"How did you know that already," he asked."I just decided this morning."

In the world of rivals.com and scout.com and tons of recruiting services, the recruiting world has become one of the most instantaneous things around.

Truth be told, Baltic, who played at Park Hill South, hadn't even talked to the Ohio coaches on Monday.

During our phone call he was just finishing up a workout and hadn't had the time to make the call, but his high school coach Anthony Perry had already passed along the good news to the Bobcat coaching staff.

It seems it would be easy in this type of up to the second world to have a repeat of this, where an athlete basically makes up the whole recruiting process.

With the 6-8 Baltic that wasn't the case. His 23 points and 15 rebounds per game legitamized him.

But whatever happened to the 6-8 forward from Raytown South.

If you've watched any Louisville highlights over the last few weeks you've likely seen him in the background

He's No. 22 for the Cardinals, the No. 1 seeded team. If KU can pull off a victory and Louisivllle does the same, there may be a chance for Goode to not only face off against the local school but a few old opponents in Conner Teahan and Travis Releford.

Anyway, George isn't starting for Rick Pitino, but he has seen action in 25 of 35 games and is averaging 6.3 minutes per contest and averaging about 1.6 points per game.

Here's the stat that's probably going to shock both Goode's fans and detractors... he hasn't put up a three-point shot all season.

Regardless of what people think of individuals, seeing a local player go on and play for a successful Division I team is good for the athlete and Kansas City basketball as a whole.

Nixa 56 Blue Springs 39 FINAL

PLATTE COUNTY 81, WEBB CITY75 Final

Morgan Johnson scored 24 points, 26 rebounds and 14 blocks to seal the deal for the Pirates.

Kelsey Knox added 26 points.

Kearney controlled the half, but Webb City burried a half court shot to close the gap.

Morgan Johnson already has a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebound

BORGIA 59,  KEARNEY 41

Kearney lost to St. Francis Borgia 59-41. The Bulldogs started off sluggishly, trailing by as many as 19 in the first quarter before slowly clawing back and trailing just 13.

The Bulldogs go-to inside player, Dillon Starzl picked up two early fouls and sat much of  the half, but still scored 8h points to lead Kearney.

Platte County, Blue Springs and Grandview are also in action later today.

We'll keep you updated throughout the day.

Here's a few thoughts from Morgan Johnson's younger sister Taylor on her sister's big night.

" <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> I don’t mind it at all." she said about her sister stealing the spotlight. "I like watching her do well and I get a ton of assists as well."

Plus Taylor knows what is coming next season.

"I have the next two years to shine," she said laughing.

Taylor Johnson is probably going to be one of the top players in the city next season. When she's on target, she's as good as any shooter in the city with the three-point shot.

By the way, Morgan Johnson had a chance to set the record of 43 points last night, but dished out an assist to Lyndsie Sellars with 52 seconds left.

Not sure what happened at the top of my last blog with all the coding stuff, but I'm trying a new way this time to hopefully alleviate those problems.

The Grandview boys and Blue Springs girls kick off the games today.

Grandview plays first but doesn't hit the floor until 5 p.m.

That means time to check out Shakespeares with legendary photographer Mike Ransdell.

I'll be back later today with some thoughts on Morgan Johnson's impressive semifinal performance from last night.

Until then, here's a few links on things that went down in Day 1 of the state basketball tournament.

Columbia Tribune's Rus Baer weighs in on all things Rus

The other side of the Kearney victory

And the Platte County win

Here’s a few casual observations from the first day of the “2009 MSHSAA Basketball Championships or “2009 MSHSAA Show-Me Showdown” or as I prefer, the Missouri Class 4 and 5 state semifinals.

Not as much flair, but more meat and potatoes, like any tournament with teams like Dexter and Webb City should have.

Anyway enough of my rambling, here’s a few little tidbits of what I’ve seen so far:

No one may have had a better seat for Kearney’s 58-40 victory than Tommy Saunders. The former Kearney standout stood at the entrance from the tunnel and cheered on his Bulldogs.

Then as the game ended he bolted to meet them heading to their locker room.

A pretty cool sight, considering he was on the last Kearney team that played in the state championships.

Saunders clearly had a better seat than the print media at the game. After years of sitting courtside, the newspaper folks were relegated to a corner of Mizzou Arena so the two radio stations broadcasting the game could have the entire row courtside. /end rant

The Dexter girls team hit two buzzer beating shots from near halfcourt on Thursday.

It wasn’t enough though. The previously undefeated Bearcats lost to Webb City.

So after going 6-4 to end the regular season, how does it feel now for Kearney coach Gary Belcher as his team approaches the state finals on Saturday?

