When Staley travels to face Kearney on Friday night, there will be much more at stake than meets the eye.

The game may very well end up deciding the No. 1 seed in Class 5, District 8. Kearney currently holds a slight edge in the standings, with Staley and St. Joseph Central closing in.

With the new Missouri playoff system rewarding better-performing teams with home games, winning the battle for the top spot becomes more than a footnote. And while the winner of Friday’s game will have a leg up on the No. 1 seed, the loser could easily fall to third, allowing St. Joseph Central to sneak into the second slot.

Let’s take a look at some other notes before digging deeper into the district standings:

• Fort Osage retained the top spot in Class 5, District 7, despite Friday’s three-point home loss to Staley. But Winnetonka is closing fast. A five-game winning streak has put the Griffins right on the heels of Fort Osage. The two teams will not play in the regular season. Fort Osage finishes off its schedule with William Chrisman, North Kansas City and Belton. Winnetonka will play North Kansas City, Platte County and Kearney over the final three weeks.

• Friday’s game between Blue Springs and Blue Springs South could play a major shakeup in the standings of Class 6, District 4. Blue Springs holds the No. 1 seed and can put itself in very solid footing with a victory. The Wildcats have already beaten Rockhurst. After Friday, Blue Springs South will have faced each of the remaining top three teams in the district. It beat Raymore-Peculiar and lost to Rockhurst. If it can finish the three-game cycle with a 2-1 record, Blue Springs South will retain a chance at the district’s top seed.

• Let’s not forget about Hogan Prep Academy, which is, for the moment, edging out Oak Grove for the No. 1 seed in Class 3, District 7. Both teams are undefeated, but each faces a tough matchup Friday night. Hogan Prep will travel to Van Horn, while Oak Grove is in Harrisonville.

On to the standings (point totals in parenthesis):

Class 6, District 4: 1. Blue Springs (45.17), 2. Raymore-Peculiar (41.83), 3. Blue Springs South (37.17), 4. Rockhurst (36.71) 5. Joplin (35.34), 6. Liberty (32.33), 7. Lee’s Summit (24.67), 8. Lee’s Summit North (19.83)

Class 5, District 6: 1. Lee’s Summit West (51.66), 2. Parkview (45.17), 3. Willard (26.33), 4. Springfield Central (26), 5. Belton (19.34), 6. Ruskin (12.83)

Class 5, District 7: 1. Fort Osage (43.84), 2. Winnetonka (42.66), 3. North Kansas City (32.34), 4. Raytown (26.5), 5. Truman (21.17), 6. William Chrisman (19)

Class 5, District 8: 1. Kearney (39.51), 2. Staley (37.01), 3. St. Joseph Central (35.33), 4. Park Hill South (30.67), 5. Park Hill (29.5), 6. Oak Park (11.33)

Class 4, District 7: 1. Harrisonville (40.33), 2. Bolivar (37.67), 3. Nevada (37.51), 4. Raytown South (37.17), 5. Grandview (30.16), 6. Grain Valley (26.83), 7. Pleasant Hill (26.66), 8. Warrensburg (15.51)

Class 4, District 8: 1. Platte County (46.99), 2. Savannah (45.84), 3. Excelsior Springs (44), 4. St. Joseph Lafayette (42.83), 5. Smithville (37.01), 6. Van Horn (34), 7. Liberty North (34), 8. Benton (20.67)

Class 3, District 7: 1. Hogan Prep (49.23), 2. Oak Grove (49), 3. Center (43.44), 4. Clinton (40.5), 5. Pembroke Hill (39.66), 6. Odessa (32.84), 7. O’Hara (28.83), 8. Southwest Early College (11.64)

I will post another update next week, but if your curiosity stretches across the rest of the state, here is how you can find these standings on your own:

1. Visit the MSHSAA homepage (mshsaa.org)
2. Click on the schools tab across the top rail.
3. Search for your school.
4. Click on the varsity football schedule.
5. At the bottom of the page, on the left side, click the “Show District Standings” link.

To reach me, send email to smcdowell@kcstar.com or follow me at Twitter.com/SamMcDowell11.