- Sarcoxie (6-3) at Ash Grove (7-3)
- Prediction: I see this one being close all the way, but I think the Pirates take it.
- Result: Ash Grove 38, Sarcoxie 0. Not close at all as the Pirates got a pair of TD runs from Spencer Eagleburger and a pair of TD passes from Chase White to take a 28-0 halftime lead. Eagleburger would finish with 133 yards rushing, White added 113 yards on the ground and 181 through the air.
- Drexel (7-3) at Cass-Midway (9-1)
- Prediction: Logically, I think Drexel should be the pick. But I'm going with my gut & taking Midway.
- Result: Cass-Midway 27, Drexel 14. Midway scored first to make it 7-0 going into the 2nd quarter. But Drexel would get a 59 yard Ty Woltcamp TD run and 2 point conversion to go up 8-7 with just under 5 minutes left in the half. But Blake Mincks would find Trsitan Driggs from 31 yards out with 55 second left to put Midway up 13-8 at the half. Drexel would take the lead right back after the half as Keegan Nichols busted a 51 yard TD run. But Midway would answer on their next possession with Mincks going in from 31 yards out. Then Driggs would add some insurance early in the 4th. The Viking defense did the rest shutting down the Bobcats for the win.
- Adrian (6-4) at Lockwood (7-2)
- Prediction: Lockwood should put up a solid defensive effort and present enough of a passing threat to take this one.
- Result: Lockwood 21, Adrian 7. The Tigers yielded the first score of the night, but that would be all they allowed. Will Beerly found Paxton Masterson for a 26 yard score to tie the game at the half, then they hooked up again early in the 4th for the eventual game winner. Beerly would lock up their spot in the district championship with a 7 yard TD run with 4 minutes left.
- Appleton City (8-2) at Lincoln (10-0)
- Prediction: Lincoln moves on.
- Result: Lincoln 42, Appleton City 0. Lincoln led 14-0 after the first, and 36-0 at the half as they dominated a good Bulldog squad. Dominic Simmons led the way with 120 yards and 3 TDs rushing.
- Crest Ridge (8-2) at Skyline (7-3)
- Prediction: Skyline should move on.
- Result: Skyline 57, Crest Ridge 30. The Tigers moved on with authority as Shawn Bryan had a HUGE day. As in one of the best days in state history. More on him below.
- Diamond (8-2) at Mt. View-Liberty (10-0)
- Prediction: Liberty is the clear favorite. They'll win.
- Result: Mt.View-Liberty 65, Diamond 14. Diamond let 7-0 and 14-7 in the first quarter, but then the Eagles offense got untracked while their defense threw the clamps on. Marcos Rodriguez was the most untracked going for 205 yards and 3 TDs on 19 carries. Defensively, he returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown to cap his night. Brenton Bush had 155 yards and 1 TD receiving, and Kole Orchard had a Swiss Army knife night with 6 catches for 61 Yards and 1 TD, 5 tackles, a touchdown on a kickoff return, and a blocked punt just for good measure.
- Ava (8-2) at Mountain Grove (9-1)
- Prediction: I wouldn't be shocked by an Ava win, but I think Mountain Grove gets it done.
- Result: Mountain Grove 27, Ava 0. The Panthers led just 6-0 at the half but that was enough as the Grove defense shut out Ava for the second time this year. Trystan Short would score on runs of 57 and 63 yards in the second half to stretch the lead out. Short finished with 192 yards on the ground while Carter Otwell added 160 and a touchdown.
- Stockton (6-4) at Lamar (9-0)
- Prediction: Lamar easily moves on.
- Result: Lamar 70, Stockton 19. Just wow! The score updates from this game were just stunning. 42-0 after the 1st and 63-0 before Stockton would score late in the 2nd quarter. Good luck Fair Grove.
- El Dorado Springs (4-6) at Fair Grove (10-0)
- Prediction: Ignoring my gut on this one. I think Fair Grove survives.
- Result: Fair Grove 38, El Dorado Springs 6. Just goes to show, momentum isn't everything in the postseason. The Eagles were dialed in and despite leading just 10-0 at the half, didn't panic and let their defense do the talking as they took a 17-0 lead into the 4th before putting it away.
- Mt. Vernon (6-4) at Reeds Spring (8-2)
- Prediction: I think so. I like Mt. Vernon to win the rematch.
- Result: Mt.Vernon 26, Reeds Spring 20. Down 12-0 after a pair of Sammy Robinson TD runs, the Wolves fought back and took a 13-12 lead on a 55 yard punt return from Kelly Newton early in the 3rd period. But the Mountaineers came right back with Garrett Hadlock finding Andrew Montemayor for a 52 yard score less than a minute later. Mt. Vernon would go up 26-13 early in the 4th when Hadlock's 2nd TD pass went to Jayden Buttram to make it 26-13. Reeds Spring would pull within 6 thank to a J.P. Gardner fumble return, and would get the ball back with 2:11 to play on a Garder interception. But Mt. Vernon would hold and complete the upset of the #1 seed. Hadlock finished with 321 yards passing, but also threw 3 interceptions.
- Cassville (8-2) at Monett (9-1)
- Prediction: This smells a lot like 2008 when the Wildcats won the 2nd meeting between the 2 after a close miss in the first game. But I think Monett knows that & it pushes them to the win.
- Result: Monett 35, Cassville 21. The Cubs jumped out to a 14-0 lead and would trade punches with the Wildcats from there on out as Cassville lost River Phelps for the 2nd half. Michael Branch found the end zone 3 times for the Cubs to lead the way.
