Missouri high school football playoffs: Liberty, Platte Co., Lee’s Summit North advance

Here’s a look at highlights from some big high school football games around the Kansas City metro on Friday night.

The Missouri playoffs are underway, with winners advancing.

Liberty 28, Blue Springs South 7

For the first time since George W. Bush presided in the White House, Liberty has won a district title.

The Blue Jays and Jaxon Hicks rolled past host Blue Springs South 28-7 Friday. The senior star tailback ran for 280 yards and two touchdowns as Liberty claimed its first district title since 2005.

Hicks, who set the program’s single-season record with 2,270 rushing yards, capped the first scoring drive with a one-yard TD with 8:54 left until intermission. Then Connor Hatfield hit Jax Froehlich for a 36-yard TD pass.

Blue Springs South (8-3) made it 14-7 on Ayden Wilhelm’s scoring toss to Wyatt Denney with 23 seconds remaining until halftime. Wilhelm finished with 212 passing yards and 53 rushing yards.

But Liberty (8-3) pushed the lead back out to 14 points, 21-7, on Hicks’ 27-yard TD run in the third quarter. And Colt Nolin iced the outcome with a 5-yard rushing TD in the fourth.

The Blue Jays will face Park Hill in the Class 6 quarterfinals next Friday night.

Platte County 45, St. Pius X 23

Sometimes the final score doesn’t tell the story, but that wasn’t the case in this Class 5, District 8 championship game at Platte City.

Platte County’s commanding win sets up a showdown with Webb City in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 23.

The Pirates took control late in the first quarter with two touchdowns in under 2 minutes of game time. Rocco Marriott’s TD pass to Tres Baskerville made it 21-7 Platte County entering the second period.

“It was about as evenly matched (as could be) coming in, as far as what each team has gone through,” Platte County coach Bill Utz said. “We had question marks coming in and they had questions marks coming in. St. Pius is a very good team and very sound.”

It was more of the same in the second quarter as Marriott threw an 80-yard TD strike to Braiden Stevens and scored on a QB keeper in the final seconds of the half. Adam Gisler rushed for a 52-yard TD as well, and it was 42-7 Pirates at halftime.

Jackson Goodale drilled a 38-yard field goal, making it 45-7. But the Warriors (10-2) battled to the final whistle, scoring twice in the final 8:58. Freshman QB Jacob Nicholas threw TD passes to Brock Chisam and Tommy Hutsler.

Lee’s Summit North 29, Lee’s Summit 15

Lee’s Summit North underscored why it’s the top team in Lee’s Summit, and arguably the KC metro.

The Broncos (again — more about that in a moment) overcame a halftime deficit against rival Lee’s Summit for the Class 6, District 6 title. Lee’s Summit North, ranked No. 1 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, trailed the Tigers 15-14 at intermission.

Lee’s Summit North (11-0) took the lead when Noah Kent made a 21-yard field goal with less than 5 minutes left in the third quarter. Then he hit a 37-yarder to give the Broncos a 20-15 edge, and QB Mickhi Mitchell connected with fellow senior Isaiah Mozee for a 38-yard TD with 6:32 remaining.

Quade Chatmon scored early with a 43-yard TD run. Mozee later scored on a 9-yard carry. But Lee’s Summit (8-3) led 15-14 at halftime thanks to a safety and pick-six.

It’s the second time in three weeks the Broncos have rallied to beat Lee’s Summit North. They also did so Oct. 25, winning 36-28.

Lee’s Summit North will now face Nixa (11-0) in the Missouri Class 6 quarterfinals next Friday night.

For stats, recaps, online broadcasts and more, visit 810Varsity.com.

This story was originally published November 16, 2024 at 12:11 AM.