Liberty, Blue Springs South open Missouri HS football season with ranked wins

Missouri high school football action is underway, with a top-10 matchup on the slate Friday, along with plenty of other tightly contested games.

Here’s a look at some of the notable contests from Friday.

No. 3 Liberty 21, No. 7 Lee’s Summit 13

In a tussle of two of the 810 Varsity Top 25 top teams, Liberty’s formula of a ground game and defense won out.

The No. 3 Blue Jays rushed for 292 yards in a 21-13 win over No. 7 Lee’s Summit at Liberty on Friday night.

The Tigers’ heralded twins, Preston Hatfield (team-high 94 rushing yards) and Peyton Hatfield (63 receiving yards), lived up to the billing. But it was Liberty’s Connor Hatfield who had the last word. The quarterback racked up 157 rushing yards and threw for 71 to boost the Jays’ offense.

Liberty, which advanced to the Missouri Class 6 semifinals last year, lost the services of 2024 Metro Player of the Year Jaxon Hicks to graduation as its running back. But Hatfield and running back Colt Nolin, with 140 rushing yards, compiled 297 combined yards on the ground.

“It was important for our team to know early this season that we can run the ball without Jaxon, and it’s our line and Colt and Connor and everyone who makes it happen,” said head coach Chad Frigon. “We beat a very good Lee’s Summit team tonight, and it was because of the effort on both sides of the ball.”

Lee’s Summit looked the part early, as Preston Hatfield scored on runs of 3 and 80 yards for a 13-0 Tiger lead with 2:27 left in the first quarter.

But the Jays’ defense clamped down, and the ground game went to work with Nolin capping LHS drives with touchdown plunges of 1 and 3 yards for a 14-13 lead with five ticks before the half.

The second half was an offensive struggle, as Preston Hatfield and star receiver Karsten Fiene exited for the game with injuries for Lee’s Summit. The final drive dented the scoreboard when Liberty’s Grady Coppinger picked off a pass and jetted 65 yards for a pick-six and the final 21-13 margin.

Liberty faces rival Liberty North next week, while Lee’s Summit hosts No. 16 Blue Springs next Friday.

No. 4 Blue Springs South 49, No. 13 Liberty North 28

Blue Springs South showed why it feels it’s taking the next step this year.

The Jaguars, No. 4 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, laid out No. 13 Liberty North 49-28 in their season opener Friday night.

Blue Springs South, which returns a strong cast from its eight-win team a year ago, rolled early with three Darius Morgan touchdown runs of 9, 8 and 11 yards in the first half for a 28-7 lead at intermission.

Rice commit Ayden Wilhelm took a quarterback keeper 26 yards for a 35-14 lead with 4:24 left in the third. Liberty North pulled to 35-21 after a drive with big runs from quarterback Isaac Hamilton and a 2-yard score from tailback Zemar Cheatum with 10:48 left in the game.

But Wilhelm connected 2:32 later with wideout Wyatt Denney for a 26-yard touchdown strike and a 42-21 margin. Liberty North and Cheatum countered with a 29-yard touchdown run, but BSS running back Gary Hill punched in a 4-yard score — his second touchdown of the game — to wrap it up.

The Jaguars (1-0) host Park Hill South (1-0) next Friday, while Liberty North entertains rival No. 3 Liberty.

No. 9 Rockhurst 49, No. 12 St. Pius X 19

In its first ever meeting at St. Pius X, Rockhurst lived up to its featured billing.

The Hawklets, No. 9 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, handled the No. 12 Warriors 49-19 at Pius on Friday night. The two kicked up the series last year at Rockhurst, and faced off to start the season.

Rockhurst junior Cash Lewandowski punched in three touchdowns to highlight the offensive effort for the Hawklets (1-0). His first touchdown capped a 91-yard scoring drive to open the scoring at 6-0 early in the second quarter. A 13-yard plunge into the end zone boosted the Rockhurst lead to 12-0 with 8:07 left in the first half.

After a St. Pius X score to pull to 12-7, the Hawklets drove again, capped by a Garret Miller 9-yard pass to Quinn Walsh, followed by a Lewandowski two-point conversion. They took a 20-7 lead into halftime.

“Us scoring before half really swung the momentum for the game,” said Rockhurst head coach Kelly Donohoe. “We were able to answer them, and it really carried through afterwards for us.”

From there, Rockhurst dominated. The Hawklets opened the second half with a touchdown drive, capped by the final touchdown by Lewandowski, for a 28-7 margin. On the ensuing drive, Miller connected for another scoring pass, this time to Warren Robertson, for a 35-7 margin.

Rockhurst will host Raymore-Peculiar next Friday, while the Warriors travel to Little Rock Catholic.

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