The Lawson Cardinals, at 11-2, continue to have the look of a team capable of winning a Class 2 state title, with Todd Dunn’s team opening quickly with two first-quarter touchdowns on Saturday, and never giving up the advantage in a 35-19 win over Summit Christian Academy, sending the KCI runner-up Cardinals into the state semifinals, and a meeting with Trinity Catholic.
Cody Glenn, in the quarterfinal win, opened the scoring with a 46 yard strike to Max Ross, followed by a six-yard touchdown run by Adrean Eskew. Two extra points off the toe of Glenn gave the Cardinals the 14-0 advantage.
SCA played its best in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns to Lawson’s one, cutting the halftime score to a manageable 20-13. Glenn and Ross, in the quarter, connected on their second score of the game for LHS, this one from 14 yards.
Lawson’s defense stiffened in the second half, holding Summit Christian to just a late-game scoring run of three yards, while touchdown runs by Colton Williams (4 yards) and Eskew (11 yards) put the game away.
Lawson’s semifinal opponent, Trinity Catholic, ripped Malden in the “Southeast Missouri” quarterfinal, 53-13 on Friday night. TCHS will play at Lawson this Saturday at 1 o’clock, with a trip to Springfield going to the winner.
Brentwood downed Centralia 27-20 and Lamar pounded Mountain View (Liberty) 42-7 in the other Class 2 quarterfinals, matching up Brentwood and Lamar on Saturday at 1.
In Class 3, the #1 ranked Maryville Spoofhounds received a stern test for the second consecutive week, but rallied from 9-8 halftime deficit to defeat Kansas City Center 23-15. A 31 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter from MHS quarterback Trey Oglesby (to Eli Dowis) extended Maryville’s lead from 16-15 to 23-15, just enough space to hold on for the win.
The result sends Maryville to St. Louis this Saturday at 1 o’clock for a semifinal battle with Miller Career Academy, a 34-21 winner in the quarterfinal round against Park Hills Central. The other Class 3 semifinal, on Saturday will find Monett (a 48-20 quarterfinal winner over Owensville) playing at McCluer South-Berkeley (a 34-10 winner at Blair Oaks).
In Class 4, #1 ranked Kearney beat #2 ranked Hannibal in a Saturday afternoon showdown at Kearney High School 28-21. The Bulldogs will play Ladue Horton Watkins in the state semifinals, after LHW downed Cape Girardeau Central on Friday night, 31-28. The other side of the bracket will find Parkway North (17-7 winner over Parkway West) playing Harrisonville (27-21 winner over Webb City) on Saturday afternoon.
In Class 5, quarterfinals were played on Friday night, with Vianney outscoring Chaminade 63-44, Staley doubling up Park Hill South 42-21, Fort Zumwalt North claiming a 52-22 win over Springfield Glendale, and Columbia Battle belting Belton 52-29. On Friday night at 7 o’clock, Staley plays at Vianney in semifinal #1, followed by Battle against Fort Zumwalt North on Saturday afternoon.
The Class 1 through Class 5 state championship games will be played over two days (Friday, November 25th and Saturday, November 26th) at Plaster Stadium on the Missouri State University campus in Springfield.
