[[Show as slideshow]]
photos by Brett Johnston

More Coverage:

The Decision with video
When did he actually choose?
Hoops possible, track probable
Photo Gallery

DGB at the podium, not long after choosing Mizzou on Wednesday.

After months of hearing Dorial Green-Beckham was undecided on where he was going play college football, he chose Missouri in a somewhat surprising decision. But, then again, the control of information was airtight that it had people guessing right up until he made his decision just after 9 a.m. on National Signing Day.

Everyone reporter in the free world acted like they had sources “close to” DGB. Here is a collection of those people and what they had to say after the decision.

• DGB’s father and Hillcrest football coach John Beckham: “We expected to have a sit-down discussion about it as a family, but he told us on Monday.”
• Hillcrest Athletic Director Darrell Johnson: “I found out right along with everyone else.”
• Springfield Public Schools Athletic Director Mark Fisher: “About 45 minutes (before the announcement).”
• Hillcrest offensive coordinator Andy McFarland: “I didn’t really know. I think he kind of tried to tell me yesterday, but he didn’t come right out and say it. I wore my Mizzou T-shirt (underneath my dress shirt) just in case.”
• Former Hillcrest and current Missouri State running back Mikael Cooper-Falls, who went with DGB on multiple recruiting trips: “Sunday. Me, (DGB and mother, Tracy) were in the car while everyone else was talking to the coaches. He said, ‘I’m ready to do this. Let’s get it going.”
• Hillcrest basketball coach John Schaefer: “Sunday.”

More Coverage:

The Decision with video
When did he actually choose?
Hoops possible, track probable
Photo Gallery

Will DGB play basketball or run track at Mizzou? He said maybe, "It's up to me."

While fielding questions during his National Signing Day press conference when he chose to play football at the University of Missouri, Hillcrest High School senior and nation’s No. 1 football recruit Dorial Green-Beckham surprisingly left the door open to do both basketball and track.

“It’s a possibility. I haven’t really thought about it, but I’ve got the opportunity to do it,” DGB said Wednesday.

The media seemed stunned. It led to further questions to his recruitment and whether or not schools – including the schools he didn’t choose, like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama — gave him the option to play multiple sports. He was asked if he and Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith spoke about the subject during his visit to Columbia last weekend.

“He (said he’d) be open to it,” DGB said. “It’s whatever I’d like to do. It would be up to me to decide.”

Of course, DGB and Hillcrest won a state basketball championship in 2010 and he’s been a multiple-time All-State forward. He was on the Tournament of Champions All-Tournament team, a few weeks ago, too, and delivered one of the best highlights from the weekend — a fastbreak dunk where he took only one dribble and three steps from halfcourt before delivering a one-handed dunk.

When it comes to track and field, DGB won the 100-meter dash (11.0 second) and triple jump (47 feet, 2 1/2 inches) and was second in the long jump (23-2 1/4).

“Probably track. Yeah.”

Stay tuned.

More Coverage:

The Decision with video
When did he actually choose?
Hoops possible, track probable
Photo Gallery

DGB chooses Mizzou on National Signing Day

Dorial Green-Beckham is going to play college football at Missouri, he announced this morning at a press conference at Hillcrest High School.

“I will be continuing my education this fall at……the University of Missouri,” he announced as he put on a flat-bill Mizzou hat and threw his hands in the air.

DGB, the Nation’s No. 1 wide receiver chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama (all of which came in second-place,” he said.). Why? Proximity and family.

“Just to be home, just to stay close to my friends and family, to have everyone come out here to support me (during) my high school career, (they can now) support me at the next level; in college football.”

Over the course of his high school career, he was earned numerous national high school athlete of the year awards, set the national record for receiving yards and rewrote the state record book. In four years, he had 297 catches for 6,367 yards and 73 TDs. DGB was the top uncommitted recruit in the country and many felt he might be leaning toward Arkansas. But much was made of a final trip to Columbia last weekend.

When asked when he made his decision, he said just recently.

“I slept on it Monday and felt good about it the next day, so I told them where I wanted to attend,” DGB said.

During the press conference, he said he didn’t alert any of the coaches, including Mizzou.

“I guess they know about it now,” he joked.

Other highlights from the press conference:

- He didn’t rule out the possibility of playing other sports in college, including track and field.

