High School Sports

Friday night lights is win or game over now for Missouri, Kansas high schools: podcast

Liberty North’s Sam Van Dyne (16) hands off to Liberty North’s Cayden Arzola (8) during the second quarter of the Class 6, District 4 championship game with Park Hill South on November 12, 2021, in Kansas City, MO.
Liberty North’s Sam Van Dyne (16) hands off to Liberty North’s Cayden Arzola (8) during the second quarter of the Class 6, District 4 championship game with Park Hill South on November 12, 2021, in Kansas City, MO. Special to the Star

So who ya got in the high school football playoffs? Liberty North? Center? Kearney? Olathe North or perhaps Mill Valley?

All have had excellent seasons and each is among the favorites in their respective Kansas/Missouri classification. But anything can happen in the postseason, and on today’s episode of The Star’s SportsBeat KC podcast, Dion Clisso — managing editor of KC Star prep football coverage partner prepskc.com — is here to break it down.

Clisso discusses the brackets and top contenders on both sides of the state line, and also gets into some of the changes he’d consider making to improve the level of competition.

Here are the defending state champions:

Missouri

Class 6: Christian Brothers College

Class 5: Webb City

Class 4: Smithville

Class 3: St. Mary’s

Class 2: Lutheran St. Charles

Class 1: East Buchanan

8-man: Drexel

Kansas

Class 6A: Blue Valley Northwest

Class 5A: Mill Valley

Class 4A: St. James

Class 3A: Andale

Class 2A: Rossville

Class 1A: Olpe

Class 8-player Div. I: Meade

Class 8-player Div. II: Axtell

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Blair Kerkhoff
The Kansas City Star
Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
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