Archie seniors prove haters wrong, win second state title

Editor's Note: From December 2024

By Jimmy Gillispie

ST. JOSEPH — Mystery surrounded the Archie football team entering the 2024 season because of what it had lost to graduation.

The Whirlwinds were eight months removed from their first-ever 8-man state championship. They capped a dominant season with a 40-26 victory over Worth County in the title game. 

Archie completed one of the most dominant seasons in state history with an undefeated 14-0 record. It averaged 71.7 points per game while allowing just 10.4 points per game, and most of the games reached the mercy-rule mark by halftime.

The 2023 team lost seven seniors to graduation. Gone was the starting quarterback, starting running back, three linemen and two rotation skill players. All of those players also started on the defensive side of the ball. Four of the Whirlwinds were selected to the 8-man all-state team.

“A lot of people were saying it was all because of the seniors last year,” Archie senior Shane Heider said after Saturday’s state championship. “This was all about us wanting to prove to ourselves and everyone around us that this year seniors were a big part of that, too.”

Fellow senior Brayden Daniels agreed, saying people doubted Archie this season because former quarterback Briar McIntire, who started for three years, graduated to continue his career at Missouri Southern.

“There was a lot of talk that we were going to lose because we don't have Briar anymore,” Daniels said. “Briar was a tremendous player. Tristan said he was coming in to take over and I told him I got his back. That really meant a lot to us because we really had something to prove in ourselves and to everyone else.”

Despite the disbelief in this year's squad, Archie began its season with two wins over top-10 opponents whom it has still not lost to in 8-man football. Archie beat Lockwood and Appleton City to kickoff its 2024 campaign.

Both games were much closer than they were a year prior, but the end results were the same – Archie victory. Six of the seven remaining regular season games were blowouts, with the one exception being a comfortable victory at Bishop LeBlond, a top-10 team.

In the postseason, Archie had to face all three of those top-10 teams once again. And yet, once again, the Whirlwinds prevailed with three victories, averaging a margin of victory of more than 18 points per game.

This year’s Archie squad averaged 55.3 points while allowing 19.9 points per game. It wasn’t as dominant as it was in 2023, but the end result was the same.

Archie won all 14 of its games and capped its season with a state championship. This year’s class of 11 seniors proved they could win it all again, despite key injures to a pair of seniors for most of the year.

“This senior class has gotten overlooked often because of the senior class from last year's team,” Smith said. “Last year’s senior class had all of the talent, all the big names, the size and the athleticism. They were the class that everyone looked up to, and they were always a senior class to the junior class last year. 

“This year senior class never had to be the dudes and the leaders to lead a team, and that’s what I was most worried about this year. It took a while, and it took a lot of talks, but they definitely led by example. It wasn't perfect, but they bought in and they know what it takes, and they showed these younger guys what it looks like. Now we are going to release him and hopefully we can find a way to keep this train going.”

Archie went 50-3 during the past four seasons. The Whirlwinds won three district titles and two state titles.

“It’s sad that I'm done and my high school career is over, but it's exciting,” Heider said. “I got to go 28–0 and my last two seasons and win two state titles. It’s pretty great.”