Our 2018 Football Banquet has been set! Wednesday Dec. 12 from 6pm-8pm @ the WCC. Admission is $5 per person, ALL 9th-12th grade football players and football managers that completed the entire season will have free admission.

9th grade team and all HS players will be recognized: Participant certificates, Letterman certificates, and Post Season Honors will also be recognized.

Dinner will consist of BBQ-pull pork, bake beans, and potato salad with deserts on the side.

Come out and celebrate our 2018 squads one more time as we close out the year!

#DeclareToBeGreat!    GO TIGERS!!!

The Tigers football team put together a good season, marking the turn around from a few seasons of struggles, and beginning the newest era in Tigers football under Head Coach Joe Haynes. The Tigers 2018 season ended in the 2nd round of District play with a loss at #2 Willard earlier in November. This past weekend, the remaining 3 teams from the Ozark Football Conference also were defeated in the quarter final round of the state playoffs. As custom in many other leagues, at this time all post season awards are free to be released to the public, and our Waynesville Tigers were represented well! 

We want to send a major congratulations to all our Tigers that earned post season honors! Their hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed!

Post season Honorees:

1st Team All Conference

Defense: SR- Free Safety: Maleek Hopper       

2nd Team All Conference

Defense: SR- Outside Linebacker: Michael Cassidy

Offense: SR- Offensive Guard: Maximo Reyes, JR- Running Back: Shen Butler-Lawson

Honorable Mention All Conference

Defense: JR- Corner Back: Kevin Poinsette

Friday night brought a close to the 2018 Waynesville Tigers football season. The Tigers traveled to Willard and competed in the Class 5 District 5 Semi-Final game. With hopes of moving on to the District Title game, Waynesville quickly lost track of that opportunity. The Willard offensive line and defensive line proved to be a far greater obstacle to hurdle in the end.

On the offensive side, Waynesville found themselves stuffed by the Willard defensive line in their attempts to jump start the run game. A varied mix of pass and run defense by Willard kept the Tigers from finding their groove. Willard’s offensive line made lanes for their runners and protected their quarterback as they were able to tally up 28 first half points. Willard just simply over powered Waynesville on both sides of the ball.  Waynesville was able to score a late touchdown when Sophomore QB Michael Lewis completed a 44-yard pass to Junior WR Anthony Bledsoe.

Waynesville sends off 17 Seniors from the 2018 team; a group that had endured the struggles of the football program’s 24 game non-winning streak. This Senior class hung in and broke the streak when they pulled off a victory over Hillcrest 19-0 in week 4. This group parlayed the success against Hillcrest into a victory over Central High the following week. By the time Rolla rolled into Waynesville for a week 5 homecoming matchup, the Tigers were firing on all cylinders. At the time, Rolla was ranked #10 statewide in Class 4, and the Tigers pushed them to the limit. In one of the most exciting games of the season, Waynesville fell 34-28 in overtime. 2 weeks later, the Tigers closed out their Senior Night with a satisfying 53-14 victory over the Glendale Falcons.  The grit of the 2018 Tigers is what made them a unique group overall.

Waynesville finished the season in 6^th place in the Ozark Conference and completed the season with an overall record of 3-7.

All Conference Awards will be announced once each team from the Ozark Conference is no longer competing in the playoffs.

It is finally game week once again in Waynesville Tiger country! The varsity Tigers made the most of the bye week in preparation for the Class 5 district 5 semifinal matchup against the #2 seeded Tigers of Willard High.

The Waynesville Tigers are primed to make a run through the playoffs and seeking an opportunity to compete for a District Title, something that has not been spoken of in Waynesville for 5 seasons. If the Tigers handle business and defeat Willard on Friday, their next opponent will be one of familiarity; Glendale Falcons or the Lebanon Yellow Jackets.  Waynesville played Lebanon in week 3 and suffered a devastating 51-0 loss in a game full of weather delays and squandered opportunities by the Tigers. On the other side, is the more recent week 8 matchup against Glendale, in which the Tigers provided their home crowd with a dominating 53-14 victory on Senior night and locked in the bye week for the playoff push.  Glendale travels to Lebanon this week and depending on the outcome of that game, and the Willard vs Waynesville game, Waynesville could either host Glendale or travel to Lebanon for the 2018 District Title game. A game that has been a distant memory for Waynesville fans. 2013, to be exact, was the last time Waynesville competed in the District Title game. That game was one of many appearances made by the Tigers, who were then lead by longtime Head Coach Rick Vernon. Waynesville fell to Camdenton 35-0 in that contest. The last claimed District Championship for the Waynesville Tigers was back in 2010, also lead by Coach Vernon, and also a classic matchup against Camdenton; 28-27 Tigers prevailed.

