COLUMBIA, Mo. — It looked as if Fair Grove had finally figured out Lamar after gaining the lead with less than four minutes to play, only for the Tigers to rally once again over the Eagles on the way to a 28-25 win in the Missouri Class 2 state title game on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers’ second state title in as many years is the team’s 10th since 2011. Lamar is now 7-0 all-time against Fair Grove in postseason play.
Fair Grove opened the game with a pooch kick into the middle of the field. The ball was never recovered cleanly before being kicked into the end zone by a Tigers returner. The ball was recovered in the end zone by the Eagles for a 7-0 lead by Fair Grove six seconds into the game.
Lamar answered back with a long drive that culminated in a 4-yard touchdown on the ground by QB Alex Wilkerson to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers went on top just before the end of the first quarter when Wilkerson hooked up with WR Aidan Sheat over the middle before Sheat found room for a 68-yard passing score and a 14-7 lead with 20 seconds left.
Facing fourth-down-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Fair Grove failed to convert in the end zone for a turnover-on-downs.
In turn, Lamar marched down the field and thanks to another big reception by Sheat for 38 yards that put the ball deep in Fair Grove territory. The Tigers ultimately crossed the goal line when Wilkerson scored from 8 yards out with 3:49 left in the first half for a 20-7 lead.
Fair Grove used a long pass play of 35 yards from QB Spencer Seiger to Kellen Lair to get into the red zone before Seiger found Wyatt Hallam out of the backfield for a short-yardage score just before the intermission to cut the lead to 20-13.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Eagles broke free for a big play when Lair hauled in a pass in the flat before finding room for a 63-yard touchdown with 9:41 left in the game. The extra point was blocked to make the score 20-19.
Lamar turned it over for the first time when Wilkerson was picked off near midfield by Bryden Baxter on the ensuing drive, giving Fair Grove the ball at the Tigers’ 25.
Fair Grove clawed all the way back to take the lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Seiger on a keeper to make the score 25-20.
Lamar got back into the red zone late, and Wilkerson, who finished the game completing 9-for-13 for 167 yards and a touchdown as well as 19 carries for 90 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground, put the Tigers back on top for good after keeping the ball up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left to go on top. The 2-point conversion was successful to make the score 28-25.