Here’s what he had to say:

“Just don’t hit the pause button. This thing is going like a blur and has been on fast forward all the way through. Our season is going to end one way or another on Saturday and I’ll probably crash after that as long it’s with these guys. We’re just hoping we crash in a positive way. We are flying on adrenaline and positive feelings right now.”

Here's a glance at the matchups with a little bit about each local team still alive listed below. 

Missouri sectionals

Wednesday’s games

CLASS 3 BOYS

At State Fair CC in Sedalia

LS Community Christian vs. Skyline, 6 p.m.

CLASS 3 GIRLS

At St. Joseph Civic Arena

Lawson vs. Maryville, 7:45 p.m.

CLASS 2 BOYS

At Harrisonville High School

Adrian vs. Southeast, 5:30 p.m.

Lawson- The Cardinals are in the playoffs for the second straight season. Jasmine Kassanavoid, post player and shot put extraordinaire, leads the Cardinals with about 16 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Lee's Summit Community Christian- Matt Webb leads the way for the Eagles. He's committed to UMKC and had a big game against Hogan Prep in the district finals.

Southeast- Andre Taylor and Dominique Outley outscored their opponent North Platte in the district finals. The duo combined for 29 points while locking up a decisive 65-26 win.

The winners from these games head to the quarterfinals on Saturday.

In Class 2, Southeast would play at Missouri State in Springfield.

In Class 3, the games will be held at Staley High School. Initially the games were scheduled to be played in Warrensburg, but the University of Central Missouri is hosting the NCAA Regional basketball tournament.

Read this info below from the Southeast Missourian:

A boys basketball game between Scott County Central and Sikeston,
scheduled for Feb. 11, sold out 6,844 tickets for the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.
After nearly a month of discussions and negotiations, the game was announced
Jan. 21, sold more than 3,700 tickets (1,500 in the first hour) on Jan. 23,
and sold out the building earlier this week. 
The schools, about nine miles apart, have not played since Jan. 5, 1971.
Both are state ranked and by far the best two teams in this corner of the
state. Michael Porter, a three-time all-stater, leads Sikeston, while his
cousin, 6-7 sophomore Otto Portern, is one of the leading players for Scott
County, which finished third in the state in Class 1 last year.
The night also includes an Oran-Saxony Lutheran game at 6 p.m., as the four
schools agreed to alter the Feb. 10 schedule in order to make way for
SCC-Sikeston. (The doubleheader asterisk will prevent it from setting the
state record for single-game attendance.)

You can check out more about this game (which may include a webcast) at the SE Missourian's blog, semoball.com

Such as right now as I write this, the Travel Channel is doing a best of list, in search of the U.S.'s best barbecue.

Anyway that got me thinking of ways that I could get some reader input.

So here's a list I've created asking you to tell me the best of the following categories, enjoy.

Best:

Player you've seen this year:

Concession stand in the metro:

Pregame introductions:

Overall basketball experience:

Dunk or play you've seen this year:

Parking situation (lets be honest, there are some bad ones)

OK, we'll stop there. Nice and random.

Lets hear what you think now.

They have come back from big deficits, put up gawdy offensive numbers and gained notoriety for their style of play.

But there is one team it just doesn't seem to work against -- Oak Park.

The Northmen have won four of the last five games against William Chrisman, including a 81-38 game at the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

So when the two teams met in Independence on Tuesday night, the Bears didn't come out in their full court pressure offense. Instead they dropped into a zone defense and tried to grind their way to a victory.

The plan worked for three quarters and the game was tied heading into the fourth. Ultimately though, Oak Park pulled away to win 45-34.

Hey you can't blame William Chrisman coach John Vickers. The one victory they did get against Oak Park came at the end of last season when they did the same thing.

Some of the top wrestling and basketball action of the season takes place on Saturday.

First in wrestling there is the Johnson County Classic at Blue Valley, which has 20 teams.

If that wrestling isn't doing it for you though, check out the Toshiba KC Midwest Nationals. Thirty two teams from nine different states are wrestling at the KCI Expo Center up by conveniently enough KCI.

I would make a case that this tournament has a tougher field than the state championship. Especially considering there were state champions last year that didn't make the finals.

Additionally there is some major baskebtall being played Saturday.

It is the final day of the Hy-Vee Shootout and has wall to wall boys basketball out at Avila.

Also though there is the High School Rivalry Showdown at Municipal. A host of district rivals will face off including, Oak Park v. Winnetonka, Truman v. William Chrisman, Raytown v. Raytown South and Blue Springs vs. Blue Springs South.

So yeah, head out and catch one of these games or matches.

About 6:40 there was heavy rain with lightning.

Teams are in the locker rooms, fans are out of the bleachers.

We'll see what happens from there.

Regardless of whether you are for or against the new playoff system in Missouri, think of it this way: 

While Wednesday night's games may be a little boring blowout-esque bland, Monday night's quarterfinal round should be thrilling.