- An official M-I-Z-D-G-B chant

We will have more coverage throughout the day here at TAGsgf.com, including more video and photos.

More Coverage:

The Decision with video
When did he actually choose?
Hoops possible, track probable
Photo Gallery

COVERAGE

The Decision with video
When did he actually choose?
Hoops possible, track probable
Photo Gallery

DGB will decide today.

We will be broadcasting his decision live here on TAG TV starting at 9 a.m. Be sure to catch it, as well as the rest of our coverage here on TAGsgf.com throughout the day.

Despite a report from the Tulsa World earlier this week suggesting the nation’s No. 1 recruit will choose Mizzou, it’s believed Arkansas is in the running as well. A report last night said he had notified Texas they had been eliminated.

He is expected to make his decision between 9:15 and 9:30 a.m.

Dorial Green-Beckham will bring his recruitment to an end on national television at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Springfield Public Schools Athletic Director Mark Fisher confirmed this morning. DGB will make his announcement on ESPNU as what is planned as a day of college commitments and signings.

As chronicled here on this site, DGB is the No. 1 recruit in the country and has narrowed his list down to Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas and Alabama.

According to Fisher, the event will start at 9 and then a ESPNU representative will ask him some questions before he makes his choice. That will be followed up by more ESPNU questions.

Enjoy a recent video interview we conducted with DGB (and we’ve thrown in his most recent highlight, the No. 1 highlight from his performance in the Tournament of Champions)

In 8 days, Hillcrest High School senior wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will finally pacify the college football world and declare which program he will join. As we know, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound top-ranked recruit has done a masterful job of keeping his intentions private — both to local and national media.

But, we are in the home stretch of his recruitment, and according to various reports, it seems the north side of SGF will be a busy place to be as millionaire coaches of multimillion-dollar programs will invade the school. Here is what we’ve been able to piece together on what we will call DGB’s social planner:

• Yesterday (Monday): DGB hosted Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Co. in the Beckham home.
• Wednesday: Mack Brown will be in SGF to visit DGB, along with other members of his staff.
• This weekend: DGB will make an official visit to Mizzou, highlighted by the Texas Tech basketball game on Saturdat.
• Unknown, but sometime this week: Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino is schedule to meet in the Beckham home, as well.

All of that is on top of last week’s shenanigans events, which included:

• Last Wednesday: Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel brings a helicopter to visit DGB at Hillcrest High School. Oh, and Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino made the drive to say hi, too.
• Last weekend: DGB makes official visit to Arkansas, along with 17 other recruits. And, this photo was captured with DGB rocking an Arkansas jersey. Are we to read into this?

Of course, we don’t really know what could happen outside of this. With the absence of Alabama in these scenarios, is it true that this report was correct after all? No matter what happens, TAGsgf.com will bring you the latest in DGB news.

Rogersville RB Dylan Cole

Rogersville senior Dylan Cole will play college football at Missouri State. Rogersville offensive coordinator Tyler Overstreet didn’t deliver shocking news via Twitter on Wednesday as this had been circulating the rumor mill since early in the 2011 grid-iron slate. Cole made the most noise in the media as a bruising running back, rushing for more than 2,000 yards and reaching paydirt 43 times. However, Cole is expected to play on the defensive side of the ball for the Bears. He recorded 92 tackles last year.

Yes, that's DGB in the helicopter. HTV's video proves it's one that Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel used to show up at Hillcrest. Photo credit: @MorgzWilson

While the rest of the media scurries for any semblance of news about Dorial Green-Beckham and his impending football recruitment, the student journalists at Hillcrest High School have them us all beat.

According to HTV, Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel flew in to SGF today via helicopter. How do we know? They have the video to prove it, right here, which happened at approximately 2:50 p.m.

No, really, click here. Nice two-step handshake, eh?

Of course, Mizzou and Oklahoma assistant football coaches showed up at the Tournament of Champions this past weekend, too, to let DGB know they were thinking about him – and decided to sit next to his family.

DGB spoke with TAGsgf.com recently, too, and confirmed he’ll be making his decision on Feb. 1 in a video interview.

While everyone knows him as the country’s No. 1 football prospect in the country — including his Bass Pro Tournament of Champions peers on the court — Hillcrest High School senior Dorial Green-Beckham put on quite a show in the Hornets’ fifth-place finish.

