By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For Jared Beshore, returning home will be a dream come true.
On Thursday, the former Lamar great and Missouri State standout was approved by the Lamar school board to become the program’s next head football coach.
“It means a lot naturally,” said Beshore. “Getting to coach at your alma mater is something that is extremely rare. It’ll always be home to me so getting to come back and coach the very team I was able to play for is going to be an awesome experience.
“God has a plan for all of us and will put us where he needs us. This wasn’t in my personal plan previously, but when the opportunity arose and everything fell into place, I knew it was the good Lord’s plan for me to pursue this position.”
Beshore was a member of the class that helped establish the dominance Lamar has enjoyed over the last decade, posting a 41-4 record over his final three seasons with three consecutive Class 2 state championships.
That streak would extend to seven straight state titles following Beshore’s graduation.
His production is amongst the best in program history, rushing for 4,920 yards and 88 touchdowns while also tallying 23 career interceptions. Beshore was a four-time Class 2 All-State selection and a three-sport letterman, also helping Lamar Track earn a state championship in 2013.
At Missouri State, Beshore totaled 240 tackles, 16 PBUs and seven interceptions, playing in 44 games.
Beshore will replace legendary head coach Scott Bailey, who resigned after 14 years at the helm of Lamar football. He guided the Tigers to a 151-41 record and seven state championships.
After spending his entire prep career under Bailey, Beshore doesn’t anticipate changing many things about The Brotherhood.
“Base foundation of Lamar Tiger Football will not change,” said Beshore. “We are still going to have a huge emphasis on the weight room, building tough and physical athletes. We are still going to build relationships with our players and coaches. And we are still going to focus on academics and setting the players up for successful lives after football and after high school.
“Obviously, there will be some changes, but I’m a firm believer in the roots that have already been put into place for this program.”
Lamar is coming off a 10-3 campaign and the program’s 10th consecutive district championship.
The Tigers return all-state running back Case Tucker, as well as All-Region picks Rylan Woolridge, Robert Lawrence and Trace Willhite. Freshmen Austin Wilkerson and Logan Crockett also received All-Region honors. Tucker rushed for 1,153 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior.
The cupboard is hardly bare entering Beshore’s inaugural run.
After spending last season as the running backs coach at Branson, Year One will present some challenges for the 24-year old Beshore but he’s excited about what awaits, including the opportunity to continue what Coach Bailey has built at Lamar.
“Coach Bailey is a Hall of Famer; following him won’t be easy at all,” said Beshore. “The most important part of the transition is the players. Can I get them to buy into me and the vision I have for this team/program? If I can’t get the kids to believe I’m their guy, then we will not be successful. Coach Bailey has given me tons of advice and helped me through this entire process. And I know he will continue to be a resource for me for as long as I’m coaching. I’m spoiled because Coach Bailey and all the other coaches on staff are making the transition as smooth as it can possibly be on me.”