OK, back to work, just wanted to get that off my chest.

And what mekes today even better? What elses, another blog entry.

Here's a few thoughts as we head into one of the busiest weeks of high schools sports with the exception of those hellish final weeks of May.

1. There's no bigger game this week than Lee's Summit West vs. Raymore-Peculiar. Except maybe Liberty and Blue Springs. Regardless, the winner of the West/Ray-Pec game has bragging rights at least until the two likely meet in the playoffs.

I'm not necessarily a fan of both teams making the playoffs, but I do think it's a crime when teams who are dominant (LS West and Ray-Pec) get left out when some teams who dont' deserve to keep playing are getting smacked 55-0.

2.How about Staley. The Falcons improved to 6-2 with a 17-10 victory over Platte County on Friday night. Here's what I noticed about the Fighting Freds Falcons: they are young.

Duh, you say, they have no seniors, but that's not it. The majority of the skill position players are freshmen and sophomores. Listen, these guys likely won't make it past the sectional round of the playoffs but a year from now these guys may surprise some big dogs.

3. I must admit, I was big fan of this article. Mostly because I lived that for the first 18 years of my life.

4. Remember the name Kelsey Kessler. She's just a freshman at Blue Springs, but she along with an impressive veteran group have the Wildcat softball team two victories away from a Class 4 state title.

5. Is it possible that Herm Edwards can petition the NFL for Nathan Scheelhaase to start at quarterback for the Chiefs the rest of the season?

All four softball games scheduled for today have been postponed.

The game between Blue Springs and Belton will be played Thursday at 5 p.m. at Shalimar Park in Grandview. The rain, plus the forecast of decent weather tomorrow made the change an easy one.

Kearney and Oak Park will have their game pushed back as well to Thursday at 5 p.m. at Adair Park in Independence, Field 2.

Platte County and Chillicothe is also postponed. They'll play at 7 p.m. Thursday at Chillicothe.

Harrisonville will host Warsaw at 6 p.m. at Harrisonville on Thursday.

I had been lucky most of the season when it came to watching close games. I was there when Rockhurst and Blue Springs went to overtime and at several other close games. 

This weekend wasn't the case though. I headed out to see two of the remaining four unbeaten teams on the Missouri side of the line, Orrick and Hogan Prep.

Orrick cruised to a 62-0 win and Hogan Prep won 65-8.

If you are keeping score at home that collectively is 127-8. The two teams were up by a combined 103-0 after the first halves.

While I sat there trying to keep the box score during these blowouts I got to thinking. At what point do you call off the dogs.

Basically, my opinion varies depending on the level of football.

In high school, I think you call it a day when you are up by 35-40 points. That's what Pat Richard and Phil Lascuola, two of the coaches I have nothing but respect for, did. It got to the point where both of their teams started taking knees on extra points. 

What that allowed Orrick and Hogan Prep (and their opponents St. Paul Lutheran and Van Horn) to do was get in some young guys to get some pretty valuable experience.

After a team put 90 on Maranatha Academy earlier this year it certainly cemented my opinion on this.

There's no reason for a team to impose their will in high school by trying to hit triple digits.

Now I know what you are saying. It’s not the offense’s job to stop scoring, it’s the opponents job to stop them. I agree – in college.

College is a whole different story. When a team only brings 55 or so players on the road for a game, it isn’t like you can go deeper than the second string. Plus, for all the money the defensive coordinators are making, yeah, it is your job to stop them.

Still, even at that level, most college coaches have the decency to get up by 40 or 50 points and have mercy. 

And the NFL… well, if the coaches can figure out a way to score 50 or 60 on the Chiefs, go for it.

On a happier note

I don’t keep an official list of the best players I see each year, but I’m confident I watched the best freshman in the city play at Hogan Prep on Saturday.

Phillip Collier, all 5’5 of him, is jaw-dropping fast. He doesn’t see the field much though, not with 3 other stud running backs ahead of him.

On Collier’s first run of the game, he went all the way across the field making cuts eventually scoring on an 80 yard run.

Just keep an eye on him. He’s legit.

First things first.

I had been lucky most of the season when it came to watching close games. I was there when Rockhurst and Blue Springs went to overtime and at several other close games. 

This weekend wasn't the case though. I headed out to see two of the remaining four unbeaten teams on the Missouri side of the line, Orrick and Hogan Prep.

Orrick cruised to a 62-0 win and Hogan Prep won 65-8.

If you are keeping score at home that collectively is 127-8. The two teams were up by a combined 103-0 after the first halves.

While I sat there trying to keep the box score during these blowouts I got to thinking. At what point do you call off the dogs.

Basically, my opinion varies depending on the level of football.

In high school, I think you call it a day when you are up by 35-40 points. That's what Pat Richard and Phil Lascuola, two of the coaches I have nothing but respect for, did. It got to the point where both of their teams started taking knees on extra points. 

