The Lebanon varsity football team has advanced to the district championships against Capital City following a reunion and victory against Camdenton last Friday.
The Yellowjackets beat the Lakers 62-28 at home Friday, reuniting the Highway 5 rivals. The two teams had not faced one another since the 2023-2024 season, according to their schedules on the Missouri State High School Activities Association website.
Going into the district semifinals match, Lebanon had a season record of 5-4 and Camdenton one of 3-7. The Lakers’ arrival into Jacket Stadium brought with them a sizable crowd.
The ‘Jackets took the initiative in the beginning of the first quarter with #22 Brayden Christian’s touchdown followed by an extra point. The Lakers soon rebounded, followed by more ‘Jacket points. The score at the end of the first quarter was 20-14 in the ‘Jackets’ favor.
In the second quarter, the ‘Jackets continued to increase their lead after early skirmishes. The score at halftime was 35-14 in Lebanon’s favor.
Following halftime, #3 Joe Simmonds took the first touchdown of third quarter, followed by #42 Rhett Rhoades’s extra point. Camdenton scored a touchdown in this period but was unable to score a subsequent two-point conversion. Lebanon’s lead continued.
Lebanon’s #5 Evan Ogle scored the first touchdown of the fourth quarter, followed by Rhoades’ extra point. Though the Lakers scored more points in this quarter, Lebanon had cemented its lead.
After the game, Lebanon Head Coach Will Christian was proud of the team’s victory, and, taking the season one game at a time, he said the team would celebrate that night. He noted Camdenton’s rich tradition as a football program.
“We knew they were going to battle tough,” Christian said. “That’s exactly what they did. I'm really proud of our kids, and we’re excited to move on and keep playing football.”
Lebanon, now with a 6-4 season record, next plays Capital City (7-4) at home Friday for the district championships. Readers can find the team’s schedule on the program’s section of the MSSHA website.
