Missouri routs Kansas 41-7 in high school football all-star game: some highlights
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- Missouri beat Kansas 41-7 in the Greater KC Coaches Assn.'s 34th DM Law game.
- Peyton Hatfield scored three touchdowns and was Offensive MVP for Missouri.
- Jaden Richburg earned Defensive MVP as Missouri’s defense dominated.
In a showcase of some of the best high school talent in the Kansas City metro, Team Missouri dominated Team Kansas 41-7 in the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association’s 34th annual DM Law Kansas vs. Missouri All-Star Game.
Participation in Friday night showcase game at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee was reserved for seniors from the graduating class of 2026 seniors.
In the midst of competing for state pride and bragging rights, the game provided select Kansas and Missouri players one last chance to don their prep helmets under the lights — before beginning, in the case of many, careers in college football.
Unlike previous years, where the battle between the two border states was often a tight and cagey affair, Missouri dominated from the opening kickoff. The Missouri defense grabbed a quick 7-0 lead when Lee Summit West linebacker and Missouri Western state commit Ronyea Toombs scooped up a botched handoff and scampered into the end zone.
On the ensuing possession, the opportunistic Missouri defense struck again as Pleasant Hill defensive lineman Fedrick Manda recovered a fumble at the 3-yard line. Liberty North running back Zemar Cheatam punched it in a short time later to give Missouri a 14-0 lead.
With some breathing room, the stars of the Missouri offense began to shine, and no one on the field was brighter than Lee Summit wide receiver Peyton Hatfield. The first of Hatfield’s three touchdowns came on a shot over the middle from Benedictine commit Zane Thomas. The pass completion went for a 25-yard TD that made it 20-0 Missouri at halftime.
The Missouri offense didn’t miss a beat in the second half as Thomas found a streaking Amaury Powell down the right hash marks for a 73-yard TD that made it 27-0.
“They were playing man-to-man coverage, and I don’t know why,” said Powell, who represented Odessa High and is committed to Missouri Southern. “But I ran past them and I got in the end zone.”
Not to be outdone, Hatfield reeled in an 18-yard TD catch moments later, complete with a diving effort across the pylon that extended Missouri’s lead to 34-0.
But Hatfield’s best moment came on special teams. Midway through the fourth quarter, he fielded a bouncing Kansas punt at his own 20-yard line. He took off down the right sideline, executing a beautiful spin move across midfield and accelerating into the end zone for his third TD and a 41-0 Missouri lead.
“My teammate told me to follow him,” Hatfield said, “so I just followed him, rode it all the way, hit a little spin move, and then a little comeback at the end, got in the end zone.”
Hatfield’s three-touchdown day earned him the Offensive Most Valuable Player award for the Missouri team and capped a stellar season. Hatfield, alongside his twin brother and three-star Mizzou commit Preston Hatfield, helped lead Lee Summit to the school’s first-ever MSHSAA Class 6 state title.
“He’s one of the main reasons why we won the state title, man. He has speed, tenacity, and he’s a great leader,” Lee Summit Varsity assistant coach Chris Waxter said of Hatfield. “Missouri Western is getting a great player, and I guarantee by his sophomore season he’s going Division I; that’s a DI athlete right there.”
Aside from a late rushing touchdown by Olathe Northwest running back Bryce Randell to make the score 41-7, the Kansas offense was unable to contain ferocious pressure from Missouri’s front seven. Missouri’s defensive showing included standout performances from Winnetonka defensive lineman Roland Bai and Blue Springs’ Carter Agai and linebackers Haze Middleton from Smithville and Blue Springs South’s Jaden Richburg, who earned Defensive MVP for Team Missouri.
“It felt great to be the defensive player of the game, but I can’t do that without all 10 other guys around me,” said Richburg, who is committed to the University of St. Thomas. “They did their jobs, and I was able to fly around and make plays all night long.”
When the clock hit zeros, players on both teams lingered, taking pictures with family, friends and their newfound teammates as they soaked in some final moments as high school football players.
“It was an amazing experience. I loved high school ball. I’m going to miss it a lot.” Powell said, “I’m just thankful for everything in my high school career that I’ve accomplished.”
“It’s a closing of a chapter and the beginning of the new one,” Richburg said. “I’m thankful for my time at Blue Springs South and all the years I spent here, but I’m ready for the next chapter at the same time.”
For the Offensive MVP Hatfield, his final performance on a high school field figures to be the foundation for success to come at Missouri Western in St. Joseph.
“It’s just a kickoff of what I’m going to do in college. I’m going to go kill,” Hatfield said, “They’re going to get a good slot, shifty, just a good person all around, and I’m going to do my best for them.”