A lonely banner in the William Chrisman High School gymnasium is going to get some company.

Coach Scorpio Horn’s football team used a solid first half at North Kansas City High School to claim a 39-21 victory over the Hornets and claim at least a share of Suburban Middle Six Conference championship.

The banner that hangs in the gym states that the last Bears team to win a conference crown was the 1963 squad – a span of 53 years.

Meanwhile, Horn’s squad iimproved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference as quarterback James Bailey, a tough offensive line and rock-solid defense are paving the way to the most memorable season in school history.

The first time Bailey touched the ball Friday night he scored on a 58-yard run to give the Bears a 6-0 lead (after a missed extra point) at 9:52 of the first period.

“I want to do something special on the first series, on the first play, and with the help of my offensive line and some great blocks on the corners by my wide receivers, we were able to make that happen tonight,” Bailey said. “This was a team win, a big team win. Coach talked all week about how we couldn’t let down tonight after we beat (then ranked No. 3 in the state) Staley (43-39). He called it a trap game – a game we were capable of winning, but also capable of losing if we didn’t show up in the right frame of mind.”

Bailey said that though the Bears built a 33-0 lead, the team wasn’t happy with how it finished.

“We were in the right frame of mind in the first half when we led 26-0, but we did not have a good second half, and right now that really bothers me, and I know it bothers the other guys on the team,” Bailey added.

It frustrated defensive end Daniel Carson, who had two sacks and a tackle behind the line of scrimmage for a total of minus-25 yards.

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