MSHSAA State Football Championship games kick off Thursday in St. Joseph

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The top fourteen high school football teams in Missouri are set to clash in St. Joseph over the next three days for the right to be called state champions.

After multiple weeks of district and state playoff games, the 2025 MSHSAA State Football Championships will be decided at Missouri Western's Spratt Stadium beginning Thursday. This year's championships mark the second consecutive year Spratt Stadium will be hosting the 8-man Show-Me Bowl game and the first time ever for the 11-man Show-Me Bowl games for Classes 1 through 6.

"This is the only place high school football is being played in the state of Missouri this weekend," St Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely said. "All roads lead here. Every team in the state of Missouri's goal when they started practice in August was to play in a state championship game in St. Joseph, Missouri. Now 14 teams still realize that goal. There's probably a number of student athletes and coaches on these teams that have never been here before or haven't been that often."

The historic moment for St. Joseph brings a mix of local flavor in neighboring teams like Rockport, Worth County and Platte County as well as teams like Lee's Summit, Lift For Life (St. Louis) and Kearney.

For those new or less familiar with St. Joseph, Esley hopes the championships help highlight parts of the city that can help bring in more visitors in the future.

"What I've learned from working at a tourism office now for almost four complete years is you learn a lot more about your community from visitors," Esely said. "I think when visitors come, especially for events like this, they're excited. They want to find the best local, hangout spot, bar and grill, steakhouse you name it. From a sports commission standpoint, we really focus on the function of the event, and what our participants see when they come here."

The seven championship games will be held from Thursday Dec. 4 through Saturday Dec. 6 at Spratt Stadium at Missouri Western, located at 4525 Downs Drive.

8-Man Championship Game: Rock Port (13-0) vs. Worth County (12-1)
Time/Date: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4

The battle for the 8-man state title features a rematch from the start of football season between the Rock Port Blue Jays and the Worth County Tigers. The season opener between the two teams saw Rock Port come out on top 34-26.

The Blue Jay's early season win sparked their undefeated season and quest to capture their first state championship since 1985, as they make their first title appearance since 1990.

The fulcrum for Rock Port's success offensively is junior running back Brock Holmes. Holmes leads all running backs in the 8-man football in rushing yards (2778), rushing yards per game (213.7) and touchdowns (57).

On the defensive side of the ball, junior defensive back Jack Meyerkorth ranks third in interceptions with eight on the year.

For the Tigers they come in riding 11-consecutive wins with their only loss coming against the Blue Jays. In the prior season, Worth County lost to North Shelby in the quarterfinals.

Paving the way for the Tigers success is senior linebacker Lucas Frisch and junior running back Cole Ruby. Frisch ranks third in total tackles (141) while Ruby is fifth among all players in rushing yards (1484) and fourth in touchdowns (28)

Class 3 State Championship Game: Lift For Life (10-4) vs. Seneca (12-1)
Time/Date: 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5

The first match of the 11-man Show-Me Bowl games will be for the Class 3 championship, featuring a rematch from last years playoffs between Lift For Life and Seneca. The last meeting between the teams saw the Indians shutout the Hawks 31-0.

For the Hawks, their path to the championship this season was one that saw them overcome adversity, losing the final two games of the regular season after previously being 10-2. A big part of the team's success throughout the year has been the play of senior quarterback Phoenix Isaiah and senior wide receiver Tony Woolfolk Jr.

Isaiah ranks second among passers in the state with 196 completions for 3,049 passing yards, 39 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Eleven of his 39 touchdowns went to Woolfolk Jr., who is 4th among receivers with 1,103 receiving yards.

As for the Indians, their lone loss came in the regular season finale, losing by a single point to the Lamar Tigers. Since then, they have been on a roll, with their opponents scoring 21 points or less throughout the postseason.

Class 1 State Championship Game: Putnam County (13-0) vs. Tipton (12-1)
Time/Date: 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5

For the Class 1 championship game, the undefeated Putnam County Midgets will take on the Tipton Cardinals.

The Midgets are in the midst of their first ever undefeated season and second consecutive season with 6-plus wins. Throughout the season Putnam has outscored opponents by an average of 43.5 points per game, while the defense has held opponents to average of just 8.5 point per game.

The Cardinals have had similar success, scoring 44.2 points per game and holding opponents to 9.1 points per game, making for another competitive matchup for the state crown.

Class 5 State Championship Game: Platte County (13-0) vs. Carthage (12-1)
Time/Date: 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5

The Class 5 crown will come down to a showdown between the powerhouse Platte County Pirates and the Carthage Tigers.

For the Pirates, they are close to making history with two consecutive undefeated seasons and being named back-to-back state championships for the first time since they completed a 3-peat from 2000 to 2002.

As for Carthage, this marks their second championship appearance and first since winning it all back in 2019. The Tigers were nearly perfect in the regular season, only losing to one of the Class 6 finalists in Nixa by a score of 38 -22.

Class 4 State Championship: Kearney (13-0) vs. Hannibal (11-2)
Time/Date: 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6

The Class 4 championship pits the Kearney Bulldogs against the Hannibal Pirates.

Kearney makes their seventh Class 4 championship and is looking to win their first title since 2023. This past season marked the team's fourth consecutive season with 10+ wins and the second time they have done so in school history (2013-2016).

For the Pirates, they are in uncharted territory as they make their first ever Class 4 championship appearance in school history. This past season marked an all-time best by the Hannibal defense, limiting opponents to 10.1 points per game.

Class 2 State Championship: St. Pius X Festus (9-5)  vs. Blair Oaks (13-0)
Time/Date: 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6

The battle for Class 2 comes down to the St. Pius X-Festus Lancers and the Blair Oaks Falcons.

The Lancers have had an up-and-down season, as they started off with three straight-losses, winning the next four games and finally ending the regular season on a two-game losing streak. They have overcome their obstacles to make the Class 2 Championship for the first time.

A huge part of the team's success is junior running back Cody Shaver, who ranks sixth in 11-man play in rushing yards with 1,739 yards on 200 carries.

For Blair Oaks, they are looking to add a seventh Class 2 Championship and fifth under current coach Ted LePage.

This season, the Falcons held their opponents to 6.2 points per game, which is one of the lowest among all the teams in the championship field.

Class 6 State Championship: Lee’s Summit (9-4) vs. Nixa (13-0)
Time/Date: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6

To finish off the championships slate, Class 6 will see the Lee's Summit Tigers take on the Nixa Eagles.

Lee's Summit comes in riding a 9-game win streak (including the playoffs) as they make their first championship appearance since 1985. During the regular season the Tigers were 2-3 in road games.

For the Eagles, they come in riding back-to-back 13-win seasons and are one win away now from capturing a championship for the first time in school history.

They are led by senior running back Jayden McCaster and senior defensive back Randy Flint. Among all players, McCaster is second in rushing yards (2035) and first in touchdowns (36) while Flint is among the top leaders in interceptions (8).