Photo Credit: Ryan EdwardsHere we are again.
The high school football season is finally over. Or is it just getting started?
The BeYoUnion.com Missouri vs. Kansas All-Star game is officially in the books with Missouri dominating Kansas in every facet of the game.
It’s also a reminder that, in a few short weeks, we’ll be talking about the upcoming season. However I won’t talk about the upcoming season just yet.
Thursday’s All-Star game showcased some of the area's top talent from the class of 2022.
Leading the way was Oak Park quarterback Ty Clemens. Clemens finished the night with 179 yards on four completions and two touchdowns. One to Lee’s Summit North’s Devin Blayney and another to Pleasant Hill’s Zach Redwine.
Another player that caught my eye was Turner’s own Tyzhaun Cole. Cole led Kansas in rushing with five carries for 49 yards. Cole’s ability to hit the hole and elude would-be tacklers was on display in the first quarter as he broke off a nice run of 9-yards to set up a scoring opportunity for Kansas.
Not only was the talent on full display on Thursday, so was the coaching.
Missouri was led by Pleasant Hill’s Justin Hamilton. Hamilton, who was an assistant coach in 2017 in the BeYoUnion.com All-Star, finally got his chance to coach an unbelievable group of players that were easily coachable and a joy to be around.
“You get to coach with some of the best coaches in the area,” Hamilton said. “Not only that, you get to coach some of the best players and get to know them (on a personal level).”
The biggest takeaway Hamilton had from coaching the game was what the game does for athletes at the high school level.
They all come from different backgrounds and it’s used as an escape from reality.
“I believe football saves kids lives,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing about coming out here and watching these kids have success (that’s what it’s all about).”
