Lee's Summit opens 2026 campaign with 20-17 win over Blue Springs South

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 have a chance,” Lee’s Summit coach Todd Miller said. “That’s kind of who we are. We’re going to grind it out. I’m old, gray and stubborn, and we just kind of get it int, and our kids have embraced it. It’s so different than anybody plays around here and our kids have bought into it.”

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On the other side, Blue Springs South coach Alan Wilmes said it was a great football game, but his team will work to get better.

“It’s tough to be on the losing end, but I’m proud of my guys,” Wilmes said. “They battled. We’ve got a lot of guys out there who haven’t played on Friday nights. They had big eyes, but they settled in and kept playing hard. If we can eliminate our mistakes and get better, we’ll be all right.”

The game’s action got a kickstart on the second play of the second half. Jaguars’ quarterback Archie Buttram scrambled for a short gain, but fumbled on the way to the ground.

On the ensuing play, Ahrens sprinted through the heart of the Jaguars’ defense. He gave the Tigers a 6-0 lead on the 30-yard touchdown run, following a failed conversion attempt.

After gaining just two first downs in the first half. Blue Springs South’s offense quickly answered. Buttram found sen for wideout Terry Sullivan for a 21-yard touchdown pass on the fourth play of the drive, giving the Jaguars a 7-6 lead. The drive was sparked by a 46-yard run from senior running back Ki’Shawn Todd-Bell. 

The Jags’ lead didn’t last long – just one play in fact. Following a procedure penalty, backing the drive up five yards, Ahrens broke free for an 81-yard run. He was tackled from behind and fumbled into the end zone, but recovered the ball, scoring the Tigers’ second touchdown and giving them a 13-7 lead.

“He had a great summer,” Miller said of Ahrens. “What it is, I think it’s a testament to when you work hard. Sometimes in life, things don’t go your way, it just doesn’t. He works hard, He’s a better person. He’s got a lot of great things in front of him. He’s just a sophomore also – age don’t mean nothing. If you can play ball, you can play ball, and Matthew can play ball.

“And, that offensive line works,” he added. “They get on people, and they are really, really good high school football players.”

Lee’s Summit added to its lead on its next drive. The Tigers drove 50 yards in six plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run from senior Drew Benassi. 

Again, the Jaguars fought back on the ensuing drive. They marched 80 yards in six plays, thanks to Buttram connecting on passes to senior Nate Riggenberg and Sullivan. Buttram capped the drive with a 30-yard run, pulling his team within six points late in the third quarter.

Blue Springs South added a 24-yard field goal on its next drive, which was aided by an offsides penalty on a key fourth down attempt. However, the Jaguars couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone on a first-down-and-goal from the 6 yard line.

Lee’s Summit regained possession with 9:31 left in the game. The Tigers slowly marched down the field, moving the ball from its own 20 to inside the Jags’ 10. The Tigers ran 18 plays – all on the ground – picking up a pair of fourth-down attempts, including one on the fourth play of the drive from their own 28 yard line, and ran out the clock to earn the victory.

“We just said in the huddle ‘first down, first down, first down,’ they’re going to burn their timeouts and we win,” Miller said. “All we have to do is keep getting first downs. Our mindset is three and a half yards, and that’s it. We don’t care if we get 4-yards, we don’t care. We’ve just got to get three and a half.”

Benassi racked up 163 rushing yards on 24 carries in the game. Ahrens ran the ball 19 times for 179 yards.

The defending champs hit the road into a neighboring state this week. The Tigers will play at Omaha Westside (Nebraska) for Week 2. 

“We’re going to be who we are and we’re going to show up,” Miller said. “I know it’s supposed to be really hot this week, so you’ve got to adjust and adapt.”

Meanwhile, Blue Springs South will play its home opener against two-time defending Class 5 state champion Platte County.