What that allowed Orrick and Hogan Prep (and their opponents St. Paul Lutheran and Van Horn) to do was get in some young guys to get some pretty valuable experience.

After a team put 90 on Maranatha Academy earlier this year it certainly cemented my opinion on this.

There's no reason for a team to impose their will in high school by trying to hit triple digits.

Now I know what you are saying. It’s not the offense’s job to stop scoring, it’s the opponents job to stop them. I agree – in college.

College is a whole different story. When a team only brings 55 or so players on the road for a game, it isn’t like you can go deeper than the second string. Plus, for all the money the defensive coordinators are making, yeah, it is your job to stop them.

Still, even at that level, most college coaches have the decency to get up by 40 or 50 points and have mercy. 

And the NFL… well, if the coaches can figure out a way to score 50 or 60 on the Chiefs, go for it.

On a happier note

I don’t keep an official list of the best players I see each year, but I’m confident I watched the best freshman in the city play at Hogan Prep on Saturday.

Phillip Collier, all 5’5 of him, is jaw-dropping fast. He doesn’t see the field much though, not with 3 other stud running backs ahead of him.

On Collier’s first run of the game, he went all the way across the field making cuts eventually scoring on an 80 yard run.

Just keep an eye on him. He’s legit.

CLASS 1
TEAM (Overall record) Last week's ranking
1.  Sacred Heart (18-5-3) 2
2.  Eminence (20-2) 4
3.  Lockwood (17-3-1) 5
4.  Lesterville (20-2) 6
5.  Santa Fe (12-3-3) 1
6.  Leopold (17-1-1) 7
7.  New Covenant (12-5) 3
8.  Gateway Academy (21-2) 9
9.  Hurley (14-3-1) NR
10.  Lutheran (Kansas City) (18-1-1) 10
DROPPED OUT:  Northwest (Hughesville)

CLASS 2
TEAM (Overall record) Last week's ranking
1.  Lafayette County (18-1-2) 1
2.  Stockton (14-3-1) 2
3.  Scott City (21-1-2) 4
4.  Brentwood (21-2) 6
5.  Hermann (13-5-1) 3
6.  Lee's Summit Christian (11-3) 7
7.  Bishop LeBlond (15-4) 10
8.  Ash Grove (15-2-2) NR
9.  Fair Grove (11-6-2) 8
10.  Orchard Farm (13-5) 5
DROPPED OUT:  Maryville

CLASS 3
TEAM (Overall record) Last week's ranking
1.  O'Hara (15-2-4) 1
2.  Logan-Rogersville (15-4-1) 5
3.  St. Francis Borgia (17-6-3) 6
4.  DeSoto (19-1-1) 4
5.  Platte County (18-2) 2
6.  Reeds Spring (12-4-2) 3
7.  Holden (15-4) 10
8.  Republic (10-5-1) 8
9.  Boonville (13-5-1) 7
10.  Fulton (11-3-2) 9
DROPPED OUT:  None

CLASS 4
TEAM (Overall record) Last week's ranking
1.  Lee's Summit West (22-1) 1
2.  Lafayette (Wildwood) (21-1) 3
3.  Blue Springs (18-2) 4
4.  Incarnate Word Academy (20-6) 5
5.  Helias (14-1-1) 6
6.  Parkway South (21-2) 2
7.  Glendale (16-2-1) 8
8.  Ozark (11-2-1) 9
9.  Park Hill South (15-2-2) NR
10.  Parkway West (16-5) NR
DROPPED OUT:  Cor Jesu Academy, St. Teresa's Academy

In fact, Raytown South received just one fourth-place vote heading into their game against Lee's Summit West.

Wonder who voted for them to be #4 :)

It wasn't this guy or this guy or even this guy.

Regardless, it's a big day for Raytown South.

Here's the rest of your rankings.

CLASS 6
Rank, Team              W-L    Pts    LW
1. Blue Springs (12)    5-0    60    1
2. Rockhurst              4-1    48    2
3. Fort Zumwalt West   4-1    32    3
4. Hazelwood West     5-0    19    -
5. Jefferson City         3-2    10    4
Others receiving votes: DeSmet (4-1) 8, Liberty (4-1) 3.

CLASS 5
1. Raytown South (6)    5-0    51    -
2. Raymore-Peculiar (3) 4-1    44    2
3. Timberland (3)          5-0    29    5
4. Hazelwood East          4-1    27    4
5. Lee's Summit West    3-2    19    1
Others receiving votes: Parkway West (5-0) 8, Waynesville (4-1) 2.

