Friday Fast Break – HSSC – November 18, 2022

The Missouri State High School Activities Association football playoffs are in the home stretch as a pair of local teams will play in the Class 6 semifinals while other area squads head to the state quarterfinals. It is also state championship weekend at the WorldWide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo., as seven local teams look to bring more state titles back to the metro area.

Let’s take a look at a busy weekend in today’s edition of the Friday Fast Break.

The Metro Catholic Conference sees two of their football teams head to the Class 6 semifinals as CBC and De Smet will look to a possible re-match next week in Columbia, Mo., at the state finals.

The Cadets will travel to Liberty, Mo., to take on Liberty North in the first semifinal contest Saturday at 1 p.m. This is a rematch of last year’s title game which saw CBC defeat the Eagles 48-21. The Cadets will rely on the rushing attack of Dylan Vann and Jeremyah Love to get back to the championship game. Love leads CBC in rushing with 908 yards and 16 touchdowns while Vann has added 788 yards and 12 more scores. Quarterback Cole McKey has had an outstanding season to this point with 101 completions for 1,552 yards and 21 touchdowns. Jeremiah McClellan has been the go-to receiver for the Cadets with 949 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year. Liberty North will hang their hat on the defensive side of the ball as the Eagles have not allowed more than 14 in a game all season.

After playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, De Smet returns to the semifinal contest for the third time in four years as the Spartans will host Lee’s Summit North Friday at 7 p.m. De Smet needed to travel for all of their district contests, which included a 44-21 victory over Rock Bridge in the title game. Quarterback Christian Cotton has accounted for 1,616 yards through the air and 14 scores while rushing for another 1,078 yards and 17 touchdowns. Demetrion Cannon has been Cotton’s favorite target outside with 639 receiving yards and five scores. The Broncos enter the semifinal with an 11-1 record as their only loss was to Liberty North in the season’s opening game. Lee’s Summit North has allowed only 6.7 points per game over the last seven contests.

In Class 5, two GAC rivals will meet up for the second time this season in the quarterfinals as Francis Howell takes on Timberland. The Vikings handed the Wolves a 49-14 defeat earlier this season and are coming off a 42-7 win over Fort Zumwalt North in the district final. Adam Shipley is the leader of the Vikings offense with over 1,700 yards passing and 22 scores while adding another 406 yards rushing with eight touchdowns. Timberland enters the contest after traveling to Helias and returning home with a 41-24 win over Helias to claim the district crown. AJ Raines paces the Wolves offense with 2,845 yards through the air and 32 touchdown passes, adding 1,065 yards rushing and another 15 scores.

Here is a complete list of the MSHSAA football playoff games this weekend:

Class 6:

• CBC at Liberty North – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• Lee’s Summit North at De Smet – Friday – 7 p.m.

Class 5:

• Cape Central at MICDS – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• Grain Valley at Ft. Osage – Friday – 7 p.m.
• Howell at Timberland – Friday – 7 p.m.
• Carthage at Lebanon – Saturday – 2 p.m.

Class 4:

• Hillsboro at St. Mary’s – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• Center at Smithville – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• Parkway Central at St. Dominic – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• Hannibal at West Plains – Friday – 7 p.m.

Class 3:

• Cardinal Ritter at Park Hill Central – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• Pleasant Hill at Maryville – Saturday – 1 p.m.
• St. Charles West at Sullivan – Friday – 7 p.m.
• Reeds Springs at Boonville – Saturday – 1 p.m.

Class 2:

• Blair Oaks vs Lift for Life – Saturday – 1 p.m. at Cardinal Ritter

Class 1:

• Portageville at Duchesne – Saturday – 1 p.m.

The field is set for the boys’ soccer semifinals Friday as seven teams will make their way to the pitch in Fenton.

In Class 1, Bishop DuBourg defeated Brentwood 3-0 to advance to the state semifinals for the first time since 1979 while Borgia advanced to take on the Cavaliers with a convincing 7-0 victory over Duchesne. The rivals from the AAA conference will play Friday at 10 a.m.

In Class 2, Orchard Farm moved on to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over Helias and will face Saxony Lutheran, who defeated Principia 1-0. That match-up will happen Friday at 2:30 p.m.

In Class 3, Webster Groves returns to the state semifinals after defeating Cape Notre Dame 4-0 Saturday. The Statesmen are back in the state final four for the first time since 2019. They will take on Whitfield, who beat Fort Zumwalt East 1-0. The defending Class 2 champion Warriors moved up in class this season and will look to win their ninth state title.

A pair of local teams will match up in the Class 4 semifinals as CBC heads back to the final four for the first time since 2018 as the Cadets defeated Lindbergh 1-0 Saturday. CBC is looking for its 11th state championship. They will take on St. Dominic after the Crusaders beat Chaminade 2-1. St. Dominic will attempt to win their sixth and first state championship since 2013.

Here is the complete Friday schedule for the MSHSAA Boys’ Soccer Championships:

Class 1:

• Bishop DuBourg vs Borgia – 10 a.m.
• New Covenant Academy vs Summit Christian – Noon

Class 2:

• Saxony Lutheran vs Orchard Farm – 2:30 p.m.
• Marshall vs Excelsior Springs – 5 p.m.

Class 3:

• Webster Groves vs Whitfield – 11 a.m.
• Glendale vs Kansas City East – 1:30 p.m.

Class 4 –

• CBC vs St. Dominic – 4 p.m.
• Rockhurst vs Rock Bridge – 7 p.m.