810 WHB Game of the Week
No. 17 Lee’s Summit North (5-3) at No. 12 Liberty (7-1)
Liberty is a proud program that has had a lot of success over the years. There aren’t too many programs that can boast an NFL resume like the Blue Jays have had with David Allen, Marcus Lucas, Ryan Jones, Adam Crossett. But we’re in a period of almost unprecedented success, at least here in more than a decade. The Blue Jays are 7-1 with their only loss coming to in overtime to a top-10 Platte County squad. They have one of the best players in the city in running back Robert Rawie, who has 1,217 yards rushing and 20 scores. They also have a stiff defense, giving up only 15 points a game. The Blue Jays look like the only legit challenger for Staley on the Kansas City side when districts start next week. Then only the flip side, Lee’s Summit North is 5-3 and hasn’t been this good in – well the closest thing was a 5-5 finishes in 2010 and 2015. The job Jamar Mozee has done is nothing short of amazing. The Broncos have some of the better athletes in KC led by quarterback Christian Carter and tailbacks John Eldridge, Ontario Russell and Keyon Mozee, and they’ve been playing good defense. Now the question is whether or not the Broncos are ready to take that next step and get to six wins.
Other key games
No. 10 Platte County (7-1) at No. 16 Kearney (6-2)
A conference championship and the top seed in the district are on the line when Northland rivals Platte County battles Kearney. This is easily one of the best rivalries in the city, especially since the schools have faced each other a lot over the years. This is the third time in a year and the fifth time in three seasons the Pirates and Bulldogs have faced each other. But it’s also a rivalry that Kearney has owned, winning six straight. But this could be the year for the Pirates. The enter with the better record, losing only to second-ranked Staley in Week 3 and outscoring opponents by 122 points this season. It’s that Platte County offense that will be called upon to win this game for the Pirates with quarterback Tanner Clarkson already throwing for more than 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. But the Bulldogs’ strength is on defense. Kearney is giving up only 15 points a game and if you take away a 42-0 loss to Staley last week, that number shrinks to 11 and includes two shutouts and four games with seven or less points allowed. The winner will get top seed in Class 4, District 8 and will get home-field advantage for a likely second battle in the playoffs.
No. 24 Lawrence (4-2) at No. 9 SM East (5-1)
It’s been well documented that SM East is one of the best teams in the city that probably isn’t getting the respect it deserves. Outside of a week three loss to No. 8 Rockhurst, the Lancers have been the most dominant Class 6A team in Kansas outside of Free State. The Lancers have figured things out on offense, putting up 41 points or more in four of their last five victories. The defense has been just as good, as SM East has given up only 10 points a game and held opponents to six points or less three times this season. Lawrence High will be the last big test for the Lancers before playoffs arrive. The Lions are a quality squad, as they pushed No. 5 Lee’s Summit West deep into the fourth quarter earlier this season and average almost 40 points a game on offense. But does Lawrence have enough defense to slow down the Lancers is the biggest question in this game.
Playoffs start next week in Missouri
The last week of the regular season is all about sorting out the playoff seeding for district play, and here’s where we are at heading into this week.
Missouri Class 6, District 3
Rock Bridge enters the final week as the No. 1 seed, but face a good Francis Howell squad on the road. A slip up by the Bruins, combined with a Blue Springs’ win over Ray-Pec, could have the title decided by percentage points and go to the strength of schedule formula.
Columbia Rock Bridge |
7-1 |
41.48 |
Blue Springs |
6-2 |
41.17 |
Francis Howell |
6-2 |
40.91 |
Ft. Zumwalt West |
6-2 |
39.52 |
Blue Springs South |
3-5 |
27.92 |
Troy Buchanan |
3-5 |
27.23 |
Jefferson City |
3-5 |
26.22 |
Francis Howell Central |
3-5 |
25.23 |
Missouri Class 6, District 4
Lee’s Summit West hosts Lee’s Summit this week in a rivalry game. The Titans should win and bring home the top spot in the district, but Park Hill and Rockhurst are also going be big-time threats come playoff time.
Lee's Summit West |
7-1 |
43.30 |
Park Hill |
6-2 |
40.99 |
Joplin |
7-1 |
38.91 |
Rockhurst |
5-3 |
37.19 |
Lee's Summit North |
5-3 |
32.62 |
Lee's Summit |
3-5 |
26.12 |
Raymore-Peculiar |
2-6 |
21.36 |
Springfield Kickapoo |
1-7 |
19.71 |
Missouri Class 5, District 7
Fort Osage is the class of this district with their two losses coming to second-ranked Staley and fifth-ranked Lee’s Summit West. The Indians should cruise this week against Oak Park to give them the district title.
