The Mid-Buchanan Dragons scored three unanswered touchdowns late in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon, breaking open a tight game against conference rival Penney, beating the host Hornets 41-21. The win sends the Dragons into the Class 1 state semifinals on Saturday at 1 to play Lincoln, a 38-14 winner over Adrian.
On the opposite side of the Class 1 bracket, the Westran Hornets will host Hayti on Saturday. In the state quarterfinals, Westran rolled to a 35-6 win over Lewis & Clark rival Fayette, while Hayti clobbered Thayer 46-12.
In eight-man, the Worth County Tigers look poised to protect their state title won a season ago, as in a snowy and windy backdrop on Saturday in Grant City, the Tigers took down Pattonsburg in a 56-0 final score. On Saturday at 2 o’clock at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, the Tigers will play the Mound City Panthers for the 2018 state championship, as Mound City won big at Orrick in the semifinal round, 72-12.
Perhaps the top matchup in the state on Saturday will be at Lathrop High School, where the unbeaten Mules, coming off a decisive 41-14 win over Summit Christian on Friday night, host the Lamar Tigers, the seven-time defending Class 2 state champions, who survived a quarterfinal challenge from Ava, before winning 35-30.
In the other Class 2 semifinal, Lutheran North will play Blair Oaks. On Saturday, LNHS walloped Caruthersville 51-8, while Blair Oaks cruised past the Clarence Cannon Conference’s Clark County Indians 55-6.
The Maryville Spoofhounds, looking for back-to-back state titles in Class 3, will be in St. Louis on Saturday afternoon, playing Trinity Catholic in the state semifinals. Maryville beat Odessa on Saturday afternoon at a cold and windy “Hound Pound” 29-6, with TCHS, on Friday night, beating Southern Boone, 27-17.
Also in Class 3, Cardinal Ritter, a 42-9 quarterfinal winner over Kennett, will take on Mound Vernon, a 26-18 winner on Saturday afternoon over Springfield Catholic.
The Smithville Warriors are into the Class 4 state semifinals. Smithville hammered visiting Warrensburg on Friday night 45-6, sending the Warriors to St. Louis this Saturday, for a meeting with MICDS, a 34-21 quarterfinal winner over Hannibal.
Other scores from across the state this past weekend were:
Class 5:
Fort Osage 33, Staley 3
Columbia Battle 26, Fort Zumwalt North 14
Vianney 69, Jackson 28
Carthage 43, Lebanon 8
Class 6:
Rockhurst 14, Blue Springs 13
CBC 56, Joplin 21