Willard falls to Lebanon in district championship game

After a good run through the Class 5, District 5 playoff bracket, the 2018 season has come to an end for the Willard High School football team after their 32-19 loss to Lebanon in the district championship game at Lebanon on Nov. 9.
In a game that featured very similar styles, Lebanon outgained Willard, 283 yards to 185 yards but Willard played tough and stayed with the Yellowjackets for most of the game.
The Tigers got on the board first when Austin Joplin ran it in from 32 yards out to give Willard a 7-0 lead with 6:15 to go in the first quarter. Lebanon answered back about four minutes later with a 15-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 7-6.
That is the way the game stayed until a final flourish in the final two minutes of the second quarter.
First, Reece Dawson hit Ethan Thompson for a 22-yard touchdown pass to increase the Tigers lead to 13-6, but with 49 seconds to go in the half, Lebanon connected on a pass to cut the Tigers lead to 13-12. The Yellowjackets added a two point conversion to go into halftime with a 14-13 lead.
Lebanon had the only score of the third quarter, scoring on a 58-yard run with 10:17 to go and after the two point conversion, increased their lead to 22-13.
With 9:04 to go in the fourth quarter, Lebanon added their final touchdown on a six-yard rush to increase their lead, 28-13. With a minute to go in the game, Garrett Rice scored the final touchdown of the Tigers 2018 season from two yards out. Willard didn’t convert the two-point play and fell to Lebanon, 32-19.
Dawson led Willard with 132 yards passing, going 13-32 with a touchdown, he also added five yards rushing on eight carries. Thompson had five carries for 28 yards; Rice had 21 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown and Joplin had 32 yards on two carries with a touchdown.
Thompson also added 81 yards receiving with a touchdown on seven catches and Rice had 29 yards receiving on four catches.
Willard finishes their 2018 season with a 4-7 record.

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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