Webb City football team receives Army National Guard trophy

The Missouri National Guard's Sgt. 1st Class Dominic Butel is on hand at the Webb City basketball game as part of the school's Cardinal football team recognition as one of the top 50 high school line-ups in the nation as ranked by MaxPreps Tour of Champions. The Minuteman trophy was given to football head coach John Roderique who thanked MaxPreps and the Army National Guard for the award given February 14, 2012. (Ann Keyes/Missouri National Guard)

By Ann Keyes
ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

WEBB CITY, Mo. - A gymnasium filled with basketball fans, football coaches and players watched as the Webb City football team picked up a National Guard trophy noting the team as one of the 50 best high school line-ups in the nation.

MaxPreps, a California-based company, ranks more than 16,000 high school football teams to determine its Tour of Champions, using a sophisticated computer program known as the Freeman Rankings. The program takes into account the highest number of wins, the quality of those wins, the margin of victory for wins and the strength of team schedules when naming the top 50.

The Webb City Cardinals went 15-0 this season and won the Class 4 Missouri finals. It was the teams' second straight state title and the 10th in the school's history.

"Being honored by MaxPreps and the Army National Guard is a very humbling experience," said head football coach John Roderique. "It means a great deal to the team, the community and the school. It really is a great honor to receive that kind of national exposure."

The Missouri National Guard's Sgt. 1st Class Dominic Butel made a short speech to those in attendance before two Missouri Guardsmen who attend Webb City High School presented the large Minuteman trophy to Roderique.

This is the seventh year the National Guard has presented nationally ranked football teams with the national ranking trophy, said Lt. Col. William Dones of the Army National Guard.

"It is our pleasure to support this program and honor these teams, players, coaches, schools and parents because they exhibit characteristics we hold dear in the National Guard, such as character, talent and courage," Dones said.

For the two Missouri Guardsmen who attend Webb City High School, it was a privilege to hand the trophy to the coach of their school. Both graduated from basic Army training last summer and both will attend advanced individual training after leaving Webb City high school this spring.

Pfc. Dominic Stevenson, 18, will report to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for study of computer technology and repair. Pvt. Tyler Reynolds will train at Fort Lee, Virginia, as a heating and air or HVAC specialist.

"I'm getting a college education through the Missouri National Guard," said Reynolds, who plans to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology with educational benefits provided by his military service. Studying architectural engineering, Reynolds' higher education will benefit his National Guard position when he joins the 203rd Engineer Battalion once returned from advanced training.

For the better part of a decade, MaxPreps and the Army National Guard have partnered to honor the top high school football teams in America, said MaxPreps president and founder Andy Beal.

"As partners, MaxPreps brings the expertise to rank every high school team in the nation," said Beal, "and the Army National Guard represents and honors the hard work and dedication required to excel on the football field."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog; www.pinterest.com/monationalguard/

Members of the Webb City Cardinal football team with the Minuteman trophy awarded by MaxPreps Tour of Champions and the Army National Guard, Feb. 14, 2012. The Webb City Cardinals went 15-0 this season and won the Class 4 Missouri finals, ranking it among the top 50 teams in the nation by MaxPreps. (Ann Keyes/Missouri National Guard)