Kansas City natives on MU football team eager to play at Arrowhead

He’s seen it on TV and driven by plenty of times on I-70, but Missouri sophomore defensive end Charles Harris has never smelled the hickory smoke wafting through the parking lot or seen the grass inside Arrowhead Stadium.

That will change Saturday when the Tigers tussle with BYU at 6:30 p.m. inside the home stadium of the Chiefs, certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s loudest stadium.

“Words don’t really explain it,” said Harris, a Lincoln Prep graduate and Kansas City native. “It’s a great opportunity to perform. Anthony Sherrils, me and him, oh my gosh, when we first saw the schedule at the beginning of the summer, we were like, ‘What? Kansas City, our hometown?’ ”

Sherrils is a Hogan Prep graduate and rabid Chiefs fans. He said he’s probably been to 10 games at Arrowhead Stadium, but he’s never played there and is eager for the chance.

“It’s a dream,” Sherrils said. “I love the Chiefs, and that’s my favorite team. … It’s going to be a great game. We’re going to be energetic, enthusiastic and have a good game.”

Seven other players on the depth chart — quarterback Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit), center Evan Boehm (Lee’s Summit West), right guard Kevin Pendleton (Lee’s Summit West), tight end Kendall Blanton (Blue Springs South), defensive tackle Josh Moore (Olathe North), cornerback Logan Cheadle (Lee’s Summit West) and kicker Andrew Baggett (Lee’s Summit North) — and 11 more on the Tigers’ roster are from Kansas City or its surrounding suburbs.

“Certainly, our Kansas City kids that grew up in Kansas City, and we have a lot of them, have drove by that thing since they were 2 years old,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “Now, for the first time, most of them will have an opportunity to play in that stadium. We’re excited about that and we’re looking forward to playing the game.”

For a few days, the game — for which Missouri will receive $3.5 million, according to the terms of a contract with Arrowhead Events — was in jeopardy after the football team announced a solidarity strike amid protests about racism and other student rights on the MU campus.

Concerned Student 1950 leader Jonathan Butler ended his hunger strike, prompting the team to cancel its strike as well, on Monday when University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe resigned.

Harris knows the football team’s decision might have sparked controversy among some segments of the fan base, but he expects a warm welcome in his hometown.

“I’m expecting a standing ovation,” Harris said. “The things that we’ve done here, they obviously don’t deal with athletics. They deal with us being men in general. I’m expecting a warm welcome from my Kansas City natives.”

Missouri — 4-5 and 1-5 in the SEC, including a current four-game losing streak — would have owed BYU $1 million if the game was canceled. A team spokesman said a crowd of 40,000-45,000 is expected for the game.

“This situation did not deter us from our football responsibilities in terms of watching film and things of that nature,” Harris said.

Players also continued to receive treatment for injuries, but wouldn’t take part in football-related activities. That wound up costing the Tigers a Sunday practice, but other game-week preparation took part as scheduled and the game promises to be a welcome diversion.

“Let me tell you about Arrowhead, I’m expecting a big game out of myself and my team,” Harris said. “It’s, by far, the largest stadium and platform that we have to go out there and do our best, show who Mizzou is and what we have to offer. It’s going to be a great opportunity for the fans to come out and enjoy a great game. … I’m picturing a lot of red seats with a lot of black shirts and yellow shirts in it.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Kansas City natives on MU football team eager to play at Arrowhead."