By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Raytown South dug itself a deep hole Saturday after falling behind second-ranked Raymore-Peculiar 18-6 early in the fourth quarter. But the No. 4 Cardinals went long in rallying for a 27-18 Class 5 semifinal win over the Panthers (11-2).
Coach David Allie and the rest of the team rode the arm of junior quarterback Dennis Tanner, who started the rally by hitting Ronnell Garner for a 65-yard scoring strike, to move on to the finals.
Following Garner’s score, Raytown South recovered a fumble on the ensuing kick off. Tanner then struck again when he connected with junior tight end Courtney Green for a 43-yard scoring strike to give the Cardinal a 19-18 edge.
Senior running back Sean Wheaton then sealed the game with a 7-yard touchdown run, and two-point conversion, with 2-minutes, 40-seconds remaining in the game.
With the 9-point triumph, Raytown South finds itself competing in the school’s first-ever state title game.
St. Louis power Hazelwood Central will try to keep the Cardinal from attaining the Class 5 championship Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
“You take it one game at a time,” Allie told the Independence Examiner. “We knew we had a good squad. But we also knew this side of the state was loaded. There were six teams that had a chance. The kids are fired up. The fans are fired up. The school’s fired up. It feels pretty good. I don’t know if it’s set in yet.”
State’s Longest Win Streak Extended
With its 28-6 win over Princeton Saturday, defending Class 1 champion Orrick extended the state’s longest winning streak to 28 games.
The Bearcats last lost to eventual state champion South Shelby 39-20 in the quarterfinals of the Class 1 playoffs on Nov. 13, 2006. Orrick went undefeated (14-0) a season ago and is 14-0 going into Friday’s championship game against Thayer.
During the streak, the Bearcats have out scored their opposition 1,162-222.
The Bearcats have won 32 straight regular season contests as well. After faltering to Wellington-Napoleon 14-13 on Oct. 21, 2005, Orrick won the final two games of the season.
The I-70 League school then completed three straight undefeated regular seasons, and has outscored its competition 1,429-193 since the loss to the Tigers.
The Bearcats, who will try to knock off Thayer (12-1) in Class 1’s championship game for the second straight year, are one of three teams in the finals that can make history by winning 15 games in a season.
The top-ranked Bearcats will get first crack at the feat when they open up championship weekend against the fourth-ranked Bobcats at 1 p.m. Friday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Should Orrick fail to win its second straight title, Class 2 No. 5 Clark County would get a shot to be the first Missouri high school team to reach 15 wins in a season when the Indians tackle third-ranked Maryville (13-1) Saturday at noon.
Class 4 No. 2 Webb City then goes for No. 15 against seventh-ranked Helias (13-1) Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
Quote of the Week
When Tipton went head-to-head with fourth-ranked Thayer Saturday, the Cardinals were attempting to get into a state championship game for the first time in the 50-year history of the program.
For the fourth time, second-ranked Tipton fell short of that ultimate goal following a disappointing 36-12 loss to the Bobcats. Head coach Tony Braby summed up the drive to win it all in these words:
“You keep working and you keep chopping wood, and eventually it’s going to happen,” he told the Jefferson City News Tribune following the semifinal loss. “We just ran into a buzz saw.”
Semifinal Round Individual Highlights
Dejuan Owens of Hazelwood East rushed for 164 yards and 4 touchdowns on 18 carries in a 33-6 win over Jackson…Orrick’s Logan Eubank rushed for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries in the top-ranked Bearcats’ 28-6 triumph over Princeton…Adam Mattson of Maryville rushed for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 9 carries in a 42-6 win over Fair Grove…Fair Grove’s Caleb Schaffitzel ran for 104 yards and 1 touchdown on 23 carries in a 42-6 loss to Maryville…Bryce Young carried the ball 19 times for 165 yards in a 14-13 loss to Cassville…Cassville’s Jake Nolan completed just 3 of 10 passes in a 14-13 win over Chillicothe. But all three completions went to Trevor Tanner for 118 yards and 1 touchdown.
Les Williams of Maplewood-Richmond Heights completed 27 of 46 passes for 240 yards and 1 touchdown in a 39-14 loss to Clark County…Gateway Tech’s Anthony Pierson ended his sophomore season by rushing 15 times for 144 yards in a 58-19 loss to Helias…Brad Lorang of Helias rushed for 110 yards on 17 carries in a 58-19 win over Gateway Tech…Hazelwood Central’s Kerry Gibson completed 10 of 14 passes for 171 yards and 1 touchdown in a 31-6 win over Fox…Levi Terrell ran for 135 yards and 1 touchdown on a workhorse like 29 carries in a 31-6 loss to Hazelwood Central…Blaine Dalton led Blue Springs South into its second Class 6 championship game in three seasons by running for 127 yards on 32 carries in a 16-10 win over Jefferson City.
Semifinal Results and Championship Schedule
Class 6 Semifinal Results
No. 8 Hazelwood Central 31, Fox 6
No. 2 Blue Springs South 16, No. 4 Jefferson City 10
Saturday’s Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, 6:30 p.m.
No. 8 Hazelwood Central (11-2) vs. No. 2 Blue Springs South (11-2)
Class 5 Semifinal Results
No. 9 Hazelwood East 33, Jackson 6
No. 4 Raytown South 27, No. 2 Raymore-Peculiar 18
Friday’s Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, 7:30 p.m.
No. 9 Hazelwood East (10-3) vs. No. 4 Raytown South (12-1)
Class 4 Semifinal Results
No. 7 Helias 58, Gateway Tech 19
No. 2 Webb City 14, No. 1 Kearney 7
Saturday’s Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, 3:15 p.m.
No. 7 Helias (13-1) vs. No. 2 Webb City (14-0)
Class 3 Semifinal Results
Cardinal Ritter 48, No. 7 Sullivan 21
Cassville 14, No. 2 Chillicothe 13
Friday’s Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, 4:15 p.m.
Cardinal Ritter (13-1) vs. Cassville (11-3)
Class 2 Semifinal Results
No. 5 Clark County 39, No. 2 Maplewood-Richmond Heights 14
No. 3 Maryville 42, No. 7 Fair Grove 6
Saturday’s Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, 12:00 p.m.
No. 5 Clark County (14-0) vs. No. 3 Maryville (13-1)
Class 1 Semifinal Results
No. 4 Thayer 36, No. 2 Tipton 12
No. 1 Orrick 28, No. 6 Princeton 6
Friday’s Championship at the Edward Jones Dome, 1:00 p.m.
No. 4 Thayer (12-1) vs. No. 1 Orrick (14-0)
