Liberty North defeats Kearney for first time in program history

Michael Wansing stood on the Liberty North sideline Friday night and patiently waited for an opportunity. By the time the Eagles’ coaching staff awarded him one — inserting the senior into the game at quarterback — the team was already facing a deficit.

And then Wansing made the most of his chance.

Liberty North upended previously-unbeaten Kearney 21-10 on Friday after it scored the final three touchdowns of the game.

Wansing got it started with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Matt Long.

“I trust whoever coach puts out there, but things just happen. They put their trust in me, and I just had to step up,” Wansing said in a phone interview after the game.

The man he replaced — senior Mitchell Miller — made the most of his situation, too. While he lost his quarterback job in the first half, he remained a focal point of the defense, and he iced the game with a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“I just kept my head up,” Miller said. “I knew Michael Wansing would step up and lead our offense. I had to stay focused and play defense.”

Devon Davis scored on a 3-yard run to give the Eagles the lead in the third quarter.

In sum, it all added up to an impressive bounce-back victory for Liberty North, which fell 38-6 to Blue Springs South last week.

“We’ve been worried the last two weeks about our football team,” Eagles coach Ken Clemens said. “We talked to them and told them that every night out there can be the turning point in the way you feel about yourself. Hopefully this is our turning point.”

Lee’s Summit West 35, Winnetonka 7

As the third week of the Missouri high school football season concluded Friday, Lee’s Summit West found itself in a familiar position.

Unbeaten.

The Titans rolled past Winnetonka 35-7 on Friday to improve to 3-0 — the sixth straight season the Titans have started the season 3-0.

Jacob Katzfey played a significant role in the latest one. He scored three touchdowns — one on a 13-yard reception and the other two on short runs — while Lee’s Summit West built a 35-0 lead in the third quarter.

“We have athletes at all positions, and it’s just cool when we put together four quarters of play,” Katzfey said.

Harrisonville 37, Bolivar 13

Coming off an 11-win season, Harrisonville coach Brent Maxwell commented that he was eager to see how his team would respond to the pressure of repeating its success.

So far, so good.

The Wildcats remained unbeaten with a 37-13 win against Bolivar on Friday.

“We’ve talked a lot about how this team has to be able to step up and produce its own identity. We can’t live off last year,” Maxwell said. “They’ve taken that and run with it.”

The defense produced a touchdown for the second straight week, when Parker Peck scooped up a fumble and ran it back for a 15-yard score.

Harrisonville quarterback Chance Chamberlain ran for two touchdowns.

Bentonville (Ark.) 24, Rockhurst 12

Just a week after facing one of the best programs in Missouri, Rockhurst played host to one of Arkansas’ hottest teams.

The Bentonville Tigers, two-time defending Arkansas 7A champions, topped the Hawklets 24-13 on Friday night at Dasta Stadium. It was the second straight loss for Rockhurst, which lost 49-20 to Webb City a week ago.

“They controlled the line of scrimmage when they wanted to and that was the big difference,” Rockhurst coach Tony Severino said.

The game turned early when Rockhurst failed to hold the Tigers on third-and-15 on the opening drive. Instead, Bentonville drove to midfield, flipped field position and then took a 7-0 lead on its next drive on Jacob Clark’s 3-yard touchdown run.

“It sounds crazy, but that was a huge play in the game,” Severino said. “If we get that stop early, the first half could be a different story.”

That first half was the whole story. Bentonville outgained the Hawklets 222-33 and took a 17-0 lead into halftime.

Rockhurst pulled to within 17-6 on A.J. Taylor’s third-quarter touchdown run and then caught a break when the Tigers missed a short field goal thanks to a faulty snap. But the Hawklets couldn’t score on their next possession and Bentonville answered with a nine-play, 65-yard drive to go up 24-6.

Bentonville quarterback Kasey Ford — all 6-foot-6 and 272 pounds of him — gave the Hawklets problems. The senior completed 17 of his 21 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Clark, a junior, carried 23 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

Rockhurst quarterback Chance May had a solid night, throwing for more than 100 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown to Chris Teahen in the fourth quarter.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 11:43 PM with the headline "Liberty North defeats Kearney for first time in program history."