The Willard Tigers will prove to be a very formidable opponent for Waynesville. The Willard definitely have size as an advantage. Their offensive front averages out to about 6 foot 255 pounds across the board, and their defensive front sits about 6 foot 250 pounds. When you include a 6’4 quarterback and two running backs that are listed at 210 and 235 pounds, the Waynesville defense will truly have their work cut out to stop a time consuming, heavy ground attack that the Willard Tigers will bring. The Waynesville offensive line will have their work cut out as they attempt to contain the interior defensive line of Willard, who have a pair of 305 and 290 pound defensive tackles that can cause havoc in the middle.

Ultimately, regardless of which team one pulls for in this contest, the “Tigers” will be victorious and head to the District Title game on a high note. Kickoff is set for 7pm at Willard High on Friday November 2.

Friday night the Waynesville Tigers entered into the contest against Parkview High as the #2 seed for the Class 5 District 5 playoffs. Willard High was a mere few points behind the Tigers in the #3 slot, and they needed to win their final game and have the Tigers lose in order to have an opportunity to be the #2 seed.

Waynesville started the game with a nine-play, 61-yard drive capped by a one-yard touchdown rush by Aarron Emperato. While the 7-0 lead managed to seize early momentum, Waynesville’s celebration proved to be short-lived.  Parkview not only answered with a TD of its own — a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run.

Parkview’s offensive unit and Kickoff unit turned two 4^th down stops and two onside kick recoveries into 4 consecutive touchdown drives, which set Parkview ahead with 49 first half points. Aaron Choi aided the Tigers with a 42-yard field goal in the 2^nd quarter, which set the Tigers with 10 first half points.

After accounting for 56 yards on Waynesville’s opening drive, standout running back Shen Butler-Lawson spent most of the game bottled up by Parkview’s defense.  The junior Butler-Lawson finished with 103 yards on the ground, 101 yards receiving and one touchdown — a 75-yard, fourth-quarter reception.

Meanwhile in Branson, the Willard Tigers handled their business and beat Branson on the road 27-7. With Willard winning and Waynesville losing, at the end of the night, both teams sat at 3-6 with 27.63 points in the District standings. After MSHSAA factored all of the tie breaker scenarios, the Willard Tigers edged out Waynesville for the #2 seed by .01 points. So, now on November 2^nd, the Waynesville Tigers will travel and compete against the Willard Tigers for an opportunity to compete for the Class 5 District 5 title.

With an EXPLOSION of defensive and offensive scores, the Waynesville Tigers put away an old foe in the Glendale Falcons in a cold, wet, SR Night on Friday! The Tigers began the night with a solid defensive stand on Glendale’s opening drive. The Tiger offense took the field and 10 plays later connected on the first touchdown of the game with a 37 TD pass from QB Michael Lewis to RB Shen Butler-Lawson.

The Tigers defense again shut down the normally explosive Glendale offensive unit on their 2^nd possession, and the Tigers offense took little time to turn the game’s excitement level up. On the second play of the Tiger’s second possession, SR Aarron Emperato scored on a 37 yd TD run.

The Tiger defense got involved with the scoring in the 2^nd quarter when SR Maleek Hopper took and interception to the house for a 102 yard pick 6! The Tigers took a 26-14 lead into half-time and returned to the 2^nd half with a reenergized spirit, as they scored another 27 points and held Glendale’s high flying offense to 0 points in the 2^nd half. The Tigers scored on a 25 yard TD run by Butler-Lawson, an 86 yard pick 6 by Soph AJ Martin, a 97 yard TD run by Butler-Lawson, and a 2 yard TD run by SR Dominic Garland that was set up by one of the 4 interceptions the Tigers recorded on the night!

The Tigers defense had 5 takeaways- 4 Interceptions, 2 were ran back for touchdowns, and 1 fumble recovery. The defense also held Glendale to their lowest point total in 3 seasons!!!

The Tigers offense had over 450 total yards including 338 total yards from JR RB Shen Butler-Lawson (274 yards rushing 2 TDs, 64 reception yards 1 TD).

