LAMAR, Mo. — The Lamar Tigers are back in the Class 2 state title game for the second straight season after building an early lead and holding on for a 21-20 win over Richmond in the semifinal round on Saturday.
Lamar (13-0) took the opening drive and found paydirt before eventually building a 13-0 lead in the first quarter. Richmond (11-2) rallied with 14 unanswered points to take a brief lead before the Tigers found the end zone one more time before the intermission for a 21-14 advantage.
The Spartans found the end zone late in the third quarter, but the extra-point try to tie the game was partially blocked to keep Lamar in front. The Tigers, who were held scoreless in the second half for the first time all season, never wavered down the stretch to keep their title hopes alive.
Lamar started the game in fashion, with Trace Willhite ripping off a 72-yard carry on the first play from scrimmage to get the Tigers into the red zone. Four plays later, Austin Wilkerson crossed the goal line from a yard out to give Lamar the early 7-0 lead.
The Spartans picked up a first down before being forced to punt back to the Tigers, with Lamar taking advantage of the stop shortly after.
On the first play of the second drive, quarterback Joel Beshore ripped off back to back 20-plus yard runs to get the Tigers back into the red zone before he capped the drive three plays later with a 2-yard touchdown to push the lead to 13-0 with 5:22 left to play in the first quarter.
Richmond answered on the ensuing drive when QB Keyshaun Elliott completed a deep pass to Layne Cavanah to get the Spartans deep into the red zone, with Elliott tossing a prayer to the crowded back of the end zone for a touchdown two plays later to cut the lead to 13-7 by the end of the first quarter.
Lamar was forced to punt for the first time in the game on the ensuing drive, giving the Spartans a chance to take the lead for the first time all game. Richmond did just that after a long, methodical drive ended with a big play—Elliot breaking off a 37-yard run on a third-down keeper for a touchdown to give Richmond a 14-13 lead with 5:24 left in the first half.
The Tigers didn’t trail for long. Logan Crockett ripped off a 27-yard run and a 21-yard run to set Lamar up in the red zone. Beshore followed up by hitting Wilkerson in stride on the way to the right side of the field before crossing the goal line for a 13-yard touchdown. Beshore converted the two-point conversion after scrambling to his left before tucking it and running across for a 21-14 lead with less than three minutes to play in the first half.
Elliott’s ability to keep plays alive with his feet continued to be a difference maker in the second half. After several empty possessions into the third quarter, Elliott evaded a sack on third down and chucked it downfield to find Jordan Alexander on broken coverage with a 72-yard passing score with 5:58 on the clock. The extra point was partially blocked by Wilkerson and no good, keeping Lamar in front 21-20.
Lamar continued to have difficulty moving the ball on offense in the second half, forced to punt for the second time in two third-quarter possessions.
Richmond took possession at its own 14 after stuffing the Tigers on a fourth-down-and-2 run with 5:22 left in regulation in need of any type of score. The Spartans put on a 13-play drive to get into Tigers’ territory before Lamar halted the momentum inside the final 30 seconds of play with three straight incompletions deep as time expired to secure the semifinal win.
Beshore picked up 95 rushing yards on 17 carries to go along with one touchdown on the ground and one in the air, while Willhite picked up 88 yards rushing on three carries. Wilkerson had a rushing and a receiving touchdown.
Lamar, playing for its ninth state title as a program, is looking to win the Class 2 state championship game for the second straight season. After defeating St. Pius X last year, the Tigers will take on Lutheran St. Charles in the title game at 3 p.m. on Dec. 3 in Columbia.
