Photo Credit: Nick Smith/PrepsKC 
Thanks to some clutch plays down the stretch, Missouri staved off a fierce Kansas comeback effort during the 33rd Annual DM Injury Law Kansas vs. Missouri All-Star Game.
The Show-Me State squad earned bragging rights against their cross-state rivals during a 25-14 victory at Liberty High School. Missouri led from start to finish but had to make several key plays in the fourth quarter to get back on the winning track in the longstanding rivalry series.
Serving as a head coach for the second time in the contest, Grain Valley’s David Allie said he was proud of the way his team competed and stepped up when it mattered most.
“It was a great performance,” Allie said. “It was one of those games with ups and downs and momentum. We grabbed that momentum back in the second half and got to win our last game of the year.”
In a game featuring college-bound seniors from across the metro area, Mariano Rodriguez stole the show in the early going.
The Lafayette County graduate hauled in a touchdown pass from Warrensburg’s Kobe Westphal 90 seconds into the game, and then Rodriguez made one of the plays of the game during an electric 70-yard punt return that put his team in control, 14-0.
A 46-yard field goal from Blue Springs South’s Hugh Carpenter made it 17-0 late in the first half, but Kansas quickly battled back into the contest.
Needing a quick response, Tyson Beashore (St. James) threw an 84-yard touchdown strike to Quin Myers (Blue Valley West) that turned the tide of momentum in Kansas’ favor.
And after taking possession at halftime, Kansas marched right down the field and made it a one-score game when quarterback Jamo Sarver (Olathe North) punched it in with a six-yard touchdown run to make it 17-14.
On the ensuing possession, Team Kansas had a golden opportunity to take the lead by recovering a fumble and driving inside of Missouri’s 5-yard line. But that’s when a goal-line stand made all the difference.
Needing a crucial stop, Missouri’s defense put together a gutsy goal-line stand that kept Kansas off the board late in the third quarter. And on a crucial fourth-down play, Kai Reid (Lee’s Summit North) recovered a fumble to keep Kansas off the scoreboard and maintain his team’s advantage.
“We were like, ‘We’ve got to stop them,’ and we were trying to execute. We stayed positive,” said Reid, who earned the Missouri Defensive Player of the Game honors. “… Once the safety came down and made the hit and I got the fumble, I knew we had the game – the grit we had to win the game.”
And perhaps no one embodied that grit more than Tommy Hutsler.
The St. Pius X grad made two highlight-reel catches, including a touchdown, on a 96-yard scoring drive that put Missouri in control for good. Hutsler’s first grab came on a spectacular sideline catch to get his team going, and he hauled in the touchdown reception from Kobe Westphal (Warrensburg) despite a defender committing pass interference during the play.
“We were kind of at a stale point offensively, and you’ve got to make plays,” said Hutsler, who garnered Offensive Player of the Game honors for his team. “I knew we needed someone to get us going. He was (committing) PI, so I just had to make a play.”
Grain Valley running back Robert Palmer converted the ensuing two-point conversion to make it a two-score game, and Missouri ultimately closed out the game to retake bragging rights in the cross-state clash.
For Kansas, Joshiah Young (Olathe East) earned the Defensive Player of the Game and Outstanding Line honors, while Max Armstrong (Olathe South) took home Kansas’ Offensive Player of the Game Award.
Meanwhile, Liberty North’s Jordan Ivy earned the Outstanding Lineman honor for Missouri as part of a stellar defensive effort that limited Kansas’ offensive output.
A two-time head coach in the all-star contest, Allie picked up his first victory for the Show-Me State and said he was proud of the way his team competed from start to finish during the final games of their high school careers.
“We had five days of really good practice, high energy. We had some fun,” Allie said. “To come together like it did made it one of the best experiences ever.”
