By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
Finally, the finger pointing can begin at Worth County High School.
After two years of coming up short in championship games, Worth County can finally waggle the No. 1 finger. And they're the only Eight-Man school in Missouri that can do it with any real meaning.
The Tigers left little doubt they were the best team in the Missouri Eight-Man ranks during the regular season with two wins over second-ranked Mound City. Now they have the hardware that goes to the victors following a successful playoff run.
"It feels amazing to finally come out on top instead of second," Worth County quarterback Travis Null told the St. Joseph News-Press. "I mean, second is good, but it's not good enough."
Worth County scored on its first play following a Hardin-Central botched fake punt, when Null lined up at wide receiver, took a pitch, and hit Drew Yarmer for a 34-yard score and the early lead. The Tigers never looked back in breaking the Eight-Man championship game scoring record with a 70-6 win over the Bulldogs.
Null finished the game with a pair of touchdown passes. Kyler Hiatt rushed for 152 yards and scored four of the nine touchdowns for Worth County.
Sophomore running back Barrett Baker broke South Holt's scoring record of 66 points with a six-yard scoring run with 3:11 remaining in the game. Hardin-Central avoided the shutout when Nick Doss caught a Patrick King pass early in the fourth quarter.
With the win Worth County now has five state championships, the most in the Missouri Eight-Man ranks. South Holt is next at four.
Class 6 Championship
Friday, November 23, 6:30 p.m.
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
No. 1 Rockhurst (12-0) VS. No. 7 Mehlville (10-2)
The top-ranked Hawklets scorched DeSmet Jesuit for eight offensive touchdowns on their way to a 67-7 whipping of the Spartans. Junior quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase had a hand in four touchdowns after throwing for scores of six yards to Demetrious Baylis and 54 yards to John Calhoun. Scheelhaase also ran for touchdowns of 37 and three yards. Drew Temple rushed for 94 yards in the first half and scored on a one-yard plunge. Rockhurst also scored on Baylis' fumble recovery in the end zone and Alex Aguirre's 70-yard punt return. Baylis and Aguirre added scoring runs of 55 and three yards respectively. Chris Castellucio scored on a 20-yard romp. Ray Agnew scored on a 54-yard run in the fourth quarter in helping the Spartans avoid the shut out.
Mehlville enters the championship game on the heels of a 19-13 win over unranked Pattonville. The Panthers have now won seven straight games since falling to Class 5 top-ranked Kirkwood Sept. 28.
Class 5 Championship
Saturday, November 24, 6:30 p.m.
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
No. 9 Belton (9-3) VS. No. 3 Waynesville (11-1)
Belton avenged its first of three losses on the season, in the semifinals, with a 35-22 win over Fort Osage Saturday afternoon. Now the Pirates find themselves in the Class 5 championship ready to take on third-ranked Waynesville. Belton quarterback Zach Rasmussen threw for three touchdowns and ran for a couple more in the 13-point win. The Pirates led 14-3 at halftime and 28-3 in the fourth quarter before the Indians bounced back. Dalton Krysa rushed for 126 yards on 29 carries for Fort Osage. Parker Jones hauled in touchdown passes of 35 and 44 yards from Edward Pearl to pull the Indians within 28-16.
Waynesville played its way in to the championship game with an impressive 25-14 win over then undefeated and second ranked Jackson. The Tigers edged top-ranked Kirkwood 14-7 in the quarterfinals to hand them their only loss on the season as well. The Tigers now own nine straight wins since falling 18-14 to Farmington in September. L.J. Fort led the Tigers in the come-from-behind win by rushing for 181 of his 255 yards in the second half. Jackson scored the first 14 points of the contest. Waynesville answered with the final 25 points.
Class 4 Championship
Friday, November 23, 3:15 p.m.
