After a disappointing 19-13 loss to the West Plains Zizzers, the Camdenton Lakers will look to top their district rival, the Lebanon Yellowjackets.
So far, the Yellowjackets have won both of their games this season, a high scoring 48-31 win against Rolla in Week One and a close 15-14 victory against Waynesville in Week Two.
Just like Camdenton, Lebanon has a propensity to run the ball, but they're willing to revert to the throw the ball with junior quarterback Luke Winfrey if they need to shake things up a bit. Winfrey's had a bit of a shaky season so far though. He only has a completion rating of 51.4 percent and has garnered only 166 yards on 35 attempts.
Lebanon excels on the ground however, so if Camdenton wants to succeed, they'll have to have a tough front seven to lock down the run.
One man in particular to look out for will be senior running back Elza Evans. Evans has already totaled 460 yards rushing in two games, almost 79 percent of all of Lebanon's rushing yardage this season and about half of its total yardage.
He gets most of his team's carries, and he'll be a handful for whoever has to bring him down.
Defensively, Lebanon's also had success this season, but they have yet to pass a test as tough as the one Camdenton should give them. Waynesville has had a questionable offense in recent years, and Rolla managed to hang 35 points on them. So, the Lakers should prove a foil for Lebanon. They have the ability to score, while also possessing a strong defense, one that hasn't allowed more than 20 points in a game this season.
For Camdenton, the loss to West Plains shouldn't rest on their shoulders too heavily, despite it being their first loss to the Zizzers since West Plains joined the Ozark Conference. A six-point loss is no reason to panic. Ty McDuffey and Jordan Knight have both shown themselves to be capable quarterbacks, Josh Martin had another good week at running back, and on defense, back Aspin Hill made good impressions.
Camdenton still has district title aspirations, and the ability to realize them.