WEBB CITY, Mo. — A return to normalcy.
That’s what the high school football jamboree between Webb City and Lamar provided for all those in attendance on Friday night inside Cardinal Stadium.
And even if it was only a scrimmage, the event was a welcome sight for players, coaches and fans alike, as all summer long there were concerns over how the coronavirus pandemic would impact the fall season.
“This is the most normal I’ve felt in about five months,” Webb City coach John Roderique said at the conclusion of the jamboree. “I think every kid and every coach would tell you the same thing. We’re still working, practicing and getting ready for a game, so that’s as normal as we’ve been in a long time.”
“There was a time when we didn’t know if we were even going to be able to do this jamboree or even put the pads and uniform on,” Roderique added. “That’s probably the biggest takeaway…just how much you enjoy the opportunity to come out and play. That’s the biggest thing.”
In the annual full-contact dress rehearsal held one week ahead of the season opener, Webb City scored the only two touchdowns of the evening.
Seniors Cole Gayman and Eli Goddard both took turns running Webb City’s first-team offense from the quarterback position. Along with standout senior running back Devrin Weathers, junior Cade Wilson was a featured running back for the Cardinals.
On the hosts’ first offensive series, Weathers capped a 10-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run up the middle. The score was set up by passes to Wilson and senior Jacob Shonk, along with runs from Wilson and Goddard.
The Cardinals also scored on their second drive.
Junior Dupree Jackson and sophomore Colton Gordon had gains on the ground, while Goddard completed a pass to junior Eric Fitch. On the ninth play of the drive, senior Shane Noel scampered into the end zone from 15 yards out for the final score of the scrimmage.
Sophomore Landon Johnson saw time under center during the series.
The Cardinals took the field against an opponent for the first time since winning the Class 4 Show-Me Bowl last December in Columbia. As always in this event, the Cardinals rotated lots of players in and out during the scrimmage.
“About like every jamboree, we did some good things and we did some things that weren’t very good,” Roderique said. “The biggest deal is you get to go live against somebody else. That’s something that’s hard to emulate in practice.”
Led by senior quarterback Case Tucker, Lamar threatened on its first drive of the night, but the Tigers were stopped by the Cardinal defense on the 4-yard line on the final play of the series.
Tucker, senior Cade Griffith, juniors Trace Wilhite and Zaide Rice and sophomores Austin Wilkerson and Joel Beshore all had plenty of carries for the Tigers.
The jamboree’s conclusion signaled a reality check to all those involved—it’s time to begin preparing for Week 1 contests.
“We’ve had good practices,” Roderique said. “Camp’s been good. Summertime was good, so we feel pretty good right now. It’s just a matter of trying to work every day and trying to get better. Now it’s time to get better and improve. We talk about that process all the time. Most of our teams have been better at the end of the year than they are at the beginning. It takes daily work.”
NEW ERA IN LAMAR
First-year Lamar coach Jared Beshore has taken over the reins of the Lamar football program.
A Lamar native and former Tigers standout, Beshore noted the transition to head coach has been a seamless one.
“The transition has been smooth because I have a great support system, the administration takes care of me and I have a great coaching staff around me,” Beshore said. “It’s been easier than it could have been.”
Beshore said he was pleased with his team’s effort against the Cardinals, a perennial state power.
“The takeaway for me is that our kids aren’t scared of anybody and that they’re going to compete,” Beshore said. “They came out here against the top program in the state of Missouri and they competed and showed enthusiasm. Our word this week was ‘believe.’ And I think they truly believe in themselves and they believe in this program.”
Lamar travels to Springfield Catholic next Friday in the season opener.
“We came out healthy tonight, so that makes me happy,” Beshore said. “We’re not satisfied completely. We’ve got some things to clean up, but I know we’ll work through those things.”
PARKER COMMITS
Webb City senior defensive back Treghan Parker has verbally committed to play baseball for Missouri Southern.
Gayman had previously committed to Bryce Darnell’s Lions. Both Parker and Gayman are expected to be key performers for Flave Darnell’s Cardinals in the spring.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City opens the season at Joplin on Friday, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Junge Field.
The matchup will feature the defending Class 4 champion against last year’s Class 6 runner-up.
“You’d probably rather start with somebody else instead of the defending champion in the conference,” Roderique said. “It is what it is. We’re excited to get ready to play Joplin. Their program has really developed over the years, and we know their coaching staff does a great job. That’s the one thing about our league…there’s a lot of really good teams in our conference, so you have to play everybody at some point.”
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