Staley and Christian Brothers begin the season as Missouri's top two teams. Don't count out Rockhurst, Lee's Summit West and Webb City.
Christian Brothers (in purple) looks to keep forcing turnovers this season.
Photo by Jason Clifton
14-0
Head coach: Fred Bouchard
Team previewStaley captured the Division 5 state title last season with a dramatic playoff run that featured a four-overtime, 76-70 victory over Lee's Summit West. The offensive fireworks should be a constant in the team's 2012 campaign, with dual-threat quarterback
Trent Hosick back behind center. He has tight end
Tyler Nugent and offensive lineman
Austin White back with him, but the team will need to replace running back Morgan Steward. The defense will be extremely inexperienced, so the offense will need to carry the team, at least early on. Staley will need to replace two players found on the list of
Missouri Class of 2012 Division 1 football signees.
2. Christian Brothers (St. Louis)2011 finish: 13-1
Head coach: Scott Pingel
Team previewA three-point loss to Blue Springs South dashed Christian Brothers' hopes of an undefeated season as well as a state championship. Quarterback Dalton Demos won't be easy to replace, but
Aarion Penton is back. Pingel will find a way to get him the ball frequently.
Kendall Morris is a good bet to see most of the carries.With two Miami (Ohio) commitments in linebacker
Tj Williams and defensive back
Bert Birdsall, the defense should be solid. Search for Christian Brothers players on our list of
2011 Missouri All-League football teams.
3. Rockhurst (Kansas City)2011 finish: 10-2
Head coach: Tony Severino
Team previewNine starters return for Rockhurst, traditionally one of the state's best programs. That experience will be helpful in three big out of state games against East St. Louis, Bentonville, and Hutchinson. The defense should be very strong, led by defensive end
Jordan Willis and
Jason Nix, though is needs to replace four-year starter Michael Rose at linebacker.
Ahmad Tyler may be the man to replace Nick Jones at quarterback. Rockhurst ranks No. 1 on our list of
Missouri's Top 10 most consistent football programs.
4. Lee's Summit West2011 finish: 12-2
Head coach: Royce Boehm
Team previewWith linebacker
Nick Ramirez and defensive linemen
Jamone Boyd and
Lane Pennington all returning, Lee's Summit West figures to have one of the best defensive front sevens in the state. The defensive pitched five shutouts in the regular season before allowing 76 points against Staley. In 2012, the unit should be more consistent. New quarterback
Thomas Ganaden is untested but performed well over the summer. Lee's Summit West ranks No. 6 on our June, 2011 list of the
Top 10 Missouri football dynasties.
5. Webb City2011 finish: 15-0
Head coach: John Roderique
Team previewIt may be smaller than the other teams on the list, but Webb City's record of dominance in Division 4 proves it belongs. It has a 30-game winning streak, one of the longest in the country. Running back
Phoenix Johnson returns after a highly-productive junior season.
John Roderique will likely take over at quarterback.
Nate Brown, the team's leading tackler and an all-state selection, will power the defense. Webb City can be found multiple times on our list of
Missouri state football champions over the past 10 years.
