Missouri Class 2 State Championship Game Preview

Lamar entered the postseason as the No. 1-ranked team in the state and has a chance to end there again by facing Lutheran St. Charles in the 3 p.m. showdown for the Class 2 title game today at Faurot Field. The Tigers will be gunning for state title No. 9, while Lutheran is in the finals for the first time in school history. Lamar won seven straight titles from 2011-2017 and got back to the top spot last year under Jared Beshore, who was part of the state title run as a player before going to play at Missouri State. Now, he is 25-1 as a head coach and the Tigers enter with a 23-game winning streak. The only setbacks this year for Lutheran St. Charles came against Class 3 finalist St. Mary’s and Parker Lutheran from Colorado in Week 1. <strong>Lutheran St. Charles (11-2)</strong> Key Players to Watch [player_tooltip player_id="37528" first="Arlen" last="Harris Jr"]., RB, 2022 The son of head coach Arlen Harris, the senior back has carried the ball 151 times for 1,566 yards and 34 touchdowns. The future Stanford Cardinal is averaging an eye-popping 10.4 yards per carry and tallies 120.5 yards per game. In last week’s 54-14 win over Lafayette County, Harris had 17 carries for 128 yards. [player_tooltip player_id="37540" first="Aaron" last="Coffey"], QB, 2022 Coffey comes into the state championship game with an impressive 32-to-2 touchdown to interception tally. The 6-foot-5 senior has completed 157 of 245 passes for 2,711 and has three receivers with more than 30 catches each, showing he can spread the ball around. Junior WR [player_tooltip player_id="172016" first="Michael" last="Parr Jr"]. is the top guy in all three receiving categories with 38 catches for 971 yards and 12 touchdowns. Aaron Powell, LB, 2022 and [player_tooltip player_id="130169" first="Ayden" last="Harris"], LB, 2024 The linebacker tandem has put up big numbers all season for the Cougars. Harris has 170 tackles, 2 sacks, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. The sophomore had 13 tackles and 4 TFLs in last week’s semifinal win against Lafayette County. Powell had 103 stops this year with two sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, a team-high. Harris, who recently went on a visit to Memphis, was his conference’s defensive player of the year. <strong>Lamar (13-0)</strong> Key Players to Watch [player_tooltip player_id="103443" first="Joel" last="Beshore"], QB, 2023, [player_tooltip player_id="101688" first="Austin" last="Wilkerson"], RB, 2023 and [player_tooltip player_id="96235" first="Trace" last="Wilhite"], RB, 2022 Like most Lamar teams, running the ball is what has led to the success. Lamar has ran for 4,479 yards and racked up 58 touchdowns this year on the ground and Beshore is the top rusher on a team with four capable backs. The quarterback in the option offense has carried the ball the most with 164 totes and has 1,177 yards and is tied for the team lead with 13 touchdowns. Teammate [player_tooltip player_id="101688" first="Austin" last="Wilkerson"] had 770 yards and 13 touchdowns and has put up 10.6 yards per carry, an impressive stat. But the Tigers have Wilhite who despite only having 37 carries has seven touchdowns and 528 yards. He leads the team with a 14.3 yards per carry average, aided by a 72-yard run on the first play of scrimmage in a 21-20 win against Richmond. Beshore and Wilkerson each ran for a touchdown, while Beshore threw a touchdown to Wilkerson for the final score. Passing-wise, Beshore has completed 67 of 103 passes for 1,412 and 17 touchdowns. So, Lamar doesn’t pass often but when they do, they do well. Senior WR [player_tooltip player_id="96172" first="Mason" last="Gastel"] has 25 catches for 625 yards – 25 yards per catch – and 7 touchdowns. Aaron Wilkerson, S, 2022 Already on the list for offense, he is back for his play on defense. Wilkerson leads the Tigers in tackles (101) and interceptions (5). The defense will rely on sophomore LB Khiler Nance and senior linebacker Matthew Nance, who have 84 and 83 tackles, respectively. The Tigers defense is giving up only 9.2 points per game – giving up 20 or more only three times. Special Teams The Tigers made the championship game on the heels of the special teams, which blocked a point after attempt in the second half and that was the difference in the one-point win over Richmond. That is just part of a unit that has impressive numbers. Sophomore C/DT/K Jose Juarez had booted 53 extra points and the 275-pounder made a 34-yard field goal. Freshman Alex Wilkerson is the primary punter for the Tigers, but the team has only had to do it 17 times in 13 games.