By Ken Hansard

            The Lamar High Tigers were the Missouri Class 2 State Champs in football last season.  Their quarterback, Alex Wilkerson, was named All-State on defense at strong safety.   But like most great athletes, Wilkerson expects even more from himself and his team for his senior season, “I would like to become the Class 2 Offensive Player of the Year.  And I’m also looking forward to the Nevada game because I want to play in one more Silver Tiger game before I finish my high school career.” 

            Wilkerson would also like to avenge last season’s sole loss to rival Seneca.  “I didn’t get to play against Seneca last year, and It’s always a good game with them.”  Wilkerson understands that if he and his teammates want to reach the goals that they aspire to, that they will need to duplicate or even improve upon last season’s efforts.  To that end, Alex put in a lot of time in the off-season working on things that he felt he could upgrade, “I worked with Coach Beshore all off-season on my straight-line speed – working on my running form and strengthening my hamstrings.”

            Alex comes by his love of the game quite naturally.  His father has coached football for nearly 30 years, and Alex began playing football in the yard with his brothers almost since the time he started walking. 

Now that he is a senior, he realizes that he has a responsibility to give back to his program and his community, “I’m just really looking forward to playing one last season with the guys that I have played with since the third grade. I see myself as a leader on this team.  I know that I need to lead both vocally and by example.  My primary goal for this season is to be the best player I can be on the field and the best person I can be off the field and to push my teammates to do the same.”

Alex also participates in basketball and baseball for the Tigers, and he is a true scholar-athlete.  He carries a stellar 3.75 G.P.A. in the classroom and is a member of the prestigious National Honors Society.

After high school, Wilkerson would like to continue his athletic career collegiately, either in football or in baseball.  Alternatively, he would also consider accepting an offer to attend Lineman Training Program at a state tech school.