The Tigers have locked themselves into the #2 Seed for the Class 5 District 5 Playoffs with the victory. Waynesville has one more regular season game at Parkview High in Springfield on Friday October 19, then the Tigers will enjoy a 1^st round bye before hosting one of the District Semifinals at Tiger Stadium on Friday November 2; 7 pm Kickoff.

The Tigers made the long road trip down to West Plains on Friday for week 7 action in Ozark Conference play. The West Plains Zizzers came into the contest ranked #4 in class 4 and holding a 6-0 record on the season.

The Tigers had plenty of motivation and momentum early on in the contest, as they drove the ball inside the 10 yard line on two different possessions in the first half. The first drive stalled out on 4^th and short after a long 70 plus yard run by Soph QB Mike Lewis. Turn over on downs lead to West Plains first score of the night. The second trip into the red zone stalled on 4^th and goal which was set up by a 67 yard reception from JR Josh Ash and an 8 yard reception from Soph AJ Martin. West Plains had a 20 to 0 lead and were driving down the field when JR Kevin Poinsette played his part for the defense and intercepted a pass over the middle. The Tigers were not able to turn the good fortune into points and later fell behind 35 to 0 at halftime.

Waynesville scored in the 3^rd quarter on a 36 yard pass from Lewis to Aarron Emperato, and later scored their second touchdown of the night on a 96 yard run by Shen Butler-Lawson.

The Tigers season record now sits at 2-5 and currently have a three-way tie with Glendale and Willard High Schools for 2^nd place in District standings.

The Tigers host Glendale this Friday October 12 for the Sr Night/Military Appreciation/Pink Out Game. The winner will likely solidify the #2 seed for District playoffs and lock in a 1^st round bye and guaranteed home game.

Four quarters wasn’t enough when Rolla (5-1) traveled to Waynesville looking to disrupt their Homecoming. It may have taken a little longer than they planned, but the Bulldogs were able to run their way to a 34-28 win.

Rolla got off to an excellent start, forcing a turnover on just the third play from scrimmage when Elijah Young grabbed an interception and returned it to the 47-yard line. After a few runs, Jack Hounsom found RJ Alfred on fourth and six and Alfred did the rest, taking it to the house for a 43 yard score. After an offsides call, Rolla went for two on the point after and failed to convert, but still took a 6-0 lead.

The two teams then traded touchdowns for the rest of the first quarter. First Michael Lewis found Kevin Pointsette for a 15-yard score to give Waynesville a 7-6 lead. Rolla came back with a short score by the Choo Choo Train Trey Quick, the first score in what would end up being a big night for the senior back. Waynesville then had the final score of the opening frame when Lewis found Michael Cassidy for a seven-yard score, giving the Tigers 14-13 lead through the first.

Waynesville picked up where they left off in the second, scoring the only points of the quarter on their opening possession. Desmond Dawkins took a handoff and ran with it, going 66 yards for the score, giving Waynesville a 21-13 lead. Rolla had some chances in the quarter, but failed to convert on fourth on a few fourth and short plays. The Bulldogs had one final shot just before halftime when Blayne Yarger intercepted a pass and returned the ball to the 33 with 12 seconds left, but Housom was sacked on the following play and Rolla went into the locker room trailing 21-13.

Rolla cleaned things up in the second half and quickly tied up the game. The Bulldogs had the only score of the third quarter when Hounsom found Elijah Young for a 13-yard score. Muluken Pritchett then found Young on a conversion attempt to lock the score at 21 all. The Bulldog defense then quickly forced a three and out. After that, the Bulldogs ran out the rest of the clock on the quarter, before being forced to punt to open the fourth.

Waynesville opened the quarter by charging down the field and scoring on a touchdown from Lewis to Shen Butler-Lawson. After that, it was all Rolla the Bulldogs got another huge boost from Quick on the ensuing drive, as the big Bulldog back found daylight for a 65-yard score on the ensuing drive. Pritchett buried the extra point, as they were locked at 28. Rolla then seemed to be on their way to victory with just over two minutes left to play in the game, but Quick had a fumble at the two, which was picked up by Waynesville. The Rolla defense stepped up to force a three and out, but Rolla failed to score in the fourth, as Housom was sacked four times in the final minute of regulation.

The Tigers opened the overtime period with the football, but the Rolla defense stepped up again. Josh Morris came up with a big sack for the Bulldogs and Lewis threw three incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs. Quick took it from there for Rolla. He was the only Bulldog to carry the football in the overtime period and he chipped away at the Tigers until he found his way into the end zone on a five yard carry to give Rolla a 34-28 overtime win.

