Rockhurst, Lee’s Summit North, Kearney victorious in Missouri high school football

It was another big night of games across the Kansas City metro on Friday.

Here are some highlights from Week 3 of the Missouri high school football schedule.

No. 5 Rockhurst 35, No. 18 Olathe North 14

Rockhurst capitalized on turnovers and won a clash of historic cross-state powers.

The Hawklets, ranked No. 5 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, took advantage of three Olathe North miscues during the win at Olathe District Activity Center.

Rockhurst (3-0) led 14-0 early, but Olathe North closed the gap with a 28-yard touchdown run by senior Blaise Adger.

“We just talk about overtaking momentum,” Hawklets coach Kelly Donohoe said, “and when they scored to make it 14-7, it was time for the next guy to make a play. And I think we made a lot of big plays tonight.”

The Hawklets (3-0) pulled away after intermission behind junior quarterback Garret Miller’s 184 passing yards and two touchdowns, and the second of two interceptions by junior defensive back Peter Nickson for a 77-yard pick-six.

Rockhurst took a 14-0 lead in the first half, highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown on a reverse play by junior wideout Blake Thomas. Thomas also caught a TD pass from Miller.

Tight end Kevin Sullivan, a Kansas commit, exited the game with an injury, but junior wide receiver Warren Robertson hauled in a touchdown pass in his place.

“You can’t control it and I just don’t understand why we got the injury bug right now,” Donohoe said. “We are all juniors and sophomores right now, so I’m proud of them to pull away from an Olathe North team that really put up a fight.”

Rockhurst will travel to Lee’s Summit West (1-2) next Friday night, while Olathe North will play host to Shawnee Mission North.

No. 8 Lee’s Summit North 31, No. 9 Mill Valley 21

Lee’s Summit North waited until the end to hit the gas pedal. And then the hosts sped past Mill Valley in a top 10 battle on Friday night.

The Broncos, ranked No. 8 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, rallied from a 21-13 deficit in the final seven minutes to top No. 9 Mill Valley 31-21 at North. Lee’s Summit North improves to 3-0, while Mill Valley falls to 1-1.

Mill Valley took a 21-13 lead after quarterback Blake Jay capped a scoring drive with a two-yard run for a touchdown with 7:53 left in the game. But North surged back downfield, highlighted by a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Stephen Thomas to Justyn Lindsay.

Despite failing on a two-point conversion attempt, the Broncos trailed by just 2, at 21-19.

North forced the Jaguars to punt, then orchestrated a quick drive for an LJ Brown seven-yard touchdown run with 3:29 left. That gave the hosts a 25-21 lead.

One play later, Mill Valley dropped back to pass from its own 20, but Lee’s Summit North’s Josiah Robinson picked off the throw and darted down the sideline. Three plays later, Thomas fired an 11-yard touchdown strike to Lindsay.

“It was a great win and we had to play for fourth quarters, and our guys battled all game,” Lee’s Summit North coach Deron Washington said.

Thomas finished 12-of-18 through the air for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

“Our team has a lot of heart. We’ve battled a lot of adversity and things don’t rattle us anymore,” Thomas said.

The Broncos capitalized all night long on big plays by Robinson, including his 89-yard scoop-and-score for a 13-7 lead with 11:36 left in the first half. Robinson also ran back 94-yard kickoff return with 7:08 left in the first period.

Lee’s Summit North will travel to Bentonville (Ark.) next weekend, while Mill Valley plays host to Shawnee Mission East on Friday.

No. 6 Kearney 34, No. 12 Smithville 14

Kearney left no doubt about who owns the bragging rights in the rivalry on Highway 92

The Bulldogs, No. 6 in the 810 Varsity Top 25 and No. 1 in Missouri Class 4, disposed of No. 18 Smithville 34-14.

Quarterback Temple Carter put on a show by air and on the ground with 80 rushing yards and three scores and 111 yards passing with two touchdowns.

The junior got it going in the first quarter with a 32-yard touchdown pass to senior Hudson Best for a 7-0 lead. Carter then opened the second period with a three-yard touchdown.

The teams exchanged points before halftime, with Smithville getting a Lincoln Roske three-yard score and Kearney adding a Carter keeper from one yard out. It was 20-7 at the break.

Kearney effectively put the game away via Temple’s 40-yard TD pass to junior Dryden Hendrix in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs will travel to Park Hill (2-1) next Friday, while No. 12 Smithville faces Oak Park (1-2).

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