Blue Springs football coach Kelly Donohoe doesnt need to watch much film to gather a sense of what Rockhurst coach Tony Severino will try to accomplish tonight.
High schools
Blue Springs and Rockhurst go at it once again
Tonight marks eighth time in 11 years that Rockhurst, Blue Springs will have met in playoffs and regular season.
November 8
By SAM McDOWELL
The Kansas City Star
And vice versa.
Theyve met before more times than they care to see each other, really.
In seven of the past 10 years, the two historic programs have played once during the regular season and an additional time in the playoffs.
Tack on another meeting tonight. Rockhurst will travel to Peve Stadium to meet the Wildcats for a 7 p.m. kickoff in a Class 6 state quarterfinal matchup.
Blue Springs defeated Rockhurst 38-24 in a week three matchup this season.
After meeting all these years, its amazing how well we know each other and each others tendencies, Donohoe said. When you play an opponent as much as we play each other, its crazy how you get to know those guys. Thats going to make it interesting.
That will be the chess battle within a larger, much more physical clash.
Blue Springs running back Dalvin Warmack ran for 162 yards and three touchdowns in the teams initial meeting, which was defined by a series of big plays.
Of the seven first-half touchdowns, all were at least 19 yards or longer.
Warmack hasnt slowed down since, totaling 40 touchdowns in 11 games this season.
I dont know if you can stop him, but we have to slow him down a little bit and not give up the big play, Severino said. Weve been doing a little better in that area.
Both teams believe they have made significant progress since that third-week game and the results back up those claims but the keys will largely be the same.
Specifically, a large, dependable offensive line on the Blue Springs side will again have to win the fight against Rockhursts defensive front four, led by Kansas State recruit Jordan Willis.
We realize a series of about 60 minor little battles will probably decide this game, Donohoe said. Were going to lose several of those, but we have to win the majority of them to have a chance.
Blue Springs is looking to reverse a statistical oddity in a reasonably evenly played series. The Wildcats havent successfully defended their home field against Rockhurst since 2001.
Since 2002, the teams have played in the quarterfinals six times. Rockhurst has won four of those games.
Its just a great series, Severino said. Were right where we thought wed be. Theyre exactly where we thought theyd be. Lets see what happens.




