By Chris Parker
It is the oldest of football sayings: Defense wins championships.
The truth to that saying is why the Lamar Tigers have now won their eighth state championship in the past 10 years. Lamar used one big play on offense and a stout defense to defeat the Warriors 6-3 and win the Class 2 state championship in head coach Jared Beshore’s first season.
Neither team could get anything going in the first half and went in tied 0-0 at the break. Lamar held St. Pius X to -13 rushing yards in the first half and 46 total yards of offense. The Tigers managed 100 yards of offense in the first half.
St. Pius X got the scoring going with a 40-yard field goal from Joseph Wilson with 1:55 left in the third quarter.
Lamar didn’t stay down for long.
On the first play of the next drive, Joel Beshore found Mason Gastel for a 74-yard touchdown to take the lead. The kick failed giving Lamar a 6-3 advantage.
Lamar’s defense was given its biggest test of the game early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were set to punt, but the ball went over the punter’s head giving St. Pius X the ball at the Lamar 13.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The first play for the Warriors went one yard followed by two incompletions forcing a 30-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by Austin Wilkerson. That play preserved Lamar’s advantage and returned the ball to the Tigers with 8:20 left.
Lamar was forced to punt on the next possession, but St. Pius X couldn’t field the punt cleanly and returned the ball to the Tigers at the Warrior 29. The Tigers gave the ball right back on the next play on a fumbled snap.
St. Pius X had one more shot to tie or take the lead with the ball at its own 27 with 3:55 left in the game. The Warriors drove to their own 39 before Wilkerson shut things down with an interception and return to the St. Pius X 32 with 1:24 left in the game.
Case Tucker sent the game to 0:00 with a first-down run on fourth-and-two to give Lamar its eighth state championship.
Lamar rushed for 150 yards while holding St. Pius X to -4 yards on the ground. In total, Lamar out-gained St. Pius X 230-91. Lamar lost three fumbles in the game, but balanced that with two interceptions from Wilkerson and a fumble recovery by Cody O’Sullivan.
Tucker finished with 27 carries for 101 yards.
The Lamar defense tallied up six tackles for a loss and three sacks. Trace Willhite had two of those sacks with Tucker adding the third.
Lamar finishes the season with a 12-1 overall record.
