Blue Springs South earns spot in Class 6 football state title game

A modification to the Missouri Class 6 playoff alignment forced Blue Springs South to make back-to-back trips across the state in order to keep its season alive.

New route.

Familiar destination.

For the fourth time in 10 years, Blue Springs South will play for the Missouri Class 6 state championship. The Jaguars clinched their spot in the title game with a 41-17 win at Kirkwood on Friday.

“Our defense has had their hands full the last three weeks — that’s for sure. They’ve played some really good offenses that put up good numbers, but they’ve responded really well,” Blue Springs South coach Greg Oder said in a phone interview.

After a bye week, Blue Springs South will face defending-champion Christian Brothers College for the Class 6 championship at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 27. Blue Springs South is aiming for the third state title in program history after it won championships in 2011 and 2006.

Odessa 28, Maryville 14

As the Odessa Bulldogs headed into the postseason, coach Mark Thomas highlighted the need for better starts in big games. As the competition improved, he explained to his players, the importance of finding an early lead would intensify.

How’s this?

Odessa raced out to a 22-point lead in a 28-14 victory Friday against Maryville.

Kobe Hardin ran for two touchdowns in the first half, and Ty Wagner threw a touchdown pass to Luke Tripp to cap a dominant first-half performance.

In two weeks, the Bulldogs have beaten the owners of the past three Missouri Class 3 state championships. They defeated 2014 champion Oak Grove last week, and Maryville won in 2013 and 2012.

In next week’s semifinals, Odessa will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Mountain Grove and Aurora.

Webb City 45, Harrisonville 7

Harrisonville’s unbeaten run is over. And so is its season.

For the second consecutive year, the Webb City dynasty rolled past Harrisonville in the playoffs, this time for a 45-7 victory.

Webb City is aiming for its sixth straight Missouri Class 4 state championship.

Harrisonville finished the season 12-1.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 11:11 PM with the headline "Blue Springs South earns spot in Class 6 football state title game."