- Rolla (2-8) at Union (7-3)
- Prediction: I think the Bulldogs are going to the 'ship.
- Result: Rolla 35, Union 14. Could have been an even bigger victory as Rolla squandered a chance early when they already led 21-0 thanks to 3 TD runs from Josh Pritchett. Xaviar Douglas took over scoring duties finding the end zone twice in the 3rd to put the Bulldogs out of reach. The Bulldog defense picked off 4 Union passes to stymie them all night.
- Bolivar (6-4) at Carl Junction (8-2)
- Prediction: The Bulldogs march keeps going.
- Result: Carl Junction 50, Bolivar 21. Rayquion Weston was a 1 man wrecking crew running for 4 TDs and catching a TD pass in the first half as the Bulldogs went up 36-7 at the break. Weston would finish with 180 yards on the ground.
- West Plains (5-5) at Webb City (7-3)
- Prediction: I just don't think the Zizzers can score enough or stop Webb City enough to win.
- Result: Webb City 42, West Plains 6. The Cardinal offense raced to a 35-0 halftime lead while their defense held the Zizzers to 17 yards of offense in the first offense as they cruised to the win. Durand Henderson led the way with 183 yards and 2 TDs rushing for Webb City.
- Nevada (3-7) at Harrisonville (7-3)
- Prediction: Harrisonville eliminates Nevada.
- Result: Harrisonville 40, Nevada 0. Too much defense from the Wildcats for Nevada as Harrisonville took a 33-0 halftime lead. The Tigers couldn't challenge from there.
- Branson (3-7) at Glendale (9-0)
- Prediction: Glendale advances to the title game.
- Result: Glendale 56, Branson 20. The Pirates hung tough pulling within 28-20 in the 3rd quarter, but could not keep up with the 8 TD passes and 563 yards of Alex Huston as the Falcon scored twice in each quarter. Max Nichols, Luke Montgomery, and Jeremy Almeida each had 2 TD catches with Montgomery racking up 143 yards. Van Oeser had 145 yards and 1 TD receiving.
- Lebanon (7-3) at Ozark (7-2)
- Prediction: The Yellowjackets could come up with a game-changing twist, but I think Ozark makes the plays they need to.
- Result: Ozark 27, Lebanon 13. The Yellowjackets took a 13-7 2nd quarter lead on a pair of John Berry TD runs. Berry would finish with 140 yards on the ground. But Ozark would shut Lebanon down from there as they came from behind. A pair of Chandler Doss field goals tied the game at 13 in the 3rd, and Ryan Taylor scored from 24 yards out right before the end of th the 3rd to give Ozark the lead they would not give up.
- Willard (4-6) at Carthage (8-1)
- Prediction: Willard hangs for a while, but Carthage takes over.
- Result: Carthage 28, Willard 14. Willard scored with 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter to pull within 14-6 at the break. After Carthage went up 21-6 in the 3rd, Willard responded with 2:58 remaining in the quarter to get within 21-14. But they couldn't get any closer and Keith Guest's 174 yards and 2 TDs was enough to move on.
The Bad
- Neosho (6-4) at Nixa (5-4)
- Prediction: Neosho gets the breaks and advances.
- Result: Nixa 38, Neosho 31. 2 OT. Another great game between these two. Neosho overcame a 14-0 halftime lead with a pair of TD runs and a field goal to go up 17-14 with 11 minutes left. Then the real fun started when Sean Sample hit a 50 yard goal to tie the game. Neosho marched downfield on an 80 yard 23 play drive and took the lead with and 11 yard Coleman Scott TD run with 1:08 to go. Nixa needed a TD to keep their season alive and it was Sample coming through again catching a 25 yard TD pass from Andrew Rivera. The teams traded scores in the first OT with Scott scoring for Neosho, then Nicos Oropeza for Nixa. Nixa went first in the 2nd and Rivera gave them the lead on a 1 yard run. Neosho would move to the 6 yard line, but the Eagles were able to knock down the Wildcats 4th down pass to the end zone to advance. Oropeza had 2 TDs rushing and a TD catch for Nixa. Scott with 2 TD runs and 2 TD passes for Neosho.
The Ugly
- Pierce City (5-3) at Thayer (5-5)
- Prediction: The win over Sarcoxie has the Eagles believing. This is a tall order but I think they pull it off.
- Result: Thayer 40, Pierce City 13. I've watched a lot of film on Thayer, and they are obviously not as injured as they appeared. The Bobcats sprinted out to a 22-0 1st quarter lead and would lead 34-0 before Pierce City found the end zone with just over 2 minutes left in the game.
- Rockhurst (7-2) at Kickapoo (9-1)
- Prediction: I've gone back and forth on this one, But I think the Chiefs will be just good enough.
- Result: Rockhurst 26, Kickapoo 3. The Hawklets were just too good on defense. The Chiefs finally missed Maverick McGee as they could only get 21 yards rushing. Robbie Merced had 150 yards on 10 catches to lead Kickapoo.
- Yes, it was a blowout win. But there's no way to deny one of the great rushing performances in state history. And Crest Ridge is not a chump team. Bryan's 478 yards are in the top 10 all-time for a single game and 5 yards short of his brother's school record. More importantly, Bryan continues to spearhead the Tigers resurgence as they advance to their district title game.
Overall record: 338-69, .830.
