Lawson has meltdown after ice cream caper

LAWSON, Mo. -- A state football playoff game between two 11-0 teams may have been decided by the theft of some ice cream sandwiches.

Cameron defeated Lawson Monday night 52-14, in a game that Lawson had to play without Joseph Kassanavoid, its standout quarterback and safety, and John Tipton, a receiver and defensive back. The two were suspended after the theft of ice cream sandwiches from the school cafeteria last week.

Kassanavoid spent the night at home, listening to the Missouri Class 2 quarterfinal on the radio. But he turned it off by halftime, with his team already trailing 52-0.

His replacement at quarterback, Todd Hughson, failed to complete any of his six first-half passes, with one of them intercepted on a play that set up Cameron's seventh touchdown.

"I'm just down on myself," Kassanavoid said in a telephone interview with The Kansas City Star during the third quarter. "I feel like I let the team down. I just feel so horrible."

Kassanavoid and Tipton were punished after Tipton took the ice cream sandwiches from a freezer as the boys were waiting for a ride home from practice last week.

Somebody turned them in, and on Friday school administrators ordered an in-school suspension for Monday and an out-of-school suspension Tuesday. The discipline meant the two weren't eligible to play in Monday night's big game.

People in Lawson were buzzing about the punishment, with many adults backing the administration while most students felt differently.

"It hurts, not only the whole team, but the town," said Brett Lowe, a senior at Lawson High. "They shouldn't have done it, but (the punishment) was a little rough."

Coach Todd Dunn, whose wife, Tammy, is assistant principal at the school, supported the discipline and said he was proud of Kassanavoid and Tipton for admitting what they'd done.

"I'll stand by our school administration all the way," Dunn said. "If our kids do something wrong, I expect them to be punished. That's the way we are here at Lawson High School, and that's one reason I'm proud to be here."

The 6-foot-6 Kassanavoid contemplated sitting out the basketball season or even moving. He's upset and still thinks the punishment might have been harsh, but he's also contrite and ready to put it all behind him.

"Instead of breaking down, I'm going to come back even stronger," he said.