Blue Springs senior quarterback Wyatt Erickson threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats' 38-17 win at Blue Springs South on Friday night. (photo by Jimmy Gillispie) By Jimmy Gillispie BLUE SPRINGS — Wyatt Erickson made sure his last guaranteed rival game for city bragging rights ended in a win for the Wildcats. On Friday night, the Blue Springs senior quarterback threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 38-17 victory at the Blue Spring

By Jimmy Gillispie ARCHIE — A week after a rough second half that resulted in a lopsided loss at Lockwood, the Archie Whirlwinds bounced back in dominating fashion Friday night. The Whirlwinds crushed Osceola, 72-0, in front of their home crowd. It was their first shutout since Nov. 8, 2024. It was also their eighth-straight win over Osceola. “I told our boys we did exactly what we needed to do,” Archie coach Drew Smith said. “We came in from the get-go and played with the ph

By Jimmy Gillispie PLEASANT HILL — Following a pair of lopsided losses, the Roosters earned their first 2026 victory Friday night. They defeated Benton, 47-21, at Eklund Field after a pair of losses by a combined 59 points. Needless to say, the mood was a lot more positive in the locker room following the game. “I don’t know, other than Class 6A schools, if there is a school that starts off with a tougher scheduled than we do,” Pleasant Hill coach Justin Hamilton said. “That

Blue Springs senior quarterback Wyatt Erickson dives across the goal line, scoring the first touchdown of the game Friday night. Erickson also threw four touchdown passes in the Wildcats' 38-17 win over rival Blue Springs South. (photo by Jimmy Gillispie) By Jimmy Gillispie BLUE SPRINGS — For the first time since 2021, Blue Springs defeated its cross-town rival in the regular season. The Wildcats did beat Blue Springs South, 29-10, last year in the Class 6 playoffs. Tonight,

Lee’s Summit High graduate Drew Lock led the Seattle Seahawks to a come-from-behind victory Wednesday night in the opening game of the NFL season. The Seahawks beat New England, 13-10, at Lumen Field. They trailed 10-0 until late in the third quarter. Lock, the Seahawks’ second string quarterback, entered the game on the Seahawks’ second drive of the game. Starter Sam Darnold went down with a reported hip injury on the first drive of the contest. Trailing 10-3 in the fourth q

By Jimmy Gillispie Before Friday night, it had been nearly four years since Archie was on the receiving end of a lopsided loss. But, coach Drew Smith said his squad wasn’t too far from possibly pulling off the upset at Lockwood. Archie led early in the second half, but turned the ball over on four-straight possessions. Lockwood capitalized and won 79-40 on its home field. Lockwood has won the past two regular season games over Archie, but lost the past two playoff games to t

Cross country teams began competing last week, and they will continue for the next two months before the postseason ramps up late next month. Here are some Class 5A boys to keep an eye on this fall. 1. Blue Valley Southwest’s Andrew Claar has established himself as one of the top cross country runners in Kansas after a standout sophomore season. Claar finished 15th at the state meet as a freshman in 2024 before making a huge jump as a sophomore, placing third in 2025. His thi

By Jimmy Gillispie Although it was another loss on the season, Pleasant Hill coach Justin Hamilton was a lot happier about his team’s performance than he was following the season-opening shutout loss. His Roosters fell 41-20 at Maryville, falling to 0-2 on the season. Yet, Hamilton felt much better about the loss. He knew his team would have a tough opening two weeks, playing top-five teams in Class 3 and 4. “I felt completely different as the coach of this team after this ga

Liberty senior Lily Hurt, right, out sprints Liberty North junior Lucy Wright down the final stretch of the Tim Nixon Invitational on Saturday morning. Hurt won the race by less than a second. By Jimmy Gillispie LIBERTY — Two teams who are expected to compete for MSHSAA Class 5 state titles this fall won team championships Saturday at Capitol Federal Sports Complex. On the boys side, Rockhurst cruised to an easy win at the Tim Nixon Invitational. The Hawklets scored 44 points

By Jimmy Gillispie BLUE SPRINGS — Greg Jones, the second-year Ray-Pec coach, was overcome with emotions following Friday night’s overtime victory. To say it was a tough week for Jones and the Panthers is likely an understatement. A day after the Panthers’ season opening win, William Jewell College running back MicahJo Barnett – a former player of Jones and Liberty North graduate – passed away following a medical emergency during the Cardinals’ game. Additionally, three Ray-Pe

On Thursday, the Pleasant Hill softball team knocked off the defending Class 2 state champions, the Holden Eagles. The Chicks won 14-4, mercy-ruling Holden in five innings. They jumped out to an 8-0 through two innings. Pleasant Hill also defeated Excelsior Springs, 6-1, the night before. Pleasant Hill improved to 5-2 on the season with both wins last week. Here are a handful of photos from the win over Holden.