Fort Osage |
6-2 |
41.61 |
William Chrisman |
5-3 |
34.16 |
Park Hill South |
3-5 |
25.68 |
North Kansas City |
2-6 |
22.12 |
Truman |
1-7 |
16.11 |
Missouri Class 5, District 8
Another top-heavy district with Staley and Liberty at the top. Staley faces an overmatched Ruskin squad this week and should cruise and officially lay claim to the top spot.
Staley |
8-0 |
48.45 |
Liberty |
7-1 |
46.22 |
Liberty North |
3-5 |
30.82 |
St. Joseph Central |
3-5 |
26.39 |
Oak Park |
2-6 |
21.98 |
Bracketology in Kansas
We've still got two regular season games left in 5A and 6A in Kansas' top two classes, but the playoff picture is starting to shape up. And it looks like a good chance we'll see SM East advance in 6A and Aquinas be the favorite in 5A.
Kansas 6A East
If the playoffs started today here would be the first round matchups. The top of the bracket shouldn’t be a problem for SM East to navigate, but keep a close eye on Blue Valley North as the fourth-seed. The Mustangs are a much better squad than their record indicates because of the tough EKL. The bottom of the bracket is a little bit more open with Blue Valley and Lawrence expected to make it through.
No. 1 SM East
16. Gardner-Edgerton
No. 8 SM South
No. 9 Olathe Northwest
No. 5 Olathe East
No. 12 SM North
No. 4 BV North
No. 13 BV West
No. 3 Blue Valley
No. 14 Olathe South
No. 6 Olathe North
No. 11 Wyandotte
No. 7 SMNW
No. 10 BV Northwest
No. 2 Lawrence
No. 15 SM West
Kansas 5A EAST
This could turn into pure madness in this bracket because outside of Aquinas and St. James, there are a lot of Ok, but not great teams. Actually looking at this bracket, if it were to play out this way, No. 12 Mill Valley might actually be the favorite in the top half of the bracket because of strength of schedule. But this also sets up perfectly for Aquinas to make a run all the way to the state championship game where it would likely matchup against Goddard or Bishop Carroll from the West half of the bracket.
No. 1 Schlagle
No. 16 Highland Park
No. 8 BV Southwest
No. 9 Leavenworth
No. 5 Topeka Seaman
No. 12 Mill Valley
No. 4 Shawnee Heights
No. 13 Lansing
No. 3 St. James
No. 14 Washington
No. 6 Pittsburg
No. 11 Turner
No. 7 Bonner Springs
No. 10 Sumner
No. 2 Aquinas
No. 15 Harmon
810 WHB Game of the Week
No. 17 Lee’s Summit North (5-3) at No. 12 Liberty (7-1)
Liberty is a proud program that has had a lot of success over the years. There aren’t too many programs that can boast an NFL resume like the Blue Jays have had with David Allen, Marcus Lucas, Ryan Jones, Adam Crossett. But we’re in a period of almost unprecedented success, at least here in more than a decade. The Blue Jays are 7-1 with their only loss coming to in overtime to a top-10 Platte County squad. They have one of the best players in the city in running back Robert Rawie, who has 1,217 yards rushing and 20 scores. They also have a stiff defense, giving up only 15 points a game. The Blue Jays look like the only legit challenger for Staley on the Kansas City side when districts start next week. Then only the flip side, Lee’s Summit North is 5-3 and hasn’t been this good in – well the closest thing was a 5-5 finishes in 2010 and 2015. The job Jamar Mozee has done is nothing short of amazing. The Broncos have some of the better athletes in KC led by quarterback Christian Carter and tailbacks John Eldridge, Ontario Russell and Keyon Mozee, and they’ve been playing good defense. Now the question is whether or not the Broncos are ready to take that next step and get to six wins.
Other key games
No. 10 Platte County (7-1) at No. 16 Kearney (6-2)
A conference championship and the top seed in the district are on the line when Northland rivals Platte County battles Kearney. This is easily one of the best rivalries in the city, especially since the schools have faced each other a lot over the years. This is the third time in a year and the fifth time in three seasons the Pirates and Bulldogs have faced each other. But it’s also a rivalry that Kearney has owned, winning six straight. But this could be the year for the Pirates. The enter with the better record, losing only to second-ranked Staley in Week 3 and outscoring opponents by 122 points this season. It’s that Platte County offense that will be called upon to win this game for the Pirates with quarterback Tanner Clarkson already throwing for more than 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. But the Bulldogs’ strength is on defense. Kearney is giving up only 15 points a game and if you take away a 42-0 loss to Staley last week, that number shrinks to 11 and includes two shutouts and four games with seven or less points allowed. The winner will get top seed in Class 4, District 8 and will get home-field advantage for a likely second battle in the playoffs.
