(ST. LOUIS, MO) A sextet of Missouri prep football powerhouses claimed respective class championships at the 48th Annual Show-Me Bowl held at the Edwards Jones Dome this past weekend. The trophy battles for the six primary football classes within the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) saw one local school, John Burroughs, claim its first-ever title.
A recap of the six 11-man games, from largest class to smallest:
CLASS 6 – BLUE SPRINGS SOUTH 37 CBC 28
Blue Springs South erased the frustrations of last year’s 5-6 mark by making a complete turnabout in 2015 and finished its undefeated season (14-0) with its nine-point duke over CBC (13-1) Friday night. The Jaguars posted 24 points uncontested en route to its first title since 2011. CBC held a 21-6 lead following Tre Bryant’s 13-yard touchdown run, his third at that point, with 4:08 left in the half.
Blue Springs South began its rally with Adam Cofield’s 20-yard TD run with 1:36 left in half. Following the successful PAT kick from Bryce Stone, the Jags tightened the score to 21-13. Stone added a 39-yard field goal as the quarter’s clock expired to cinch the score to 21-16 at halftime. In the third frame, Cofield caught a 67-yard TD pass from Noah Nigro ninety seconds in and BSS flipped the scoreboard, 23-21. Cofield notched his fourth score of the night with a 15-yard scamper with 3:59 left that helped push the score to 30-21.
CBC responded with a five-play, 83-yard drive, punctuated with Roddick Bryant’s 25-yard end zone catch from Blake Charlton, that narrowed the margin to two points, 30-28, with 3:04 left in the frame. Blue Springs widened its margin to 37-28 three minutes later via Kaleb Hutsell’s 61-yard touchdown scamper.
In a scoreless fourth quarter, CBC pushed the ball to the Blue Springs’ 17-yard line with three minutes left but an interception by the Jags’ Colin West, and ensuing 47-yard return, secured victory.
CBC’s Tre Bryant, slotted to play for Nebraska next season, finished with 186 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
CLASS 5 – FORT OSAGE 63 CHAMINADE 28
Fort Osage (13-1) claimed its inaugural Class 5 trophy with a 28-0 rally Saturday night. Chaminade, making its first championship appearance in 33 years, was certainly game early on. Trailing 14-7 after one quarter, the Red Devils tied the score 14-14 following Reggie Crawford Jr’s second touchdown reception, a 33-yard endzone catch from Michael McGovern with 10:54 left in the half.
Fort Osage put the pedal to the metal with 21 points straight for the remainder of the half and possessed a 35-14 lead at intermission. The momentum carried over into the third and the Indians punctuated the streak with Donte Dotson’s six-yard endzone catch with 7:40 left that resulted in a 42-14 lead.
Chaminade (12-2) was outscored in the second half, 28-14, in its setback.
CLASS 4 – KEARNEY 17 WEBB CITY 14
This weekend’s tightest, and most emotional, game saw Kearney (14-1) top the five-time defending Class 4 champ to raise its first trophy since 2009. Tied 7-7 deep into the first half, Kearney’s Dawson Goepferich launched a 44-yard field goal with 1:32 left in the half to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead.
Kearney extended its lead to 17-7 with 1:05 left in the third quarter following Marcus Harris’ one-yard touchdown plunge. In the final quarter, Webb City narrowed the score to 17-14 following Tyson Roderique’s three-yard quarterback keeper with 4:22 left to play. With its final possession, Webb City (14-1) pushed the ball to the red zone with under a minute to play, but an ensuing goal-line fumble forced and collected by Kearney’s Ethan Luft secured the three-point win.
CLASS 3 – JOHN BURROUGHS 30 ODESSA 6
John Burroughs (14-1) hoisted its inaugural Show-Me Bowl trophy, the only one raised by a local team this weekend, by posting 30 points uncontested Saturday afternoon. Leading 3-0 in the first quarter, Bombers’ RB Jake Bain scampered for a 13-yard touchdown run with :51 left to help push the score to 10-0.
In the second quarter, John Burroughs’ kicker Suleman Burrows connected with a 24-yard field goal at the 6:11 mark to push the score to 13-0. Bain’s 54-yard touchdown run deep in the frame helped the Bombers possess a 20-0 lead at intermission.
John Burroughs, paced by a stingy defense, pushed its lead to 23-0 with 3:17 left in the quarter following Burrows’ 37-yard field goal. The Bombers secured the advantage, and outright snagged the Class 3 title, with 7:52 left in the third as Bain collected his third touchdown run, a 59-yard TD scamper that extended the score to 30-0.
Bain, only a sophomore, finished the game with 261 yards rushing via 31 carries.
CLASS 2 – LAMAR 37 MALDEN 0
In the battle of unbeatens, Lamar (15-0) collected its fifth straight Class 2 trophy in impressive fashion. Leading 17-0 midway through the second quarter, Lamar QB Stuart McKarus connected with Luke Hardman for a 14-yard TD strike with 4:55 left in the half to push the score to 24-0.
McKarus also hit wide receiver Anthony Wlikerson with a seven-yard touchdown pass with 1:02 left in the half to widen the lead to 31-0. Danny Embry’s one-yard TD plunge with 3:56 left in the third finished the scoring while the Tigers’ defense maintained the shutout over the Green Wave (14-1).
CLASS 1 – VALLE CATHOLIC 61 PENNEY 36
Valle Catholic, who was pressured in the last two rounds of the Class 1 playoffs, coasted in its 25-point win in the season finale. A 21-0 rally set the tone as the Warriors (15-0) extended its winning streak to 45 games. Leading 28-8 in the second period, Valle’s Garrett Jaegers snagged an interception with 8:40 left and scrambled 48 yards for a score, pushing the lead to 35-8.
Valle Catholic possessed a 47-14 lead at intermission and the Bombers sported a 61-22 lead following Tristan Huck’s one-yard TD plunge at the 11:42 mark of the final quarter. The Warriors raised its 15th Class 1 title with the victory.
In the 8-man championship held on Friday, Stanberry topped North Andrew, 46-42, to successfully defend the trophy.