Ray-Pec senior quarterback Daccota Stamback scores the game-winning touchdown on the first play of the Panthers' offensive possession in overtime Friday night. Ray-Pec beat Blue Springs, 35-32, improving to 2-0 on the season. (photo by Jimmy Gillispie) BLUE SPRINGS — Daccota Stamback caught the snap, hesitated and sprinted through the heart of the defense before ripping off his helmet and celebrating with teammates late Friday night. He helped the Panthers take down Blue Spri

After more than two weeks of practice, cross country runners all across Kansas are beginning competitions this week. Here is a list of Kansas City area runners to watch in the Class 5A girls division. 1. Although she’s a bit outside the KC area, the Class 5A girls preseason preview wouldn’t be complete without Salina Central’s Kaylie Shultz. She has established herself as one of the most accomplished distance runners in Kansas, putting together an extraordinary career at Sali

After more than two weeks of practice, cross country runners all across Kansas are beginning competitions this week. Here is a list of Kansas City area runners to watch in the Class 6A girls division. 1. Blue Valley Northwest’s Jacob D’Souza has put together one of the most impressive distance-running progressions in the Kansas City area over the past three seasons. The Blue Valley Northwest standout finished 34th at the state cross country meet as a freshman in 2023, then m

After more than two weeks of practice, cross country runners all across Kansas are beginning competitions this week. Here is a list of Kansas City area runners to watch in the Class 6A girls division. 1. Shawnee Mission East’s Charlotte Hardy has quickly established herself as one of the premier distance runners in Kansas. The Shawnee Mission East standout has been a fixture near the top of the Class 6A state meet since her freshman season, when she finished 15th in 2023. Sh

Photo by Griff's Pix By Jimmy Gillispie PLEASANT HILL — Coach Justin Hamilton knew his team was facing one of its toughest opponents in the season opener, but he hoped for a better result. His Roosters squared off with a Savannah (1-0) team that went 10-2 last year – nearly opposite of the Roosters’ 3-8 record. They welcomed Savannah to Eklund Field on Friday night, but the Roosters fell 38-0 in a game where Hamilton said his team’s offense never got into any rhythm. “It was

Now that the season is underway, it’s time to take a look at some Kansas City area runners who will be names to watch this fall. There will always be surprises along the way, but here are a few names to keep an eye out for during the next two months. 1. Lexington's Addison Smith has established herself as the standard in Class 3 girls cross country, winning back-to-back Missouri state championships as a sophomore in 2024 and a junior in 2025. After placing 19th at the state

Now that the season is underway, it’s time to take a look at some Kansas City area runners who will be names to watch this fall. There will always be surprises along the way, but here are a few names to keep an eye out for during the next two months. 1. Odessa's Natalie Doney has been one of the most consistent distance runners in Missouri throughout her high school career, improving her state finish in each of her first three cross country seasons. After placing 50th as a f

By Jimmy Gillispie LEE’S SUMMIT — Needing a spark following a scoreless first half, the defending Class 6 state champions were propelled to victory by a sophomore with outstanding speed. Matthew Ahrens quickly put himself on a list of football players to watch in the Kansas City area. On Friday night, he scored two touchdowns – both on runs of at least 30 yards – and helped Lee’s Summit defeat Blue Springs South, 20-17, in the season opener. “We knew we had to make it ugly to

With the first meets of the season just a couple of sunsets away, runners are ready to ready to take on the 2026 season. There are a handful of Kansas City area runners who will be names to watch this fall. There will always be surprises along the way, but here are a few names to keep an eye out for during the next two months. Class 4 Girls 1. Warrensburg's Skyler Knight emerged as one of Missouri's top young distance runners during the 2025 cross country season, finishing 11