Missouri high school football: semifinals roundup (11/26/2023)

CBC and Cardinal Ritter earn chance to repeat as champions

The matchups for next weekend's seven Missouri high school football championship games are set after another memorable semifinals weekend.

Check out all of the results from Friday's and Saturday's at our statewide Missouri football scoreboard and our updated Missouri football playoff brackets to take a look at next weekend's championship matchups.

The seven championship games at Memorial Stadium in Columbia will kick off with the 8-man championship at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 30. The Class 3 (11 a.m.), Class 1 (3 p.m.) and Class 5 (7 p.m.) championships will be on Friday, December 1, and then the Class 4 (11 a.m.), Class 2 (3 p.m.) and Class 6 (7 p.m.) title games will be on Saturday, December 2.

Missouri high school football semifinals recap

Liberty North 28, Rockhurst 27 (OT) 

An extra point conversion by Bleu Renfrow helped Liberty North return to the Missouri Class 6 championship game for the second time in three seasons – and second time in school history.

The Eagles secured a 28-27 win over visiting Rockhurst on Friday night in an epic Class 6 semifinal.

MicahJo Barnett had the game-tying touchdown before Renfrow booted the extra point on the second possession of overtime.

Rockhurst (11-2) got the ball first and scored on a 1-yard sneak by Ethan Hansen. The extra point was blocked.

Liberty North (12-1) defeated Rockhurst for the second time this season. The Eagles won 35-7 in the first meeting.

Renfrow had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 38-yard field goal at the buzzer, which set up overtime.

The teams were tied at 7-7 at halftime and it was 21-21 after regulation.

Rockhurst got the game tied at 21 with 3:37 left on a 35-yard touchdown by Aidan Ryan. On the 2-point conversion, Hansen hit Mitch Forbes for the game-tying points.

That score was set up by a fumble recovery by Micah Oder.

Liberty North took a 21-13 lead on a touchdown pass from Tillman Martin to Jayshawn Ross. It was Martin’s second touchdown pass in the game.

In the first quarter, Martin had a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joe Hall for an initial 7-0 lead.

Hansen hit Jack Bichelmeyer for a 23-yard score with 6:18 to go in the second to tie the game. Liberty North went up 14-7 in the third on an 18-yard touchdown run by JaCorey Love.

Hansen connected with Bichelmeyer for a 72-yard score with 4:02 to go in the third, but the extra point failed. That's what forced the Hawklets to go for two later in the fourth.

Liberty North will face two-time reigning Class 6 champion CBC in the title game on Dec. 2 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia – the third playoff meeting between the schools in three years. The Eagles faced CBC in the 2021 championship game and lost 48-21. A year ago, CBC defeated host Liberty North in the semifinals.

MISSOURI CLASS 6 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

CBC 31, De Smet 28

Two-time reigning Class 6 champion CBC is heading back to the championship game.

The Cadets rallied late with 17 points in the fourth quarter in a 31-28 win over visiting De Smet on Saturday in a Class 6 semifinal game. The win sets up a rematch of the 2021 title game against Liberty North.

Ohio State pledge Jeremiah McClellan, who missed the previous three games with a foot injury, caught nine passes for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His first score tied the game at 21 with just less than 11 minutes left to play and his second came with 50.9 seconds left — and on fourth down.

De Smet (10-2) had just taken a 28-24 lead on a touchdown pass from Dillon Cuff to Mason Skornia with 2:24 left.

The Spartans trailed at halftime but got a pair of defense scores from Josiah Huston (interception return) and Trevor Collard (fumble return) to take a 21-14 lead a minute into the third quarter.

CBC will play Liberty for the third straight year in the postseason after the two met in the semifinals last year. The Cadets have won the past two meetings. 

MISSOURI CLASS 6 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Cardinal Ritter 52, Cape Central 22

Cardinal Ritter is headed back to Columbia with a chance to win its second straight title, but it will come in a bigger class this fall.

The Lions hammered Cape Central on Saturday, 52-22, to run their win streak to 27 in a row after winning the Class 3 title last year with a 14-0 record.

Now 13-0 this year in Class 5, the Lions will face Republic in the state championship game.

Junior wide receiver Dejerrian Miller caught five passes for 130 yards and three touchdown catches and junior running back Jamarion Parker, an Arkansas commit, ran for 153 yards and three TDs for the Lions. 