CLASS 4
1. Kearney (8)      5-0    117    1
2. Carthage (1)    5-0    101    2
3. Union (2)        5-0    97    4
4. Webb City (1)    5-0    93    3
5. MICDS    4-0    63    6
6. Harrisonville    4-1    61    7
7. Smith-Cotton    5-0    54    8
8. Normandy    5-0    33    9
9t. Bolivar    5-0    18    10
9t. Helias    4-1    18    5
Others receiving votes: Branson (5-0) 3, Hannibal (4-1) 2.

CLASS 3
1. Monett (10)    5-0    115    1
2. Chillicothe (1)    5-0    107    3
3. Moberly (1)    5-0    96    4
4. Oak Grove     5-0    82    5
5. KC-St. Pius X    4-1    72    6
6. Pleasant Hill    4-1    52    2
7. Sullivan    5-0    49    8
8. Holden    5-0    31    10
9. Fredericktown    5-0    25    9
10. Mountain Grove    4-1    12    -
Others receiving votes: Berkeley-McCluer South (4-1) 9, Savannah (5-0) 8, O'Hara (3-2) 2.

CLASS 2
1. Maplewood (9)    5-0    116    1
2. Maryville (2)    5-0    109    2
3. Clark County (1)    5-0    98    3
4. Centralia    5-0    76    4
5. Blair Oaks    4-1    75    5
6. Hogan Prep    5-0    59    6
7. Fair Grove    5-0    47    7
8. Carrollton    5-0    37    8
9. South Shelby    4-1    30    9
10. Lawson    4-1    10    10
Others receiving votes: Brookfield (4-1) 1, Mountain View-Liberty (4-1) 1, Plattsburg (4-1) 1.

CLASS 1
1. Orrick (12)    5-0    120    1
2. Tipton    5-0    108    2
3. Miller    5-0    90    3
4. Princeton    5-0    81    4
5. Hamilton-Penney    5-0    70    5
6. Thayer    4-1    67    6
7. Hayti    4-1    50    7
8. Valle Catholic    4-1    34    8
9. Fayette    4-1    22    9
10. North Platte    4-1    18    10
Others receiving votes: None.

Yeah, I'm talking about playoffs, as much as that may upset Jim Mora.

But no, I'm talking about the playoff system.

The change in the Missouri playoff system allows for two teams to make it from each district. That's fine and dandy in all but one situation, Class 5.

The good folks at MSHSAA have 11 districts in Class 5, which means 22 teams make the postseason.

My  buddy Ross Martin has a blog entry that helps break down exactly what is happening here.

I'll add this to his entry. Every district winner gets a first-round bye except one team in the St. Louis area.

On the KC side, these brackets are going to have the biggest effect on Districts 10 and 11 (see below). The winners of these districts will play each other in the first round (Kind of like they did back in the old days of 2007). The rest of the district winners get first round games against district-runner ups.

1. Liberty wide receiver Marcus Lucas is making a case for All-Metro consideration already. The junior hauled in six passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns against Park Hill on Friday night. He's caught 22 balls for 459 yards this season. That's over 20 yards a catch. There's a reason Missouri and K-State are interested in him.

2. Don't run it up. Coach Corso and Kirk Herbstreit always get on my case when I run the score up on teams on my PS2. Well, the Sunshine Scooter would have been going crazy at the Sherwood-Maranatha game on Friday night. Sherwood, a school just southeast of Harrisonville, put 90 on Maranatha.

Sherwood was 0-3 going into the game and had scored just 33 points.

3. Can we stop with the putting four fingers up in the fourth quarter? Yeah, we know it's the fourth quarter. But at least put up three fingers for Dale Earnhardt too. Especially since this is NASCAR Week.

4. The Suburban Big 7 title could be decided this coming Friday night. Raymore-Peculiar hosts Blue Springs. Both teams are 4-0.

5. Dalton Krysa went over the 5,000 yard mark for his career on Friday night. He pounded out 230 yards on the ground in a 31-0 win for Fort Osage.

CLASS 6
Rank, Team    W-L    Pts    LW
1. Blue Springs (12)    3-0    60    2
2. Rockhurst    2-1    48    1
3. Fort Zumwalt West    2-1    30    3
4. Jefferson City    2-1    21    4
5. DeSmet    2-1    17    —
Others receiving votes: Blue Springs South (1-2) 2, Hazelwood West (3-0) 2.

CLASS 5
1. Lee's Summit West (8)    2-1    54    1
2. Hazelwood East (3)    3-0    47    2
3. Raymore-Peculiar    3-0    30    5
4. Eureka (1)    3-0    29    3
5. Park Hill    2-1    18    4
Others receiving votes: Holt (3-0) 1, Timberland (3-0) 1.

