St. James edges St. Pius X, Aquinas batters Miege in Kansas high school football
.png "Jake House scores one of his four touchdowns in St. James Academy’s 27-21 high school football win at St. Pius X on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- St. James rallied late to beat St. Pius X 27-21 and improved to 4-1.
- Aquinas leaned on Cal Arndt for 288 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
- St. James faces Blue Valley North next; Aquinas hosts Rockhurst in Week 6.
It was another big night of games across the Kansas City metro on Friday.
Here are some highlights from Week 5 of the Kansas high school football schedule.
No. 10 St. James 27, St. Pius X 21
Not much separated St. James, ranked No. 10 in this week’s 810 Varsity Top 25, and St. Pius X on Friday night.
The Thunder trailed for most of the game but found ways to make plays when needed the most, escaping with a 27-21 victory.
“We kind of came out sleepwalking and they’re (Pius) coached really well,” St. James coach Tom Radke said. “We kept saying they can’t handle St. James football for four quarters. They took it to us in the first half, but we wanted to wear them out and we were able to do that in the end.”
St. Pius’ plan was clear: Pound the rock. The Warriors took the opening drive inside St. James’ 5-yard line using strictly running plays.
Pius coughed it up, though, and the Thunder recovered. But one minute later, a Warriors interception set up the first score of the game: Junior Cannon Cruse’s six-yard rushing touchdown gave Pius a 7-0 lead.
The Thunder kept it close with a 13-yard rushing score of their own from Jake House early in the second quarter. But Pius stuck with the plan: Cruse scored again on a one-yard carry and it was 14-7 at halftime.
Radke said he challenged his team to respond in the second half, and the Thunder did. St. James rattled off a 6 minute, 51 second scoring drive to open the second half, culminating in another TD by House.
St. James blocked a Pius field-goal attempt late in the third quarter to keep the game deadlocked entering the fourth.
“We expect our guys to make plays all the time,” Radke said. “Don’t go out there thinking you’re going to make a mistake. That’s not how you play football at St. James. I’m really proud of our team and our coaching staff.”
On the first snap of the final period, House scored his third touchdown, running in from four yards out. That gave the Thunder their first lead of the night, 21-14.
Pius (2-4) knotted things back up with 5:13 to play on a Dwight Medbery touchdown. But St. James had the final say with House’s fourth TD, again from four yards out.
St. James (4-1) travels to Blue Valley North next week, while Pius visits Bishop Miege.
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas 43, Bishop Miege 14
St. Thomas Aquinas leaned on its tried-and-true formula — a healthy helping of Cal Arndt — all night. And that game plan lifted the Saints past rival Bishop Miege.
Ardnt, the Saints’ star senior running back, rushed for 288 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries as Aquinas won its third straight against the Stags (2-3).
The Saints, ranked No. 2 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, clung to a 15-7 lead early. But then Arndt went to work. His four-yard TD capped an Aquinas march and the Saints held a 22-7 lead at halftime.
Arndt broke loose to open the second half, racing 40 yards to the end zone. That made it 29-7.
Miege, playing with its third-string quarterback, got a five-yard TD from Vinny George. But Arndt’s 1-yard TD plunge and a 31-yard fumble return for a score by Alex McNamara put the Saints’ victory on ice.
Aquinas will play host to Rockhurst next Friday night, while Miege plays host to St. Pius X.
For scores, stats, recaps, rankings, broadcasts and more, visit 810Varsity.com.
This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 12:27 AM.