The Lebanon varsity football team saw their season end Friday night at home in a tough match against Capital City.
The Yellowjackets lost 46-25 in the district championships match against the Cavaliers under the lights of Jacket Stadium. Lebanon had gone into the match with a 6-4 record (compared to Capital City’s record of 7-4), having defeated Camdenton the week before.
The ‘Jackets seized the lead in the first quarter with a touchdown by #5 Evan Ogle and extra point by #42 Rhett Rhoades. However, Capital City caught up to Lebanon in the final three seconds of the clock. The score was 7-7.
After Lebanon celebrated young weightlifter Carter Sing in the break between quarters, the second quarter saw Lebanon advance down the field until #22 Brayden Christian scored a touchdown followed by Rhoades’s extra point.
Capital City soon scored a touchdown but not an extra point. The two teams battled for the rest of the second quarter to no avail, leaving the score 14-13 in Lebanon’s favor.
After Lebanon recognized R-3 Director of Facilities Jeff Morgan during halftime, the third quarter saw an early Cavalier touchdown with a failed two-point conversion, bringing the Cavaliers to the lead.
A successful touchdown from Christian and subsequent two-point conversion from #3 Joe Simmonds brought Lebanon back briefly into the lead, but Capital broke through Lebanon’s defenses to score another touchdown and extra point.
Capital City would go on to score once more in the third quarter, though they failed to achieve a two-point conversion. The third quarter ended 32-22 in Capital City’s favor.
The fourth quarter began with more Capital City points. Lebanon took three points with a field goal, but over the course of the quarter, Capital City cemented their lead, ending the game 46-25.
It was an emotional night for both teams after the game. While the Capital City Cavaliers celebrated their district title and their advancement to the state tournament, the Yellowjackets acknowledged the end of their season.
On Monday, Head Coach Will Christian said in a statement that finality was always hard, with the brotherhood of the Lebanon football program giving more weight to the end of a season for most.
"I'm very proud of all of our kids and staff for doing such a great job representing our school and community,” he wrote. "I'm very grateful for a great senior class that will always be in my heart."