The Lions turned three turnovers by the Tigers (10-4) into touchdowns in the first half and led 30-3 at halftime.

Keyshawn Boyd had two touchdowns on the ground for Cape Central, which was vying for its second trip ever to the finals. The running back finished his sophomore season with 30 touchdowns.

MISSOURI CLASS 3 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Republic 21, Webb City 20

For the first time in program history, Republic is headed to a state championship game in football.

The Tigers held off Central Ozark Conference foe Webb City, 21-20, on Saturday at home to earn a berth in the Class 5 finals. Republic had been 0-3 in its previous semifinal appearances.

The win pushes Republic to 2-22 overall against Webb City. Last year the first win came in the district semifinals but a reshuffling had them in an opposite district this year.

Earlier in the season, Webb City posted a 42-21 win over Republic.

Republic (12-2) got the game-winning score on the final play of the third quarter. Wyatt Woods threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Caide White on a 4th-and-1 situation.

Kaleb Norman intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory for Republic, which draws Cardinal Ritter in the finals on Dec. 1 in Columbia.

The game featured five lead changes and two early Webb City scores helped them overcome a 7-0 deficit.

The Cardinals (10-3) took the lead on back-to-back touchdowns. Gabe Johnson threw a 45-yard touchdown to Jackson Lucas for the first score, but the Cardinals missed the extra points. Next, Omari Jackson added a 4-yard run, but the two-point conversion failed as well.

Johnson’s 43-yard run gave the Cardinals a 20-14 lead prior to the final score.

MISSOURI CLASS 5 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Park Hills Central 48, Blair Oaks 43

Park Hills Central knocked off Class 3's top-ranked team, Blair Oaks, in a quarterfinal game on Saturday.

This will be the first time ever the Rebels have played for a state championship. Park Hills Central will draw Seneca in the championship game at 1 p.m. on Friday in Columbia.

Blair Oaks (11-2) won the Class 2 championship a year ago and was looking to win another title in Class 3 after moving up a classification. 

Central (10-3) has now won seven in a row after a streak of losing three in a row in September.

Casen Murphy threw five touchdowns and four of them came in the first half as the Rebels built an impressive 36-14 lead. All five of the scores went to different receivers. Jobe Bryant and Jaxon Jones each scored a pair of touchdowns – a run and a catch – for the Rebels. 

MISSOURI CLASS 3 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Hillsboro 34, Lutheran North 14

The Brown brothers ran wild on Saturday as Hillsboro earned its first trip to the state championship game with a 34-14 win over visiting Lutheran North in the Class 4 semifinals.

Payton Brown, a senior running back and linebacker who recently committed to Southeast Missouri State, ran for 146 yards and a touchdown and also snagged an interception on defense.

Preston Brown, the Hawks’ junior quarterback, ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for two more. The younger brother Brown threw for 97 yards and ran for 146 yards — like his brother did — on 21 carries.

Hillsboro (12-1) advances to play Kearney (12-2) in the Class 4 championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday in Columbia. 

MISSOURI CLASS 4 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Kearney 42, Jefferson City 7

Kearney secured its sixth trip to a state championship game rolling past host Jefferson City, 42-7, on Saturday.

The Bulldogs return to the Class 4 finals for the first time since back-to-back trips in 2015 and 2016. Kearney is 4-1 in its previous five trips.

The Jays were seeking their 13th trip to the finals and the first since 1998.

Jefferson City (9-5) scored first on a 1-yard run by Jacob Wilson on the opening drive, going 84 yards in six plays.

Kearney, 1-2 at one point this season, responded with 28 points in the first half to take a three-score lead at the break.

Casey Rooney had an 8-yard run and then threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Manny Linthacum after a turnover by Jefferson City.

Another Jefferson City turnover, a fumble, led to a. 2-yard touchdown run by Cameron Emmons with 3:30 left in the second.

Emmons added a second touchdown run with 22 seconds left in the first half.

Kearney added two long touchdowns in the second half to account for the final score. Corbin Emmons had a 55-yard run on a hook-and-ladder play after getting a lateral from Linthacum. With 2:06 left in the third, Rooney connected with Linthacum for a 91-yard score.

The Bulldogs will face Hillsboro in the Class 4 finals on Dec. 2 at Faurot Field in Columbia.