No. 24 Lawrence (4-2) at No. 9 SM East (5-1)
It’s been well documented that SM East is one of the best teams in the city that probably isn’t getting the respect it deserves. Outside of a week three loss to No. 8 Rockhurst, the Lancers have been the most dominant Class 6A team in Kansas outside of Free State. The Lancers have figured things out on offense, putting up 41 points or more in four of their last five victories. The defense has been just as good, as SM East has given up only 10 points a game and held opponents to six points or less three times this season. Lawrence High will be the last big test for the Lancers before playoffs arrive. The Lions are a quality squad, as they pushed No. 5 Lee’s Summit West deep into the fourth quarter earlier this season and average almost 40 points a game on offense. But does Lawrence have enough defense to slow down the Lancers is the biggest question in this game.
Playoffs start next week in Missouri
The last week of the regular season is all about sorting out the playoff seeding for district play, and here’s where we are at heading into this week.
Missouri Class 6, District 3
Rock Bridge enters the final week as the No. 1 seed, but face a good Francis Howell squad on the road. A slip up by the Bruins, combined with a Blue Springs’ win over Ray-Pec, could have the title decided by percentage points and go to the strength of schedule formula.
Columbia Rock Bridge |
7-1 |
41.48 |
Blue Springs |
6-2 |
41.17 |
Francis Howell |
6-2 |
40.91 |
Ft. Zumwalt West |
6-2 |
39.52 |
Blue Springs South |
3-5 |
27.92 |
Troy Buchanan |
3-5 |
27.23 |
Jefferson City |
3-5 |
26.22 |
Francis Howell Central |
3-5 |
25.23 |
Missouri Class 6, District 4
Lee’s Summit West hosts Lee’s Summit this week in a rivalry game. The Titans should win and bring home the top spot in the district, but Park Hill and Rockhurst are also going be big-time threats come playoff time.
Lee's Summit West |
7-1 |
43.30 |
Park Hill |
6-2 |
40.99 |
Joplin |
7-1 |
38.91 |
Rockhurst |
5-3 |
37.19 |
Lee's Summit North |
5-3 |
32.62 |
Lee's Summit |
3-5 |
26.12 |
Raymore-Peculiar |
2-6 |
21.36 |
Springfield Kickapoo |
1-7 |
19.71 |
Missouri Class 5, District 7
Fort Osage is the class of this district with their two losses coming to second-ranked Staley and fifth-ranked Lee’s Summit West. The Indians should cruise this week against Oak Park to give them the district title.
Fort Osage |
6-2 |
41.61 |
William Chrisman |
5-3 |
34.16 |
Park Hill South |
3-5 |
25.68 |
North Kansas City |
2-6 |
22.12 |
Truman |
1-7 |
16.11 |
Missouri Class 5, District 8
Another top-heavy district with Staley and Liberty at the top. Staley faces an overmatched Ruskin squad this week and should cruise and officially lay claim to the top spot.
Staley |
8-0 |
48.45 |
Liberty |
7-1 |
46.22 |
Liberty North |
3-5 |
30.82 |
St. Joseph Central |
3-5 |
26.39 |
Oak Park |
2-6 |
21.98 |
Bracketology in Kansas
We've still got two regular season games left in 5A and 6A in Kansas' top two classes, but the playoff picture is starting to shape up. And it looks like a good chance we'll see SM East advance in 6A and Aquinas be the favorite in 5A.
Kansas 6A East
If the playoffs started today here would be the first round matchups. The top of the bracket shouldn’t be a problem for SM East to navigate, but keep a close eye on Blue Valley North as the fourth-seed. The Mustangs are a much better squad than their record indicates because of the tough EKL. The bottom of the bracket is a little bit more open with Blue Valley and Lawrence expected to make it through.
No. 1 SM East
16. Gardner-Edgerton
No. 8 SM South
No. 9 Olathe Northwest
No. 5 Olathe East
No. 12 SM North
No. 4 BV North
No. 13 BV West
No. 3 Blue Valley
No. 14 Olathe South
No. 6 Olathe North
No. 11 Wyandotte
No. 7 SMNW
No. 10 BV Northwest
No. 2 Lawrence
No. 15 SM West
Kansas 5A EAST
This could turn into pure madness in this bracket because outside of Aquinas and St. James, there are a lot of Ok, but not great teams. Actually looking at this bracket, if it were to play out this way, No. 12 Mill Valley might actually be the favorite in the top half of the bracket because of strength of schedule. But this also sets up perfectly for Aquinas to make a run all the way to the state championship game where it would likely matchup against Goddard or Bishop Carroll from the West half of the bracket.
No. 1 Schlagle
No. 16 Highland Park
No. 8 BV Southwest
No. 9 Leavenworth
No. 5 Topeka Seaman
No. 12 Mill Valley
No. 4 Shawnee Heights
No. 13 Lansing
No. 3 St. James
No. 14 Washington
No. 6 Pittsburg
No. 11 Turner
No. 7 Bonner Springs
No. 10 Sumner
No. 2 Aquinas
No. 15 Harmon