It’s starting to look a lot like the mid-2000s in Kansas City, again.
What do I mean by that?
Two weeks into the season Blue Spring South and Rockhurst might, yes might, be the two best teams in Class 6 in Kansas City.
I know what you’re thinking, and no, I’m not slighting Lee’s Summit North or Liberty North. Both teams are off to good starts, but for me, in my opinion, Blue Springs South and Rockhurst are slowly separating themselves from the rest of the pack.
Let’s start this conversation with Blue Springs South.
The Jaguars are 2-1 and ranked No. 8 in Class 6. They put everyone in the state on notice in Week 1, when they nearly upset the then No. 1 ranked team in the state, Liberty North, losing 21-20 in the final seconds.
How exactly did they put the rest of the state on notice, you ask? For starters they ran the ball down the throat of a defense that prides itself on stopping the run. The Jaguars gashed the Eagles to the tune of 328 yards. The last time North’s defense allowed that many rushing yards in a single game was in the 2022 Class 6 semifinals against Christian Brothers.
The following week, the Jaguars throttled Park Hill South 68-0. Again, it was the rushing attack leading the way. The Jags churned out 358 yards and scored a school-record eight touchdowns on the ground against a hapless Panthers defense.
If you haven’t noticed, there’s a theme developing. … South likes to run the football.
On Friday night against Lee’s Summit, the Jaguars ran the ball some more. This time, they wound up breaking the school record with a staggering 450 yards. Yes, you read that correctly. Four hundred and fifty yards.
It doesn’t seem possible. Especially when South’s offense struggled the entire first quarter. The struggles didn’t last long, as the floodgates opened in the second quarter when junior running back Darius Morgan ripped off an electrifying 50-yard touchdown.
So, what’s the key to the run game? The answer is simple. A dominant offensive line. A big, physical — and very athletic — offensive line. The Jaguars average 6’1, 275 pounds across the board. They are road graders. They chew up everything in their path and more often than not, it leads to either KJ Hawkins Jr., Morgan or Ayden Wilhelm running through opposing defenses, oftentimes untouched.
So far this season, the dynamic trio of Hawkins Jr., Morgan and Wilhelm have combined to carry the ball 108 times for 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Now, for Rockhurst. The Hawklets are 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 6. They’ve had some impressive wins this year, starting in Week 1 against St. Pius X.
Rockhurst has dominated everyone they’ve played. How? With a balanced offensive attack, led by quarterback Charlie Loose and running back Pierce Fisher.
Loose has been both efficient and effective, completing 73 percent of his passes for 548 yards and seven touchdowns through three games this season. Loose has taken plenty of chances this season and he’s oftentimes connected.
Fisher had some big shoes to fill of his own, and so far through three games, he’s done well replacing Aiden Ryan’s production, carrying the ball 48 times for 282 yards, scoring four touchdowns.
Rockhurst is showing no signs of slowing down either. The Hawklets do potentially have some difficult games coming up, starting with Bishop Miege on Sept. 27, St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 11, before facing Liberty North in a rematch from last year’s Class 6 nail biting semifinal loss.
Other teams of note:
Kearney appears to be the team to beat in Class 4. The Bulldogs (3-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 4, took care of business against rival Smithville last week, extending their win streak to 15 straight games, dating back to last season.
Platte County has started the season strong. The Pirates (3-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 5, are led by junior quarterback Rocco Marriott. So far this season, Marriott has completed 73 percent of his passes for 724 yards and 12 touchdowns. His favorite target this season has been Braiden Stevens. Stevens has 11 catches for 220 yards and five touchdowns.