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
No. 2 Lee's Summit West (13-0) VS. No. 9 Parkway Central (12-1)
Lee's Summit West rallied from a 7-0 deficit with a pair of second quarter touchdowns to dispatch of pesky Ozark in a 21-14 triumph and move on to the championship game against Parkway Central. Ozark rallied from 35 and 20 point deficits in their first two playoff games. But too many turnovers did that trend in against the Titans. Lee's Summit West's first two scores occurred following a fumble recovery and a shanked punt. In all, the Titans recorded four interceptions and a fumble recovery. Lee's Summit West quarterback Jake Johnson tossed a pair of touchdown passes and Matt Holt ran to pay dirt from 34 yards out to round out Titan scoring. Ozark got its scoring on a couple of Matt Jordan scoring strikes. Jordan connected with Devian Golden from five yards away and then hit Zach Schermer for a 29-yard strike.
Parkway Central dispatched of three unranked opponents on its way to the championship game against the Titans. In their last outing, the Colts blasted Vashon (9-3) 51-27.
Class 3 Championship
Saturday, November 24, 3:15 p.m.
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
No. 1 Harrisonville (13-0) VS. No. 9 MICDS (12-0)
Harrisonville scored on its first play from scrimmage on Derek Naida's 80-yard run and never looked back in its 51-35 semifinal win over second-ranked Grain Valley. The Eagles did answer with a 30-yard scoring pass from James Gagliardi to Michael Moore and stayed with the Wildcats through a quarter. But two Grain Valley fumbles and an interception led to 23 unanswered points for Harrisonville and a 38-15 halftime advantage. The Wildcats got a 28-yard field goal from Dallas Herndon and Sean Ransburg ran for a score and tossed a touchdown in the second half. Cody Fogle scored from 12 and 22 yards out in the second half for Grain Valley.
It took three overtimes, but Mary Institute/Country Day School earned a trip to the Class 3 Championship opposite Harrisonville with a 42-35 triumph over St. Francis Borgia. The Rams survived the second overtime when Borgia blocked an extra point kick that still managed to split the uprights. Nick Shortal scored on runs of six and 10 yards and hauled in a 25-yard scoring toss from Jeremiah Oteh to lead the victors on offense. Jeff Klott and Josh Hoeft led Borgia with two touchdown runs each in the loss.
Class 2 Championship
Friday, November 23, 12 p.m.
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
No. 1 Lawson (13-0) VS. No. 7 Blair Oaks (11-2)
Joseph Kassanavoid threw for 190 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-13 passing in top-ranked Lawson's 39-14 semifinal win over East Newton. Ian Swarts scored from four yards out to cap Lawson's 13-play, 67-yard drive to open the game. The Cardinals perhaps got the play of the day when Troy Green caught a streaking Clayton Miller at the Lawson 15-yard line, on the kickoff return following Swarts' touchdown run, and poked the ball loose. Lawson recovered. Green then caught a 67-yard pass from Kassanavoid to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead.
Defending champion Blair Oaks earned a spot in the championship game opposite the Cardinals with a 42-14 thrashing of eighth-ranked Maplewood-Richmond Heights (12-1). Although the Falcons have two losses on their record, they are one of the hottest teams in the state. Blair Oaks has won nine straight contests since starting the season at 2-2. The Falcons have handed all three of their playoff opponents their only losses on the year. The Falcons defeated Centralia (10-1) 30-21 and Trenton (11-1) 28-6 before posting their 28-point semifinal win.
Class 1 Championship
Saturday, November 24, 12 p.m.
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
No. 1 Orrick (13-0) VS. No. 4 Thayer (13-0)
Taylor Eubank led a second half come back on both sides of the ball in Orrick's 44-24 semifinal win over Princeton. The 20-point win puts the top-ranked Bearcats (13-0) in the Class 1 championship game against fourth-ranked Thayer (13-0). Eubank made possibly the play of the game defensively when he intercepted a Troy Meinke pass at the Tiger 38-yard line, setting up Kalijah Rogers touchdown run on the next play to give Orrick a 30-18 advantage. Eubank, who finished with 210 yards on the ground, then scored on an 86-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach. Princeton was led by Ethan Stark's nine catch, 279-yard performance in the losing effort. Stark caught touchdown passes of 45, 80 and 32 yards in the first half.
Thayer moved into the championship match with Orrick in impressive style. The Bobcats (13-0) clocked unranked McAuley Catholic 42-6 in first round playoff action. Then, Thayer edged second-ranked Hayti (11-1) 14-13 in the quarterfinals before ending third-ranked Tipton's (12-1) season with a 35-24 triumph.
