LAMAR, Mo. — For the fourth straight year, the Lamar Tigers have advanced to the state semifinals.
Propelled by a dominant second half, Lamar defeated Lafayette County 41-7 in a Class 2 quarterfinal on Saturday afternoon at Thomas M. O’Sullivan Stadium.
The Tigers (11-1) will host Bowling Green (13-0) in next Saturday’s semifinals, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
Up 13-7 at halftime, the Tigers outscored the Huskers 28-0 after intermission.
Lafayette County entered the game averaging 50 points per game and the Tigers held the Huskers to seven.
Lamar struck first, as junior Alex Wilkerson scored on a 21-yard QB keeper with 1:36 left in the first quarter. The score, which was set up by a 28-yard gain by Chase Querry, capped a 70-yard drive.
Finishing off a long, time-consuming drive, Lafayette County tied it up when Shakor George hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brock Page with 3:35 left in the second quarter.
The Tigers retook the lead with 35 seconds left in the first half on Cooper Haun’s 11-yard touchdown run. The PAT kick was no good, however, and Lamar led 13-7 at halftime.
The final touchdown of the first half was set up when Wilkerson completed a 19-yard pass to Logan Kish with his team facing fourth down and six.
A wide open Querry hauled in a 28-yard touchdown reception at the 9:48 mark of the third quarter. Haun ran in for the 2-point conversion, giving Lamar a 21-7 advantage.
After a defensive stop, Wilkerson connected with Haun on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 6:45 left in the third period for a 28-7 cushion.
A 42-yard touchdown sprint by Haun, along with the PAT kick by Jose Juarez, gave Lamar a comfortable 35-7 lead with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers added a score with 6:18 left on a 24-yard reception by Ian Ngugi.
Lamar rushed for 324 yards and passed for 91 for 415 yards of total offense.
The Huskers were limited to 141 yards of total offense (71 rushing and 70 passing). The Tigers limited the Huskers to eight rushing yards in the second half.
The Tigers grabbed a pair of interceptions and also recovered a fumble.
Lafayette County ends the season with a record of 12-1.
