursday on the road
Chris Oldner takes a cut during the Joplin Outlaws practice Tuesday afternoon. The Outlaws open their season on Thursday night at Rossville and play seven road games before their home opener on June 5.
The Joplin Outlaws and new coach Rob Vessell have set some lofty goals for the 2012 baseball season.
Continued ... - Heat take 2-0 lead into Boston in East finals
- McIlroy recovers from rugged start for 71
- Former equipment manager sues Rams
- Stanton’s homers fuel Marlins’ surge in May
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- Pittsburg State Sports
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- Vengels sixth in heptathlon; PSU picks up two seventh-place finishes
- Ethan Cordray signs with Pittsburg State
- Lions, Gorillas begin competition in outdoor track and field championship
- Three finalists named for PSU head baseball coach position
- Lions qualify 10, PSU 15 for Division II outdoor track meet
- Missouri Southern Sports
- High School Sports
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Area athletes turn shine at state meet
Webb City's Jarvis Jones takes sixth in the 200.
- Cleo Elbert steps down at Thomas Jefferson
- Frontenac wins first state baseball title
- Joplin's Jeremy Lynn takes fifth at state tennis
- Frontenac advances at state baseball
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