The Kirkwood Pioneers rolled to their second state championship in school history with a 31-14 victory over Blue Springs in last week’s Class 6 Show-Me Bowl in Columbia.
The Pioneers used a quick-strike offense to jump to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and were not seriously challenged by the Wildcats.
Senior quarterback Reece Goddard was sensational in leading the Pioneers’ offense. Goddard completed nine of 15 passes for 196-yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 154 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown. Goddard’s favorite target was senior receiver Tahj Telfair, who caught five passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Kirkwood’s defense also stood tall in shutting down a Blue Springs offense that was averaging 47 points a game in the playoffs. Senior linebacker Ivan Barnett led the defensive effort with eight tackles while defensive back Travion Mosby had two interceptions in the fourth quarter to seal Kirkwood’s victory.
With a state championship safely tucked away, Kirkwood still has one more game left to play. The Pioneers will take on Webster Groves today in their annual Turkey Day Game.
All-St. Louis Class 5 Final
Vianney (8-5) and Fort Zumwalt North (12-1) will meet for the Class 5 state championship in an all St. Louis final on Friday at Plaster Field in Springfield, Mo. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Both teams advanced to Friday’s state championship game in dramatic fashion. Vianney rallied from a 31-14 deficit in the second-half to stun Staley 34-31 in last Friday night’s semifinals. Fort Zumwalt North defeated Battle 28-25 in the other semifinal game when kicker Matt Bennick booted a 28-yard field goal as time expired.
Both teams also feature tremendous quarterbacks who have posted some huge numbers this season. Fort Zumwalt North senior Cade Brister has rushed for over 2,000 yards and scored an area-leading 43 touchdowns. He has also passed for 1,553 yards and 14 touchdowns. Junior Tionne Harris of Vianney has passed for 2,290 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 1,281 yards and 13 touchdowns. Vianney also has a talented pair of sophomores in Kyrem Williams and Cam Coleman, who have combined to score 34 touchdowns.
Trinity-Lamar Showdown is on
The highly anticipated Class 2 state-championship game between Lamar and Trinity will finally come to pass on Friday in Springfield at 3 p.m. Lamar is the defending five-time state champions while Trinity is the new small-school powerhouse on the block looking for its first state championship.
Trinity is led by sophomore dual-threat quarterback Isaiah Williams, who passed for 317 yards and four touchdowns in the Titans’ 45-29 victory over Lawson in the semifinals. Receivers Darion Bolden and Marcus Washington both had more than 100-yards receiving and two touchdowns against Lawson. The defense is led by senior Jabriel Green, who had five sacks against Lawson. He is one of the area’s most dominant linemen.
