A look around Missouri action from the past weekend, and ahead:

Hornets Can … Go By Air?

Believe it or not, North Kansas City has been passing the ball with success. The Hornets have enjoyed great success on the ground in recent years behind the likes of Jeremy Brown or Clyde Price at running back. But the leading passer in the four years has been at 742 yards total for the season, and the leading passing for NKC has averaged 608 yards for the year.

2020: 522 passing yards
2019: 647
2018: 523
2017: 742

QB Christopher Johnson threw for nearly half that total alone in a 28-13 win over Fort Osage with 261 passing yards and three touchdowns. With that potential and coupled with the North Kansas City defense which features three Division I recruits on the defensive line, the Hornets look to have the ability to come back from deficits, whereas in the past, if NKC got down by two scores, the Hornets were in trouble.

North Kansas City will host Platte County in a battle of the top two teams in the Class 5, District 8 standings. With the adjacent team head-to-head tie-breaker, should be a big one heard on Sports Radio 810 this Friday night!

Stats Don't Lie ... or Do They? 4x100 Team

In a 62-40 track meet in which Oak Grove lost, the Panthers still rolled up 611 rushing yards with four running backs over 100 yards: Carson Smith (202), Clynton Stewart (140), Jamison Kirk (139) and Brendan Griffin (104). However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Center, which made the big plays with QB Joseph Vick (222 passing yards and 3 TDs) and RB Jacorey Love (276 rushing yards, 5 TDs)

The numbers aren’t wrong either: Center ran just 35 offensive plays with a time of possession at 11:13 for the game, while Oak Grove ran 83 plays with 36:47 time. But three Oak Grove turnovers – including one for a pick-6 by Jayden Latham – and scores by Love of 76, 69 , 60 and 27 yards led to quick scores, as well as a 49-yard Vick to Armand Russell TD (watch below).

The Center vs Odessa game on October 8 should be interesting to get a feel for the Class 3 race, as well as St. Pius X and …

Life Pleasant on the Hill

A turnaround from one season to another isn’t a surprise, but there’s a measuring stick that the turnaround needs to validate itself against the defending champ or a perennial power. Such was the case on Friday for Pleasant Hill, which mustered a 2-8 record last year and a winless campaign in 2019.

But the Roosters stand at a perfect 3-0 after a 49-42 shootout over Harrisonville. QB Easton Roe has been torching defenses with 804 passing yards and 9 TDs, with Dylan Dimarco as the top recipient at 440 yards and 4 TDs. Both totals are tops in the Metro through 3 weeks.

All quite an impressive turnaround under head coach Justin Hamilton in his second year after taking over after the 0-10 season.

Sparta!

Richmond looks like the area favorite to make a run at the state title in Missouri Class 2, especially with St. Pius X moving up to Class 3, as the Spartans stand at 3-0 with scores of 40-6, 52-6 and 52-16 for a total of 144-22. The next two games against Pembroke Hill (2-1) and Lafayette County (2-1) stand as the only two against teams with winning records, and the back four opponents have a combined record of 1-9. A win over Pembroke Hill would be huge, as the Raiders are actually atop the Class 2, District 8 standings.

QB Keyshaun Elliott leads the way offensively with 406 passing yards and 7:0 TD:INT ratio, while also scooting or 212 rushing yards and seven scores. Evan Vandiver also has added 195 yards on the ground.

Return of Raytown?

The Bluejays unfortunately will miss their second straight game due to COVID. Fort Osage was looking for an opponent on Monday already. Hopefully the Jays get everything sorted out and return to the field in a tough test vs undefeated Blue Valley Northwest on September 24.

KCI: Haves or Have Nots

The KCI league is all-or-nothing, as four teams are 3-0 (Mid-Buchanan, West Platte, East Buchanan and Penney), while three teams seek their first win at 0-3. Should be a fun race in the league, as Mid-Buch and West Platte creeped into the 810 Varsity Top 40 this week.