Smithville dominates in high school football season opener against Grain Valley

Finally forcing a three-and-out deep in Smithville territory, things appeared to be looking up for the Grain Valley Eagles. And things looked even better when the ensuing fourth-down snap flew over the head of Smithville punter Keltin Nitsche.

But the senior scooped up the ball in his own end zone and got off a punt just in time. The ball landed past midfield and handed Grain Valley its best starting field position of the night.

Then came a yellow flag: roughing the kicker.

so Smithville got the ball back on its own 38 and drove the length of the field to take a 21-0 lead in the second quarter. That advantage eventually became a 42-3 road victory as the Warriors routed Grain Valley on opening night of the Missouri high school football season.

Last fall, Grain Valley had beaten Smithville 34-24.

“We just put in the work, found what was going to work, and completed it,” Nitsche said.

Last year’s game included a 14-point fourth quarter from Grain Valley to win it. Smithville didn’t give the opposing team any such chances this time around, controlling possession for 19 of 24 first-half minutes.

“I think they’re a dangerous football team,” Smithville coach Jason Ambroson said. “They’ve got really good speed, they’re very explosive, so we knew that getting a good start in the game was going to be critical for us.”

Much of those 19 minutes of control came in the second quarter on one drive following the roughing-the-kicker call. But before that, back-to-back six- and five-minute drives helped Smithville build a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The six-minute drive featured 11 plays and ended with a quarterback draw by junior quarterback Andrew Hedgecorth.

The lead doubled in the first minute of the second quarter when Hedgecorth hit wide receiver Nitsche. Nitsche ran a smooth out-route and made an eight-yard touchdown grab.

Hedgecorth totaled three touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns, amassing 200 total yards.

The Eagles double-teamed Smithville receiver Rhett Foster for most of the game. Foster pulled in eight receptions for 262 yards in last year’s meeting, so the attention seemed warranted.

“When you’ve got two guys that can make some plays and you’ve got a guy that can throw it, you hope they can make those plays because they’re basically telling you, ‘We’re going to load the box and you’ve got to throw,’” Ambroson said.

The game unraveled for the Eagles following the roughing-the-kicker call. A 62-yard drive by the Warriors made it 21-0 before linebacker Cody Simoncic scored on a pick-six to put Smithville up 28-0.

“It’s a huge swing,” Ambroson said. “I’ve got to give our kids credit for making the play ...”

Grain Valley got its first first down of the game midway through the third quarter. Nitsche hauled in his second touchdown soon after, running 78 yards after the catch on a play that covered 86.

Hedgecorth rushed for a 4-yard score, and then it was time for a running clock.

“It’s awesome,” Nitsche grinned. “Being able to shake hands, having fans in the student section, it was awesome — just the atmosphere, it was awesome.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 10:56 PM.