But, in a video interview with TAGsgf.com, DGB talked to us about many things, but the most significant was how he said he was going to make everyone wait until Feb. 1 — National Signing Day — to make his college decision. A press conference has been scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Many in the media are scrambling to figure out what he is going to do. Recently KSPR’s Mike Scott had a report saying DGB had eliminated Alabama from his list after the national championship. A day later, the News-Leader’s Matt Schoch reported that he hasn’t informed the Tide of it.

That’s why we’re bringing you the video interview, that along with college football recruiting talk includes:

• His experience at the Army All-American Bowl, including his SportsCenter Top 10 catch (It was No. 4)
• How Oklahoma and Mizzou assistant football coaches showing up at the T of C doesn’t really matter.
• And more.

Mizzou offensive coordinator Dave Yost shoots the breeze with DGB's sister, Sarah.

Oklahoma coaches Jay Norville and Josh Heupel surround John Beckham.

As the Dorial Green-Beckham clock ticks down to Feb. 1 on his college football decision, Mizzou and Oklahoma assistant football coaches have made the trip to round two of the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions.

And the Beckham family have split up to be the most gracious of hosts. DGB’s adoptive mother, Tracy, sister, Sarah, is sitting next to Mizzou offensive coordinator Dave Yost.

Just a few seats to Tracy’s right is John Beckham in the middle of an Oklahoma sandwich — co-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel and wide receivers coach Jay Norville.

Of course, both schools are in DGB’s top 5 choices. The others include recent national champion Alabama, Arkansas and Texas.

DGB makes the sick catch that earned him co-MVP of the Army All-American Bowl and a new Bowl record.

When he took the national stage, Hillcrest senior and Rivals.com No. 1 football prospect Dorial Green-Beckham didn’t disappoint. OK, so he did better than that — he set an Army All-American Bowl record Saturday on his way to Co-MVP honors in San Antonio.

The guy with more receiving yards than any other receiver in high school football history has two catches for 88 yards, including an 80-yard TD catch that was the No. 4 play on SportsCenter early Sunday morning.

DGB’s 80-yard TD catch besting former Florida QB Chris Leak’s 78-yard TD to Andre Caldwell in 2003.

DGB hasn’t chosen a school yet, but CBSSports writer Bryan Fischer tweeted Saturday:

#1 overall recruit Dorial Green-Beckham said he would probably narrow his list down to three when he got back home.

Here is video of the remarkable catch (Yes, it was 3rd and 38):

Sure, some of the college football bowl games have already been played, but the important games are still to come. That’s why I checked in with Uncle Rob, the shrewdest Vegas man I know and we are putting our picks side by side. Remember, these are for entertainment purposes, only)

Thursday, Dec. 22 (Today)
Las Vegas Bowl, Boise State vs. Arizona State
Uncle Rob — Boise State -14 1/2
Allen — Boise State -14 1/2

Saturday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl, Southern Miss vs. Nevada
Uncle Rob — Southern Miss -7 1/2
Allen — Southern Miss -7 1/2

Monday, Dec. 26
Independence Bowl, Shreveport, La.
Mizzou vs. North Carolina
Uncle Rob — Mizzou -5
Allen — Mizzou -5

Tuesday, Dec. 27
Little Caesar’s Bowl
Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
Western Michigan vs. Purdue
Uncle Rob — W. Mich. +3
Allen — W. Mich. +3

Belk Bowl
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Louisville vs. NC State
Uncle Rob — NC State +2
Allen — Louisville -2

Military Bowl
RFK Stadium, Washington DC
Toledo vs. Air Force
Uncle Rob — Toledo -3
Allen — Air Force +3

Holiday Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Cal.
California vs. Texas
Uncle Rob — Texas -3
Allen —Texas -3

Thursday, Dec. 29
Champs Sports Bowl
Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
Notre Dame vs. Florida State
Uncle Rob — Florida State -3
Allen — Notre Dame +3

Alamo Bowl
Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Baylor vs. Washington
Uncle Rob — Baylor -10
Allen — Baylor -10

Friday, Dec. 30
Armed Forces Bowl
Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Tulsa vs. BYU
Uncle Rob — Tulsa +3
Allen — Tulsa +3

Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Rutgers vs. Iowa State
Uncle Rob — Iowa State +1 1/2
Allen — Iowa State +1 1/2

Music City Bowl
LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.
Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State
Uncle Rob — Mississippi State -7
Allen — Mississippi State -7

DGB and Co. hanging out on Sunday Night Football. (H/T to KSPR)

As we creep closer to National Signing Day on Feb. 1, the spotlight on Hillcrest High School senior Dorial Green-Beckham is starting to intensify.

