Camdenton looks to grind out victory

For Homecoming against Waynesville

Last week, the Camdenton Lakers travelled east to Rolla and rolled the Bulldogs in a 52-28 victory to move to a 4-2 record.

The Bulldogs had struggled on defense all season prior to the Lakers game, and Camdenton found the same weaknesses everyone else had found - and for one player it turned into a record-setting night.

Running back Josh Martin set a school record for rushing yards in a single game with 301 - eclipsing Will Drover's mark of 298 yards in 2002 against Waynesville. Martin also has a chance at setting a single-season record for the Lakers. He needs 445 yards in his next four games to top the record set by J.W. Sweatt, who ran for 1,773 yards in 1996.

The first step in that process means putting up a ton of yards at Camdenton's Homecoming game tonight against the Waynesville Tigers, one of the Lakers' biggest rivals. Waynesville (3-3) comes into the game off a heartbreaking loss to Joplin, who scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to come back and win 49-48.

Defense hasn't been an issue for Waynesville this season for most of the season. The Tigers only gave up an average of 20 points a game in their first five contests, and behind defensive linemen Sam Roberts and Chazden Stribling, their front seven has looked impeccable.

However, Joplin proved Waynesville can be beaten by offenses with talent and the ability to mix up play calling. Waynesville gave up more than 400 yards last Friday - 176 passing, 239 rushing - and proved it can give up long runs. The four running backs that had carries for Joplin each had rushes in the double digits.

Martin, as one of the premier running backs in the Ozarks Conference, could have another stellar game so long as the offensive line keeps opening up lanes for him to make extended runs. His second effort goes a long way, though, and he doesn't seem to need a huge head of steam to find yardage.

On defense, the Lakers will need to keep an eye out for Tiger quarterback Varon Martinez. Martinez had a whopping 77 percent of his team's yardage last week - throwing for 188 and running for 189. He's had similar output in other games for the Tigers and is easily one of their top playmakers. He can run and throw with equal amounts of success, and he's not particular about who catches his passes. Shutting him down with all 11 players will have to be a key for the Lakers.

This game goes a long way to ensuring Camdenton has the No. 1 seed in districts. The Lakers currently lead Class 5 District 4, with a 4-2 record and then three teams have 3-3 records - Waynesville, Lebanon and Battle. If Camdenton wins, they'll have head-to-head victories against Waynesville and Lebanon, and the worst they could do is finish with five wins.

Camdenton still has a tough matchup after this week when they play another 4-2 team in Joplin, but then the Lakers finish off against 1-5 Glendale. Battle also has two difficult games left against Jefferson City and Hannibal.

A win against the Tigers would help the Lakers most likely achieve at least the same record as last year with an eye towards another district title.

Camdenton hosts Waynesville - Listen live online: mix927.com