Next up for the Tigers is a trip down to West Plains to face the top ranked team in Class 4. 

Waynesville currently sits in 3rd place in the District Standings, and still has a great opportunity to finish 2nd in District play, which would allow the Tigers to host a 1st round District Playoff game.

Friday night the Waynesville Tigers Varsity squad put together a dominating performance, as they notched another win on their belt putting the current season record at 2-3.

Shen Butler-Lawson put on quite a show – and all in the first half – with 4 rushing touchdowns for 139 yards on only 9 carries in Waynesville’s 57-0 win over Central on Friday. His touchdowns came on runs of 19, 5, 28 and 35 yards, and his 28-yarder was arguably the most impressive. It also helped that the Tigers had solid line play from Dalton Klieber, Timothy Brech, Charles Willingham, Jess Magnia and Maximo Reyes. Sophomore Quarterback Michael Lewis threw 2 first-quarter touchdowns – the first a 37-yarder to Kevin Poinsette on a roll-out in which the receiver slipped behind the defense; the second on a 34-yard sideline-and-go pass to Anthony Bledsoe. Waynesville’s Senior Quarterback Aarron Emperato also had a solid night rushing for the Tigers. Emperato finished the night with 85 yards rushing on 5 carries and 1 rushing touchdown.

Waynesville recovered the first of two pooch kickoffs. Butler-Lawson finished the 30-yard drive with his 5-yard run, and his next touchdown, the 28-yarder, was fueled by Desmond Dawkins’ interception.  The Waynesville advantage hit 50-0 with 3:59 left before halftime when Ian Williams returned a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown. Aaron Choi made all but one of his extra-point kicks, including one that would have been easily good for a 35-yard try.

The Tigers will play host to the (4-1) Rolla Bulldogs this upcoming Friday September 28 for the 2018 Homecoming Game. A win on Friday will more than likely place the Tigers in 2^nd place in district standings.

Friday night, in front of a large home crowd, the Waynesville varsity Tigers celebrated a much-awaited Ozark Conference victory over the Hillcrest Hornets 19-0! The victory marked the first victory as a Head Coach for Joe Haynes, and the first victory for the Varsity squad since October 23, 2015, which ended a 24-game losing streak for the team.

The Tigers defense stole the show time and time again throughout the game. The defense caused 4 turnovers, 3 by interception, and 1 fumble recovery deep in Hornets territory. Hillcrest was only able to manage 71 total yards of offense in the entire game. From start to finish, it was truly a dominating performance by the Tigers defense.

The Tigers offense capitalized 2 of the turnovers into quick touchdown drives. The first score of the night was an electrifying 79 yard touchdown pass from QB Michael Lewis to RB Shen Butler-Lawson. The play call came on a 3^rd down and 44 yards to go.

The Defensive player of the game was JR-Aaron McDaniel who finished with 9 total tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 Sack. The Offensive player of the game was JR-Shen Butler-Lawson who finished with 21 carries for 65 yards rushing, 1 reception for 79 yards and 3 total TDs (2 Rushing, 1 Receiving).

Week 5 sends the Tigers back on the road at Central High in Springfield on Friday September 21; 7pm kickoff.

The Tigers had a potential touchdown slip through their hands in the final minutes of an eventual 25-22 road loss to Kickapoo. “At the end of the day, with our kids, we’re so close to jumping that big hurdle – which is really a minimal hurdle in the big picture,” Waynesville coach Joe Haynes said. “One win in a 10-game season is simply one win. Right now, our goal is to go 1-0 each week. So far, we’re 0-1 two weeks in a row. That’s how we keep it in perspective.” Facing 4th and 4 from the Kickapoo 24 with 3:50 left, the Tigers called a throwback screen play for junior running back Shen Butler-Lawson.  Butler-Lawson couldn’t scoop up an underthrown pass before it hit the ground. The Tigers turned the ball over on downs and Kickapoo eventually ran out the clock.  “That Missouri wind just took (the pass) and made it die all of a sudden,” Haynes said. Waynesville drove 41 yards in 10 plays on its ensuing drive. While the Tigers came up short in their bid for a game-winning score, Haynes said the players should be proud of their effort.  “That game could’ve went left or right. Our kids never quit. There’s been a stigma in the past that they’re quitters,” he said. “You tell somebody something long enough, then they believe it. They’ve been told since I got here in March: “You’re not a quitter. You’re actually great. There’s more in you than people have seen.’ “Eventually, we’re going to get over that to where it matches on the scoreboard.”