By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The road to the Ozark Conference championship still runs through Lebanon.
And with the Yellowjackets, it’s always a rough road to clear.
Lebanon asserted its will on both sides of the ball Friday night, dominating Kickapoo 34-0 in Springfield in an early season conference showdown.
Lebanon junior Jax Glendenning was a two-way standout, rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns and tallying double-digit tackles for a stellar defensive unit.
“He’s a warrior. He’s athletic and physical. What a great night tonight,” said Lebanon coach Will Christian. “He’s kind of our Jack of all trades – or Jax of all trades – however you want to term it.”
Through three games, Lebanon has outscored its opposition – Parkview, Hillcrest and Kickapoo – by a combined margin of 146-7.
The Yellowjackets returned seven all-conference players from last season’s district championship team.
“There were a lot of questions about us coming into this season. We lost some absolute studs from last year,” Glendenning said. “But we proved tonight that the OC still runs through Lebanon.”
The Yellowjackets found an early spark thanks to their defense.
On Kickapoo’s first play from scrimmage, senior cornerback Cannon Roark jumped in front of a pass toward the sidelines and returned his interception 18 yards for a touchdown.
“We just drove off that play for a while,” Christian said.
A pair of Glendenning touchdown runs put Lebanon ahead 21-0 by halftime.
“All Glory to God. I’m given strength by Him,” Glendenning said. “Offensively, it’s easy to look good when you have an offensive line like I do. I’m happy to have those guys out there. And our defense is the best in the OC.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Lebanon’s defense shutdown a Kickapoo offense that had scored 101 points through two games.
The Yellowjackets held the Chiefs under 200 yards on offense, registered five sacks and yielded just seven first downs.
“We’re not the biggest team by any means,” Glendenning said. “But the physicality that we bring, that’s what it is. We’re always in condition and we’re always ready to hit people.”
Two keys for Lebanon’s defense on Friday night: Bracket coverage on Kickapoo wide receiver Shaun Campbell, and a spy defender on quarterback Chase Hamme.
“(Hamme’s) really hurt teams running the ball, especially on 3rd down situations,” Christian said. “We had to do a good job of keeping him in the pocket. We didn’t want to allow him to get first downs with his legs.
“Our defense played very well and our defensive coordinator had a great game plan in place. Our kids are just flying around. We’re so pumped about what this defense can do for us.”
Lebanon patiently gashed the Kickapoo defense with its flexbone attack. The Yellowjackets finished just shy of 300 yards on the ground as a team.
“It all starts with our identity – which is our physicality,” Christian said. “And just being able to mentally deal with these types of games, I was very pleased with our kids’ approach tonight.”
Lebanon’s rugged style has a way of wearing out teams.
“It’s fun seeing opponents come out and they think they’re going to throw the ball all over us,” Glendenning said. “But then we get in on offense and they don’t want any part of it after the first half. I think that’s how it went tonight.”
Lebanon is now 6-1 against Kickapoo since 2017.
Running backs Noah Harrell and Nick Lipari combined for 106 yards on 20 carries to lead Kickapoo’s offense.
Kickapoo travels to Waynesville for its Week 4 matchup on Friday, Sept. 15. Lebanon will host Bolivar the same night.
Lebanon 34, Kickapoo 0
Lebanon 7 14 7 6 — 34
Kickapoo 0 0 0 0 — 0
First quarter
Lebanon – Roark 18 interception return (Rhoades kick)
Second quarter
Lebanon – Glendenning 2 run (Rhoades kick)
Lebanon – Glendenning 19 run (Rhoades kick)
Third quarter
Lebanon – Honey 7 catch from Smith (Rhoades kick)
Fourth quarter
Lebanon – Smith 2 run (PAT failed)
