Hornets move into district final with 33-23 win over West Platte

The Penney High School Hornets defeated the West Platte Blue Jays on Friday night, moving into the Class 1, District 4 championship game with a 33-23 win at Alumni Field in Hamilton, broadcast on KGOZ FM 101.7. 

Following a West Platte field goal on the first possession of the game, the Penney offense began to show steady improvement in the run game, with a 24 yard burst by Carter Kanoy with 7 seconds remaining in the opening quarter giving the Hornets a 6-3 lead.  Tom Johnson had the call on KGOZ: 

Special teams played a huge role in the contest, particularly in the early stages of the second quarter.  A thrilling 59 yard punt return for a touchdown by Penney’s Sawyer Ford gave the home team, with a two-point conversion by Isac Bales-Rodriguez, a 14-3 lead: 

The following kickoff from Penney was returned 72 yards for a West Platte touchdown by Alex Kinslow, with a successful two-point run cutting the Hornets lead to 14-11. 

Hamilton regained a two-score lead with a 35 yard touchdown run by quarterback Titus McBee with 4 minutes remaining in the half: 

A 35 yard scoring strike from Cogan to Masoner with 18 seconds remaining in the half cut the Penney halftime lead to 20-17. 

In the third quarter, the teams traded three-yard rushing touchdowns, with a scoring run by Penney’s Cooley matched by West Platte’s Cogan.  The score after three quarters was 27-23 Penney. 

In the fourth quarter, a three-yard touchdown run by McBee with 9:25 remaining made the score 33-23.  The Hornets defense stiffened late, holding the Blue Jays off the scoreboard, with an interception with 3:22 remaining clinching the win. 

Here are the state sectional scores from Friday, November 15, 2024: 

Eight-Man: 

Lockwood 51, Greenfield 8 

Archie 52, Appleton City 30 

Bishop LeBlond 76, Plattsburg 22

 Rock Port 30, Nodaway Valley 28 

Concordia 61, Slater 12

Braymer 84, Wellington-Napoleon 46

Worth County 40, Albany 34 

North Shelby 58, Paris 26

Class 1: 

St. Vincent 49, Van-Far 8 (Saturday) 

Crystal City 36, Charleston 34

Marionville 26, Pierce City 7

Adrian 27, Ash Grove 0 

Tipton 42, Salisbury 6

Harrisburg 14, Westran 10 

Penney 33, West Platte 23 

North Platte 15, Putnam County 14 (on KTTN FM 92.3) 

Class 2: 

Valle Catholic 63, Caruthersville 21

Bowling Green 28, Hermann 20 

Lamar 15, Warsaw 13 

Pembroke Hill 36, KIPP KC Legacy 6

Lafayette County 82, Tolton Catholic 41

Fair Grove 42, Liberty (Mountain View) 14

South Shelby 6, Monroe City 0 

Mid-Buchanan 26, Brookfield 14

Class 3: 

Dexter 28, Ste. Genevieve 13

Lift for Life 14, John Burroughs 10 (Saturday) 

Mount Vernon 28, Strafford 21 

Seneca 64, Forsyth 7 

Hallsville 37, Moberly 36

Blair Oaks 49, Boonville 6 

Odessa 48, Oak Grove 0 

Maryville 49, Cameron 42

Class 4: 

Festus 43, Perryville 0 

Gateway 28, Pacific 14

Warrenton 42, Hannibal 28 

West Plains 24, Bolivar 21

Lutheran North 80, Miller Career Academy 0 

Parkway North 46, Orchard Farm 14

Warrensburg 38, Pleasant Hill 35

Kearney 34, Savannah 7 

Class 5: 

Cardinal Ritter 56, Cape Girardeau (Central) 14

Lafayette (Wildwood) 42, Washington 7 

Helias Catholic 30, Lebanon 18 

Republic 35, Branson 10 

MICDS 38, Hazelwood East 14

Fort Zumwalt West 45, North Point 8 

Webb City 42, Carthage 28 

Platte County 45, St. Pius X (KC) 23 

Class 6: 

Jackson 49, Seckman 28 

Kirkwood 28, CBC 26

Nixa 48, Joplin 21 

Lee’s Summit North 29, Lee’s Summit 15

De Smet Jesuit 35, St. Louis University High 0 

Rock Bridge 43, Troy Buchanan 19 

Liberty 28, Blue Springs South 7 

Park Hill 31, Oak Park 21