SENECA, Mo. — In a back and forth thriller between state-ranked teams, Seneca stunned Lamar 36-33 on Friday night in a highly-anticipated Big 8 West showdown at Earl Campbell Stadium’s Tom Hodge Field.
Lamar took a 33-28 lead with 2:33 remaining, but the Indians responded on the ensuing drive.
Seneca quarterback Gavyn Hoover completed a go-ahead 36-yard touchdown strike to Ethan Altic with just 56 seconds left. The Indians completed the 2-point conversion for a 36-33 advantage.
The Seneca defense came up with a late defensive stand to secure a statement victory.
Both teams entered the night 3-0. Lamar is currently ranked first in Class 2 by the Missouri Media, while Seneca is ranked fifth.
The host Indians had to come from behind in this one.
The Tigers marched 64 yards on 11 plays on the game’s opening drive, capped by Ty Willhite’s 17-yard touchdown run with 6:53 left in the first quarter.
Seneca’s first drive stalled after three costly penalties.
A 1-yard touchdown run by Austin Wilkerson gave Lamar a 14-0 lead with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
Seneca got on the board with 6:22 left in the first half on Hoover’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Conner Ackerson. The score finished off a 12-play, 65-yard drive.
After recovering a Lamar fumble with good field position, Seneca pulled within one after Jackson Marrs charged into the end zone from 17-yards.
The PAT kick was off the mark, however, keeping the Tigers in front, 14-13, with 3:33 left in the first half.
The score held up at the half.
Seneca took a 21-14 lead in the third quarter. After the Tigers were forced to punt, a bad snap resulted in the ball rolling near the goal line. Seneca’s Marrs recovered the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. A 2-point conversion gave Seneca a 21-14 lead with 6:49 left in the third period.
Lamar responded on the ensuing drive, as QB Joel Beshore sprinted to a 33-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 21 with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
Seneca scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Hoover completed a short pass to Marrs, who then sprinted past the defense for a 43-yard TD just 11 seconds into the final frame.
Lamar answered on the next drive, as the Tigers turned a fake punt into a 48-yard touchdown pass from Wilkerson to Cameron Sturgell. The PAT failed, allowing Seneca to stay in front, 28-27, with just over nine minutes to play.
The Tigers took the lead with 2:33 left when Beshore scampered into the end zone from 10 yards out on a QB keeper. The 2-point try failed, however, giving Lamar a 33-28 lead.
Seneca’s game-winning drive nearly stalled, but the Indians were able to pick up a first down after a pass interference call on Lamar on a key fourth down play.
On the following play after the penalty kept the drive going, Hoover completed a 36-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Altic with 56 seconds left. After hauling in the pass, Altic avoided a defender on his way to the end zone.
The Indians went for two and the pass to Ackerson was good for a three-point lead.
Lamar took over with just under a minute to play, but the Tigers couldn’t get closer than the 45-yard line before time expired.
Lamar finished with 325 yards of total offense, with 248 rushing and 77 passing.
Seneca had 250 yards of total offense, 145 through the air and 105 on the ground. Seneca last beat Lamar in 2019.
Seneca (4-0) is at Monett (0-4) next Friday, while Lamar (3-1) hosts East Newton (0-4) in Week 5.
