Lamar is victorious in 64th Silver Tiger Game

On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1935, President Franklin Deleno Roosevelt designated Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. On that very day, the first Nevada-Lamar Silver Tiger football game was played. The Nevada and Lamar football series began as a conference game in 1921, a contest won by Nevada High School 6-0. Then in 1930, a traveling trophy series emerged sponsored by the two Lions Club organizations of each town. The Lion’s Club Trophy, ran for five years until 1934. The “Silver Tiger” game started in 1935 when the student councils of each school got together with their rivals and came up with the idea for a new trophy, The Silver Tiger. School officials from both schools agreed and at a cost of $35, the trophy came into existence. The game throughout the 1930s and 1940s was always played on Thanksgiving Day, usually 1 p.m. in the afternoon.

Eighty-eight years and 63 Silver Tiger games later, Lamar made the 25-mile trip north up I-49 for a match of two Big 8 West Division rivals. Nevada was coming off a 44-21 victory over Cassville while Lamar defeated McDonald County in a home contest, 49-21. Lamar entered the contest with 5 wins and 1 loss and was the top ranked squad in Missouri Class 2. Nevada, by contrast, was 6-0 and was ranked 7th in Class 4. The Tigers of Barton County were giving up 14 points a game on defense while averaging 39 points on offense. By comparison, Nevada was averaging 47 points a game offensively while giving up just under 17 points per contest on defense. Lamar won last year’s contest 47-26 at home. Nevada held a series advantage 36-26-1 coming in to Friday night.

Lamar would receive the opening kickoff. The play resulted in a Lamar fumble and Nevada would take over in excellent field position. What promised to be an offensive track meet, quickly turned into a defensive struggle resulting in a first half of punts and possessions turned over on downs by both teams. The back and forth was emblematic of a classic war of attrition. Then with 2:08 to go in the first half, Lamar senior Ian Ngugi received a Nevada punt on his own 32-yard line. Staring his return on the Lamar sideline, Ngugi then veered toward the middle of the field and then towards the Nevada sideline. As the play developed it was obvious, once in space, there would be no catching Lamar’s version of Tyreek Hill. Ian returned a Nevada punt 68 yards for the touchdown. The PAT kick by Jose Juarez was good and Lamar took a 7-0 lead into halftime.

For the entire third quarter, the two teams continued to trade defensive blows. Then with 10:23 to go in the contest, Lamar received a Nevada punt and started their drive from their own 46-yard line. After series of runs by senior running back Landon Kish, Lamar faced a 4th down and 1 from the Nevada 34-yard line with 6:59 to go in the game. On the preceding play, Nevada defensive end Grady Stewart and fellow defender Brice Budd stopped Kish for no gain forcing the all-important 4th down. If Nevada were to have hope of mounting a final scoring drive, they would have to stop Lamar and take the ball over on downs.

Lamar would place 6 blockers on the right side of their offensive formation-three on the line and three in the backfield. On the snap, Kish followed right behind this wall and would gain 7 yards on the play. With a new series of downs, Lamar was in the driver’s seat. They continued to push towards the Nevada endzone. Then with 3:40 to go in the game, Senior QB Logan Kish scored on a 2-yard touchdown run The PAT kick by Jose Juarez was good.

Lamar wins by a final score of 14-0. Nevada would fall to 6-1 on the season and 3-1 in the Big 8 West Division. Lamar moves to 6-1 and 4-1 in the Big 8 West Division. Oscar, the Silver Tiger Trophy, would return to Lamar High school where it has called home since the autumn of 2005.

On paper, the game was dead even. Lamar had 43 offensive plays to Nevada’s 42. Lamar had 157 total yards on offense to Nevada’s 156. Each team had one turnover. It was a toe-to-toe heavyweight fight between two excellent teams. Lamar has won 8 Missouri State Championship titles since 2011. The best mid-size high school football is played in Southwest Missouri. There are many storied programs in our area, but honestly, Lamar and Webb City are the two pinnacle programs. There is no shame in Friday’s defeat to the Lamar Tigers. We competed. We fought like warrior poets. Everyone in our small town should be proud.

Something Lost…. something gained.

I understand for Nevada Tiger fans, the rivalry loss is sour to the taste. Old guys like me revel in Silver Tiger history. But for the coaches, having been one for a fair portion of my life, the loss is viewed through the lens of a conference loss and district standings, not the loss of a near 90-year-old trophy and the focus is on to preparing for the next game. This is as it should be. For the players, the loss is bitter but opportunity abounds. How so?

With a win over next week’s opponent Monett, it sets up an opportunity to grab a share of the Big 8 West Division title in two weeks when Nevada hosts the Seneca Indians.

And there was breaking news Saturday morning from the Missouri State High School Activities Association. According to MSHSAA, the # 1 district ranked Grandview football team has forfeited the first four games of the season due to the use of an ineligible player(s). They were 3-1 during that stretch. Their record goes from 7-1 to 3-4 after a win over Ruskin Friday night. With this development, Nevada has moved up to the #1 seed currently in Class 4 District 7 with two games to play.

I was a teacher.

For over 26 years at Nevada High School, with most of it in the classroom and another four terms as an assistant principal, I once estimated that I educated over 4,000 students. I then spent another five semesters at the University of Arkansas helping train future teachers. I held true to a basic premise: To teach a kid anything, you must first have their attention. That attentiveness, along with proper motivation, forms the foundation for all learning.

Losing is a master teacher while winning is often fleeting. Losing, if handled properly, allows for self-reflection. Losing gets your “attention," and it forges the proper motivation necessary to win. It is true in athletics, your future career and in life.

Head Coach Wes Beacher is a teacher. At the conclusion of a bitter loss, class was in session. I was not in the locker room. I can’t tell you what was said. But what I can tell you is he reverted to the core tenants mentioned above … and he got his troops collective attention.

Well-motivated, and lessons learned, his team is now looking ahead. That my friends, is coaching.