CLASS 4
1. Kearney (9)    3-0    117    1
2. Carthage (1)    3-0    105    2
3. Webb City (1)    3-0    94    3
4. Union (1)    3-0    87    4
5. Helias    3-0    68    6
6. MICDS    3-0    59    5
7. Harrisonville    2-1    50    7
8. Smith-Cotton    3-0    44    8
9. Gateway Tech    2-1    14    —
10. Neosho    3-0    6    —
Others receiving votes: Normandy (3-0) 5, Festus (2-1) 3, Hannibal (2-1) 3, Bolivar (3-0), Branson (3-0) 2.

CLASS 3
1. Monett (11)    3-0    117    1
2. Pleasant Hill    3-0    104    2
3. Moberly    3-0    90    3
4. Chillicothe    3-0    77    5
5. Oak Grove (1)    3-0    72    6
6. Fulton    3-0    71    4
7. KC-St. Pius X    2-1    37    7
8. Berkeley-McCluer South    3-0    35    8
9. O’Hara    2-1    29    9
10. Fredericktown    3-0    10    10
Others receiving votes: Holden (3-0) 6, Mountain Grove (2-1) 4, Ste. Genevieve (2-1) 4, St. Francis Borgia (2-1) 2, Savannah (3-0) 1, Sullivan (3-0) 1.

CLASS 2
1. Maplewood (9)    3-0    116    1
2. Maryville (2)    3-0    109    2
3. Clark County (1)    3-0    98    3
4. Lawson    3-0    77    4
5. Centralia    3-0    69    5
6. Blair Oaks    2-1    65    6
7. Hogan Prep    3-0    50    7
8. Fair Grove    3-0    30    9
9. Carrollton    3-0    26    —
10. South Shelby    2-1    14    —
Others receiving votes: Brookfield (    2-1) 6.

CLASS 1
1. Orrick (12)    3-0    120    1
2. Thayer    3-0    107    2
3. Tipton    2-0    97    3
4. Miller    3-0    77    4
5. Princeton    3-0    68    5
6. Hamilton-Penney    3-0    28    9
7. North Platte    3-0    21    10
8. Hayti    2-1    58    6
9. Valle Catholic    2-1    20    —
10. Fayette    2-1    16    —
Others receiving votes: Rich Hill (3-0) 6, Concordia (2-1) 4, Marceline (2-1) 1.

Here's a quick glance at a few of the games this week that should be interesting on the Show-Me side of the line:

O'Hara at Sedalia Smith-Cotton 7 p.m. - Smith-Cotton handed St. Pius X their only loss and is ranked No. 8 in the Missouri Class 4 poll. A win for O'Hara can legitimize the Celtics to a lot of people.

Smith-Cotton can essentially wrap up the West Central Conference with this victory.

Park Hill at Liberty- Both teams are 2-1 and have a common opponent in Columbia Hickman.  The win would be big for either team and more importantly would give them a little breathing room above the .500 mark.

St. Pius X at Lawson- For two teams that have made playoff runs over the last decade in Class 2, these teams have only met once, in 1999.

The Warriors are in Class 3 now, so this is the only chance the two teams have to meet up. Lawson is the defending Class 2 champs, but hasn't had a big victory this season to really put them on the map.

The two teams were initially slated to play at Lee's Summit West, but due to rain, the decision was made to play the game on the turf at William Chrisman High School.

Check back later for more game updates.

CLASS 5

Rank, Team                     W-L     Pts     LW
1. Lee's Summit West (8)  1-1     53      1
2. Hazelwood East (1)       2-0     44      5
3. Eureka (3)                   2-0     35      3
4. Park Hill                      1-1     24      2
5. Raymore-Peculiar         2-0     20      -
Others receiving votes: Jackson (1-1) 3, Timberland (2-0) 1.

CLASS 4

Rank, Team                     W-L     Pts     LW
1. Kearney (9)                 2-0     117     1
2. Carthage (1)               2-0     105     2
3. Webb City (1)              2-0     97      3
4. Union (1)                   2-0     86      4
5. MICDS                       2-0     63      5
6. Helias                        2-0     57      6
7. Harrisonville                1-1     56      7
8. Smith-Cotton              2-0     40      8
9. Grain Valley                2-0     21      10
10. Farmington               2-0     14      -
Others receiving votes: Gateway Tech (1-1) 2, St. Charles West (2-0) 2.

CLASS 3

Rank, Team                     W-L     Pts     LW
1. Monett (11)                  2-0     117     1
2. Pleasant Hill                 2-0     104     2
3. Moberly                        2-0     92      5
4. Fulton                          2-0     79      7
5. Chillicothe                    2-0     62      9
6. Oak Grove (1)              2-0     56      -
7. KC-St. Pius X                1-1     47      8
8. Berkeley-McCluer South 2-0     37      10
9. O'Hara                        1-1     19      6
10. Fredericktown             2-0     18      -
Others receiving votes: Mountain Grove (1-1) 15, Ste. Genevieve (1-1),
7, St. Francis Borgia (1-1) 4, Holden (2-0) 2, Cassville (1-1) 1.

CLASS 2

Rank, Team                     W-L     Pts     LW
1. Maplewood (9)              2-0     116     1
2. Maryville (2)                 2-0     110     2
3. Clark County (1)           2-0     97      3
4. Lawson                        2-0     80      4
5. Centralia                     2-0     68      5
6. Blair Oaks                    1-1     64      6
7. Hogan Prep                  2-0     48      7
8. Plattsburg                    2-0     39      8
9. Fair Grove                    2-0     26      10
10t. Brookfield                 1-1     4       9
10t. Montgomery County   2-0     4       -
Others receiving votes: South Shelby (1-1), 2, Carrollton (2-0) 2

CLASS 1

Rank, Team                     W-L     Pts     LW
1. Orrick (12)                   2-0     120     1
2. Thayer                         2-0     107     2
3. Tipton                          1-0     97      3
4. Miller                           2-0     77      4
5. Princeton                     2-0     68      5
6. Hayti                           2-0     58      6
7. Concordia                    2-0     42      9
8. Marceline                     2-0     37      -
9. Hamilton-Penney          2-0     28      -
10. North Platte                2-0     21      -
Others receiving votes: St. Vincent (1-1) 3, Fayette (1-1) 1, Valle
Catholic (1-1) 1.

For those schools that have artificial turf it's really no big deal, the rain should drain right away.

Where it could be a problem though is fields that are still natural grass. Granted there aren't that many of them anymore, but still, some au natural fields area a little muddy.

Since it is so ealry in the year the grass shouldn't be too chewed up. The muddier and wet a field is though the slower the players can run.

One coach I talked to though was worried that the combination of precipitation and grass could put his speed-dependant team at a disadvantage.

The sun was shining up here in the Northland earlier today (though metaphorically, when isn't the sun shining here?), however that only lasted about long enough for me to walk to my mailbox.

Those teams who like spread things out and go fast, are all hoping for some sunny weather and wind.

Meanwhile, it's fair to say I'm sure there are a few meatgrinder teams who wouldn't mind a mud bowl.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow night.

Football kicks off on the Kansas side this week and I'll leave those games to my buddies Ryan Young and Terez Paylor to analyze. On the Missouri side though, here are five games that if I could teleport, I wouldn't want to miss.

The list (in no particular order):

Hutchinson (Kan.) at Rockhurst- So just how big is this game? Well, the folks out in Hutch had a reporter at Rockhurst's game against South on Sunday for a story. The message boards are buzzing about the top dogs in Kansas and Missouri facing off.

The Salthawks have won the last four Kansas 6A titles.

As for Rockhurst, I think just about everyone knows its story.

Raymore-Peculiar at Liberty- A 2-0 start for either of these teams would be good.

Liberty used a big second half to get by Columbia Hickman last week. Raymore-Peculiar is a young team on the rise again.

Whoever wins this game is going to have some momentum and probably can be considered a playoff contender.

Fort Osage at Kearney- A classic Class 5 vs. Class 4 matchup. Both teams won their openers and both teams are expected to make the playoffs this season.

Ultimately this game means nothing other than bragging rights. The teams aren't in the same conference, district or even class. Still though, it should be a good game and early season tests can only make you better.

Blue Springs South at Park Hill- I've thought about this game off and on all day. That tells you two things.

1. I think way too much about high school football.

2. This is a very intriguing matchup.

More on No. 2- Park Hill is a defense-first type team, that's just how coach Greg Reynolds rolls. I'm guessing this is going to be a low-scoring game between two established powers.

Belton at Oak Park- I think a lot of people were down on these two teams early on. So what do they do? Get convincing victories in the first week of the season.

We all kind of knew in the back of our minds Keith Ross would have the Northmen ready. And Belton, despite losing a lot, still has players back from the Class 5 finalist squad.

OK, those are my games I can't miss.

What games can you not miss?

As the game and day goes on, I'll keep putting the most current updates at the top.

Second half- This one got ugly quick in the second half. Rockhurst scored 21 points in the the first 10 minutes of the half to take a 35-0 lead.

South was able to answer midway through the fourth quarter with a four-yard touchdown strike.

In the end though, six South turnovers and a young defense were just too much to overcome. 

FINAL: Rockhurst 42- Blue Springs South 14

Halftime-

The second quarter went much like the first. Rockhurst got good field position then went up 14-0 on a 28-yard run by Billy Linscott.

After that it was more muffed punt recpetions, three interceptions and lots and lots of nerves.

Blue Springs South's best chance came on a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone with 3:21 to go in the half. On the next play though quarterback Blaine Dalton was sacked for a 26-yard loss. Yes, 26-yards.