MISSOURI CLASS 4 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Lamar 47, Bowling Green 16

Lamar is returning to a state championship game after knocking off previously-unbeaten Bowling Green, 47-16, in a Class 2 semifinal game at home on Saturday.

This is the Tigers’ 12th trip to the finals since 2010 and the fourth year in a row. However, Lamar has lost the past two title games.

Lamar ran for 295 yards and limited the Bowling Green offense, which was averaging 56.8 points per game, to just two touchdowns.

The Tigers (12-1) scored the first four touchdowns of the game and built a lead that the Bobcats (13-1) couldn’t recover from.

In the 27-0 scoring barrage in the first half, Alex Wilkerson ran for a touchdown, threw two touchdowns to Ian Ngugi and had an interception that led to a score. Chase Querry also added a 32-yard run for the Tigers.

Wilkerson threw a third touchdown in the third quarter and also had a 47-yard interception return for a score. He finished with three interceptions on defense. Wilkerson added a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth to cap the scoring. Wilkerson ran for 82 yards and threw for 95 yards and six total touchdowns.

Blayne Bryant had a pair of scores for Bowling Green.

Lamar will take on Valle Catholic (12-1) in the Class 2 state title game at 3 p.m. on Dec. 2. Valle is second all-time in Missouri with 15 state championships. 

MISSOURI CLASS 2 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Valle Catholic 51, Fair Grove 26

Valle Catholic will bring home state trophy No. 20 next weekend. The only thing left to be determined if it will be state title No. 16 or runner-up finish No. 5.

The state power from Ste. Genevieve rolled past Fair Grove, 51-26, in a Class 2 semifinal game on Saturday at Father John Dempsey Field. It’s the Warriors' first trip to the finals since 2019 and a win would tie them with Webb City for the most in MSHSAA history.

The Warriors (12-1) will enter Saturday's title against Lamar with a 12-game win streak.

Valle Catholic scored 17 seconds into the game on a 73-yard touchdown run by Grant Fallert. The quarterback finished with two touchdowns and 151 yards on the ground while throwing two touchdowns.

Running back Alex Viox accounted for three touchdowns and even had to play quarterback for a while when Fallert was injured. Viox ran for 183 yards on 20 carries in the win.

MISSOURI CLASS 2 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Seneca 41, St. Pius X 17

Seneca is returning to the state finals for the first time in a decade.

The Indians hammered visiting St. Pius X 41-17 in a Class 3 semifinal on Saturday for the team’s 13th straight win.

After falling behind 3-0, Seneca scored the next 41 in a row to take command. The Indians will face Park Hills Central on Dec. 1 in Columbia. The last time the Indians made the final was in 2013, falling to Maryville in St. Louis.

Seneca took the lead for good when quarterback Gavyn Hoover hit Hagen Ginger for a 53-yard touchdown with 5:40 left in the first quarter. The Indians (13-0) never trailed from there.

Hoover threw for 91 yards and ran for 96 yards and two scores to help the Indians rally. Jackson Marrs added two scores for Seneca and ran for 185 yards.

MISSOURI CLASS 3 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

North Platte 54, Milan 34

North Platte is headed to the state game for the first time since 1998.

The Panthers got four touchdowns from quarterback Colton Kirkham and beat visiting Milan, 54-34, in a Class 1 semifinal on Saturday.

The victory was the 10th in a row for the Panthers and they will face Marionville on Dec. 1 for the title at Faurot Field.

Marionville beat St. Vincent in the other semifinal. Had St. Vincent won, there would’ve been a rematch from the 1998 title game where North Platte won 30-7. That is still the only boys championship won by North Platte.

Milan (11-2) struck first in the game but three of the next four scores were by North Platte, which gave them control.

Held scoreless in the first quarter, Liam Servaes got on the board early in the second on a 2-yard run. Kirkham connected with Chance Garber for the 2-point conversion. Dylan Armstrong’s first touchdown was followed by his 2-point conversion, which made it 16-7.

Kirkham’s touchdown and Garber’s 2-point conversion with 1 second left gave the Panthers a 24-14 lead at the break.

North Platte got the ball to open the third quarter and scored to make it an 18-point cushion. Kirkham capped the drive with a 6-yard run 1:11 into the third.

Later in the game, Kirkham had a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jaxson Armstrong that capped a 96-yard drive. With 3:05 left, Kirkham’s fourth score was a 24-yard run.

MISSOURI CLASS 1 FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET

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- Cody Thorn | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveMiz