There were so many Waynesville Tigers on the field there were times one might have thought they were back at Slaughter Stadium.
Indeed, Waynesville High School was well represented during the annual Grin Iron Classic high school all-star football game, held Saturday night at the Plaster Sports Complex on the campus of Missouri State University.
The game featured some of the best southwest Missouri prep seniors from the 2007-08 school year. The event benefits the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, a mobile dental clinic for kids who have no access to dental treatment.
Waynesville, the 2007 Missouri Class 5 state champion, had by far the largest contingent of players from one high school on the East Team.
Ex-Tigers competing in the game included receiver Lucas Bateman, running back Trumayne Clayton, kicker Aaron Cruz, running back L.J. Fort, quarterback Lyle Cox, defensive lineman T.J. Patton, linebacker Andre’ Taylor and defensive lineman Chris Young.
Whereas most of those players saw action on both sides of the ball for Waynesville during the regular season, they were either on offense or defense during the all-star game.
Most of the players had a choice as to which side of the ball they played. “The first day of practice they asked us where we wanted to play,” said Young, who was an all-state offensive lineman for the Tigers. “I told them I wanted to play defense.”
Other players…had no choice.
“I showed up and they said, ‘You’re a running back,’” said Fort, a two-way all-stater who is going to be a villain the next time he plays at Plaster Stadium, as he will be a member of conference-rival Northern Iowa. Fort was a linebacker recruit at Northern Iowa, but also rushed for more than 2,000 yards and scored 22 touchdowns as a tailback for WHS last fall.
The Tiger state-championship presence was not enough to keep the East Team from suffering a 25-13 loss to the West Team on Saturday. The East Team has won only once in the seven-year history of the Grin Iron Classic.
All of the Waynesville players made a contribution particularly Taylor, who was all over the field in the first half from his inside linebacker position. Taylor was named the East’s defensive most valuable player.
Cox directed several series at QB. And at running back Fort and Clayton both had several impressive runs.
“It’s an honor to come to this all-star game,” Patton said. “It’s something not a lot of people get to do. And I think we represented Waynesville very well.”
“It’s a great opportunity,” said Cruz, an all-state kicker who will play collegiate football at Truman State. “It’s an honor that they chose us to represent Waynesville. It’s been real fun, getting to know the other players. That’s what it’s all about – to have fun.”
“It’s real special,” said Taylor, who will play football at Missouri Valley this coming fall. “It’s an honor. It makes me feel like I’m one of the better players in the state. And it’s real fun, playing with new people in a different environment. And since we are the state champions, I think we had to prove ourselves more.”
For Young, who plans to attend Missouri S&T but does not plan to play football there, the all-star game was a chance to end his competitive experience. “It’s been very special,” Young said. “Especially since it’s the last time I’m probably going to play football. I kind of expected them to work us a lot on conditioning. But it was really a professional atmosphere; they showed us their scheme and then we worked on it.”
Clayton, who plans to play at Missouri Valley and major in drama and theater, said the old team rivalries fell away when those rivals were all on the same all-star roster. “It meant a lot for me to play one last time as part of the Waynesville community,” Clayton said. “Coming up through peewee football then middle school and then high school…it means a lot. Especially playing with guys from places like Camdenton. A lot of our big rivals, those guys were a lot nicer than they seemed (on the opposite sideline).”
Fort agrees.
“A lot of your rivals, you get to hear good stories from their team,” Fort said. “We talked to the Camdenton players about their perspective of that game (the 2007 regular-season finale which determined the district champion, thus sending Waynesville on to its successful run through the playoffs).”
Bateman, an all-stater in both football (receiver) and track (hurdles) who will be playing football at Central Missouri, says the game was a chance to give back. “You come out here one last time…it’s an honor,” Bateman said. “It kind of caps off your high school career. All of the things the community and the school has given us; it’s a chance to give something back.”
Cox said he was in awe of the talent on hand and flattered to be a part of it.
“It’s been real special,” said Cox, who will be challenging for the Central Missouri QB position starting this fall. “There are not many opportunities to play with and against this kind of talent. They are so skilled in what they do.”
The East’s head coach was Cabool head coach Vince McCrosky. McCrosky has long been a proponent of the conservative wing T offensive formation. However, because it was an all-star event, McCrosky turned the play-calling duties over to one of his all-star assistants, Ozark coach Chris Allison, who teaches the more widely used – and pass-friendly – spread offensive formation.
That was a good switch for the offensive players from Waynesville, who have used a similar form of the spread offense the past two years.
“It wasn’t too difficult,” Cox said of picking up the all-star offense. “Our offensive scheme was good, and we had very good coaches who explained it.”
As far as offense the East struck first in the game, scoring on a 26-yard pass from Ozark quarterback Matt Jordan to Branson’s Chris Westfall early in the first period.
However, the West then reeled off 25 unanswered points to take control. A 12-yard pass from Lockwood’s Logan Cornish to Webb City’s Landon Zerkel, plus the PAT, gave the West the lead for good late in the first period. The West then tallied three TDs in the second period, the last on a All-Joplin 14-yard touchdown pass hookup from quarterback Cory Rector to running back Devon Fowler as time expired in the first half. It was 25-7 at halftime.
The East threatened late in the game, scoring the second half’s lone touchdown when Westfall caught a 70-yard halfback pass from Mountain Grove’s Aaron Charleson.
Westfall, with his two TDs, was the East’s offensive MVP. For the West Zerkel, who made six receptions for 80 yards, was named the offensive MVP while East Newton defensive end David Adams was named defensive MVP.
As fun as the all-star experience was, it won’t take the place of the Tigers’ final game in a WHS uniform – a 17-7 victory over Belton in the Class 5 Championship Game as part of the Show-Me Bowl at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
“It’s a great experience, but you can’t beat playing at state,” said Fort, whose final official rushing attempt as a Tiger produced a 31-yard touchdown run in the state title game.
“You can’t beat winning state.”
The score by periods:
West 6 19 0 0—25
East 7 0 0 6—13
The scoring plays:
East – Chris Westfall 26-yard pass from Matt Jordan, James Reese kick.
West – Landon Zerkel 12-yard pass from Logan Cornish, kick fails.
West – Stephen Poston 25-yard pass from Mitch McHenry, conversion fails.
West – Devon Fowler 1-yard run, conversion fails.
West – Fowler 14-yard pass from Cory Rector, kick.
East – Westfall 70-yard pass from Aaron Charleson, conversion fails.
SPRINGFIELD – —