Fittingly, the half ended with an interception.

End of 1st- There are plenty of nerves.

The opening kickoff was fumbled by Blue Springs South and recovered by Rockhurst's Dan Tapko. The first drive didn't go anywhere for Rockhurst either.

Holding penalties thewarted their first two possessions.Nathan Scheelhaase had a dazzling 20-yard touchdown run, but a holding call brought that back.

The defense certainly dominated early. Through the first five possessions,  there was only one first down between the two teams.

The final minutes of the quarter belonged to Scheelhaase who had runs of 13 and 20. Those set up a 21-yard TD run for Chris Castellucio with 1:33 left in the first.

So far, Castellucio has 43 yards on 7 carries.

Rockhurst 7, Blue Springs South 0

10:51- This may be the quietest that it has been since I arrivee here nearly two hours ago. The anthem has been played, the dance team has performed, the starting lineups have been announced. Here's the thing thouggh, the game isn't going to start for another 12 minutes.

Maybe the capacity crowd is just saving their energy. After all, it's pretty hot out here.

OK, it just loud again. the Hawklets just ran onto the ffield, much to their fans delight.

The Jaguars however are nowhere to be seen.

This is likely the last update we'll have until the end of the first quarter.

10:17- Now just 48 minutes from kickoff its beginning to get rowdy around here. The students from both sides are trading cheers back and forth. Both teams are on the field. Rock is going through some form running drills while South is still stretching.

Blue Springs South officials said they weren't going to have a sellout, but I'll say this, there's not many empty seats left. In fact about 25 fans have settled on a hill on the north side of the field.

9:43- The gates have been open now about 20 minutes. Initially there were two lines of Blue Springs South fans stretched about 200 yards in each direction. Those lines have since subsided.

From my spot on one of the wings of the prress box the Blue Springs South stands aren't nearly as full. That's mostly though because there's about twice as many bleachers on the home side.

The visitor bleaches are more than half full still 80 minutes awawy from kickoff. The entire right side of fthe bleachers are filled with Rockhurst students wearing all white.

This is the second high school game I've been to this weekend and it's also the second game this weekend that I've seen the Simone Award at. The Simone family along with the first Simone award winner Jeff Kelso are set up just to the north side of the press box.

I'll be curious to see just how many fans from opposing schools I see today. So far I've spotted Hutchinson (Kan.) fans and Lee's Summit West fans. Hutch plays Rockhurst next week.

Of course there are also a lot of fans in flannel shirts and mullets just in front of me.I didn't realize any of my relatives were going to be here. (Edit: It turns out the Blue Springs South students are actually dressed this way as a joke.)

9:15- Still more than 90 minutes from kickoff, there's already a big game feel all around.

Heading in on Adams Dairy Parkway you could see the smoke as you got closer to the stadium.

Once inside the lot parking is at a premium. The entire north parking lot is filled with fans tailgating and playing catch. The tailgating, catch and general excitement are nice, but the first real sign that this is a big game came at 8:59.

That's when three school busses filed with Rockhurst players, coaches and administration pulled in to the cheers of Rockhurst fans.

As you might have guessed, Rockhurst head coach Tony Severino was the first coach off the bus and starting quarterback and Illinois recruit Nate Scheelhaase was the first player off any of the busses.

Keep checking back, there's spotty wireless, but we'll keep this updated the best we can.

During the meeting there's always one position where it ends up being impossible to separate the players. Take for instance last year's quarterback spot. There were four quarterbacks that could have been legitimate first-team signal callers.

After Friday night, I've got a strong suspiciaon wide receiver might be that position this year. Only Missouri teams have played so far, but there are already at least three receivers who have emerged this season.

The three (in no particular order) are:

1. Marcus Lucas, Liberty

2. Keeston Terry, Blue Springs

3. DeJuan Beard, Raytown South

The trio combined on the opening night for 21 receptions, 349 yards receiving and six touchdowns -- and three wins.

With more and more high schools teams going to a spread-like offense, it's crucial to have a big, tall target and all three of these guys fit that mold.

Lucas' mother played basketball at Mizzou, so he comes by his height rightfully. This summer at the University of Missouri combine in Liberty, he burst onto the scene.

Terry has some professional football genes. His dad Doug played four seasons for the Chiefs. Keeston knows about big plays, he scored the pivotal touchdown in the final minute of the Wildcats' 36-35 win over Lee's Summit West.

I'm not sure Beard's mom played college basketball or his dad was a pro football player, but he's just as impressive. Once Beard gets the ball in his hands, he's dangerous. Against Staley he had one 25-yard touchdown run on a reverse and another called back. Plus a receiving score.

With Kansas football starting next week, plus several more Division-I caliber players joining these three, I'm sure to have another headache when I leave the All-Metro meeting this December too.

It will be a good headache though.