While in New York City doing promotion for the January 7th Army All-American Bowl, DGB told Rivals.com he has pared down his college destination list to 5 (in no particular order):

• Oklahoma
• Missouri
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Texas

Many close to DGB don’t expect him to make a decision too far from Feb. 1, so don’t hold your breath (although that is only days away…)

Also, Green-Beckham has been named as The Sporting News High School Athlete of the Year. That’s not just football player, but overall athlete. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound senior wide receiver broke national and state records on both the single-season and career level, finishing with 119 catches for 2,233 yards, 24 TDs this season and 297 catches, 6,367 yards, 73 TDs in his career.

Sporting News named DGB the high school athlete of the year for 2011, beating out football players Maty Mauk (a Mizzou commit) and Johnathan Gray (Texas). Duke guard Austin Rivers, from Winter Park, Fla., was also a finalist.

DGB will be playing

According to the News-Leader, DGB met some impressive football names this past weekend while in New York City:

The group met Tony Dungy and the others during the NFL Sunday night football telecast, met Baylor’s Robert Griffin III at a Heisman Trophy dinner, and met coach Rex Ryan and many of the New York Jets at the practice facility.

I mean to do this all the time, but there’s a backlog of stuff I need feel compelled to comment on. Here goes.

* Don’t sweat last night’s Missouri State Bears loss to Oral Roberts too much. Sure, the Bears’ 68-63 loss at Oral Roberts isn’t encouraging, but we are learning more about this team all the time. What can we take away from the surprising Bears’ first loss? Their level of physical and mental toughness.

It never dawned on me that a Missouri Valley Conference team might be physically pushed around by a Summit Conference team, but that’s what happened. How many loose balls and rebounds did Oral Roberts seem to grab, especially Steven Roundtree (12 rebounds) and Michael Craion, a Kansas City Ruskin product (who played here in SGF against Central a few years ago)? Caleb Patterson, Isaiah Rhine and Christian Kirk aren’t the most physically imposing dudes. Couple that with the amount of scrap and hustle ORU showed, it made MSU look soft and disinterested, which we all know isn’t the case. When it comes time to mix it up with the big ‘tweener bodies in the MVC, hopefully MSU will have an answer.

On another note, the announced attendance at ORU was 3,352. Right, if you multiplied by 3. There’s no way there were more than 1,000 fans there, at least the way it looked on the Ozarks CW broadcast. We had some fun with Facebook, and this is what happened:

Here were the highlights:

• A public pool
• Milli Vanilli reunion conert
• Waffle House
• The WNBA Draft
• A Herman Cain sensitivity training seminar
• The original screening of Gigli
• A Kardashian marriage counseling session
• Hyvee
• A Bears baseball game
• A proctologist office
• Kansas Alumni Night in Columbia

And, the prohibitive winner (at least it was my favorite):

For more fun on Facebook, join the party at Facebook.com/TheHighRoadShow.

Kimbo Slice will be in SGF in February.

* Don’t try to compare Kimbo Slice to B.J. Flores, and vice versa. There has been a lot of speculation about SGF’s emerging/blossoming/interesting boxing scene. After there were no major professional boxing fights in SGF for years, there are now two within two weeks of each other, when B.J. Flores will have a fight on Jan. 28 at the Shrine Mosque (no opponent announced, yet) and Internet street fighting sensation Kimbo Slice at Drury’s O’Reilly Family Event Center (no opponent announced, either) on Feb. 11.

Some are trying to diagnose why there are two cards so close to each other. While this week, Wes Slay of Slay Promotions made it clear that he and Flores are no longer working together, I think people need to calm down and not read too much into the situation. Even if there is beef — which neither has gone on record about, yet — Instead, they should enjoy it, and not get caught up in the truth of the following statement:

“There has never been a more well-known fighter come through Springfield … than Kimbo Slice,” Slay said. “He will be by far the biggest celebrity, from a sports perspective, that’s ever fought (in Springfield).”

