When Robert Steeples took over as the head football coach at DeSmet, his alma mater was near the bottom of the St. Louis hierarchy on the gridiron.
Things have certainly changed at DeSmet as Steeples has the Spartans looking for back-to-back state championships in the state of Missouri. After defeating Joplin for the Class 6 state championship last season, the Spartans are right back in the state championship game once again.
DeSmet will take on Raymore-Peculiar on Saturday afternoon for the Class 6 state championship at Jefferson City High. Kick-off is schedule at 1 p.m. The Spartans are taking a 20-game winning streak into Saturday’s state title game.
This will also be a rematch of last year’s state semifinals, when DeSmet went on the road to defeat Ray-Pec 37-0 en route to winning the state championship.
The Spartans’ offense is fueled by its punishing ground attack that features its trio of Division I running backs Rico Barfield, Taj Butts and Darez Snider. Quarterback Seth Marcione has also emerged as a solid dual-threat offensive player.
While the Spartans offense has been strong, it has been the defense that has been lights out during the postseason. In their last two games, the Spartans have given up just seven points, including last Friday’s 13-0 shutout of Fox in the state semifinals. Despite missing several key starters, the Spartans forced four turnovers and held the Warriors to just 179 yards of total offense.
Senior defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo is a dominant force and the anchor of the Spartans’ defensive front. Wingo, a Mizzou recruit and senior Donovan Whitfield were very stout up front as they combined for 16 tackles. Junior Kaleb Purdy had a big interception to halt a Fox drive while seniors Jordan Calvin and Denver Parker also had big games.
Raymore-Peculiar punched its ticket to this weekend’s Show-Me Bowl with a hard-fought 24-17 victory over Liberty North in the state semifinals. The Panthers are led by senior quarterback Conrad Hawley, a 6’5” 220-pound athlete who has thrown for well over 2,000 yards this season.
*State Semifinals on Tap
Here is this schedule for this weekend’s state football semifinal games involving teams from the St. Louis metro area. Including DeSmet, there are currently five area teams that are still alive in the state playoffs.
Class 5
Jackson at Fort Zumwalt North, Friday, 7 p.m.
Platte County at Webb City, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Class 4
Union at MICDS, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Helias at Smithville, Friday, 7 p.m.
Class 3
Blair Oaks at Cardinal Ritter, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Maryville at Cassville, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Class 2
Jefferson at Lamar, Saturday, 3 p.m.
Palmyra at St. Pius X, Saturday, 2 p.m.
*State Quarterfinals Individual Standouts
-Senior quarterback T.J. Atkins of Cardinal Ritter passed for 440 yards and seven touchdowns in the Lions 45-7 victory over Kennett in the Class 3 state quarterfinals.
-Junior receiver Luther Burden of Cardinal Ritter had seven receptions for 241 yards and three touchdowns in the Lions’ 45-7 victory over Kennett in the Class 3 state quarterfinals.
-Junior quarterback Reagan Andrew completed 12 of 18 passes for 238 yards and five touchdowns in the Rams 48-34 victory over Hannibal in the Class 5 state quarterfinals.
-Senior linebacker Jayen Pace of MICDS had two interceptions in the Rams 48-34 victory over Hannibal in the Class 4 state quarterfinals.
-Senior quarterback Jack Newcomb of Fort Zumwalt North rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ 35-14 victory over Battle in the Class 5 state quarterfinals.
-Senior Chris Futrell rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns and had four quarterback sacks in the Panthers’ 35-14 victory over Battle in the Class 5 state quarterfinals.
-Running back Dylan Schnitzler of Jefferson rushed for 178 yards in the Blue Jays 24-6 victory over Duchesne in the Class 2 state quarterfinals.