Think about it. The entire narrative of Flores’ return was to make it his personal mission to earn a major championship fight, and pave that road here in SGF. So far, so good for the Willard native, since he’s 2-0 with a TKO and a decision here in SGF. But don’t feel like you have to choose Flores over Kimbo or vice versa. Slice is a novelty show. He’ll likely never fight for a heavyweight world title. He’s coming to town and it going to try to (legally) decapitate his opponent, not engineer an evening of the sweet science. You’re going to pay to watch it. So am I.

You don’t have to choose. Go to both. And think about it this way: If the Kimbo Slice fight makes money, imagine who else Slay and his company will bring. He keeps saying the OFEC is nicer than most of the venues in boxing. Now it’s time to see if it, and the Shrine Mosque, can contain two boxing events in two weeks.

More awards for DGB.

• Cardinals fans, it’s really time to get nervous about Albert Pujols: I won’t go on and on about this, but no matter what side of the fence you’re on, it’s almost put up or shut up time in the Albert Pujols sweepstakes. Whether you believe they should spend the cash elsewhere or invest the most money in franchise history in one player, the wheels will really begin spinning Monday when the Winter Meetings start.

I’m still on record as saying the Cardinals should pony up whatever it takes to sign Pujols, but the way the reporting is flowing, that number might be lower than anyone could have anticipated. Should be a fun week.

• Dorial Green-Beckham is named Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year: Duh. Click here to see why.

Here are scores and game story links from Saturday’s high school football playoff action

Class 6

CBC 66, SLU High 28
Blue Springs 28, Francis Howell 21

Class 5

Kirkwood 44, Hazelwood East 20
Staley 76, Lee’s Summit West 70, 4 OT

Class 4

MICDS 48, Farmington 14
Webb City 28, Savannah 24

Class 3

John Burroughs 39, Osage 14
Rogersville 48, Richmond 28

Class 2

Lamar 20, Maplewood 7
Lafayette 27, Blair Oaks 24

Class 1

Valle Catholic 14, Concordia 6
South Shelby 39, East Buchanon 26

And just like that, it’s over.

Sure, the 49-0 loss to Webb City to end Dorial Green-Beckham’s high school career will sting, but a look at the numbers we’re about to share will flip it all around.

Aside from the stats, Hillcrest accomplished the following this season:

• First 10-win season in school history.
• Ozark Conference title
• District title.
• School’s first quarterfinal appearance.

Of course, if you’re not familiar with DGB’s status, he is the No. 1 rated high school football player in the contry and sought after by every college program that matters. For more answers on him, read up on our DGB FAQ.

The 6-foot-5 1/2, 220 wide receiver with a 4.43 40-yard dash was named the MaxPreps National Athlete of the year as a sophomore because of his accomplishments in football, basketball and track and field.

We summed all of it up with a week-by-week breakdown and follow it up with his new status in the state record book. Thus, DGB’s senior season in a statistical nutshell.

Week 1, 48-26 victory over Seneca at Missouri Southern on ESPNU

• 18 catches for 284 yards, 3 TDs

Week 2, 37-20 loss to Rogers (Ark.) Heritage at Simmons First/Hootens.com Kickoff Classic

• 7 catches for 142 yards, 2 TDs

Week 3, 21-9 victory at Joplin

• 6 catches for 94 yards

Week 4, 31-21 victory vs. Camdenton

• 12 catches for 215 yards and 2 TDs

Week 5, 31-8 victory vs. Glendale

• 10 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs (129) diff – 101

Week 6, 42-14 victory at Waynesville

• 7 catches for 159 yards and a TD.

Week 7, 40-19 victory vs. Rolla

• 13 catches for 354 receiving yards, 3 TDs (state single-game yardage record)

Week 8, 49-0 victory vs. West Plains

• 5 catches for 116 yards, 2 TDs

Week 9, 56-6 victory vs. Marshfield

• 9 catches for 189 yards, 2 TDs; 29-yard TD run

Week 10, 35-7 victory vs. Republic

• 11 catches for 303 yards, 4 TDs

Week 11, 35-14 win vs. St. Clair

• 6 catches for 63 yards, 2 TDs

Week 12, 28-21 victory at Union

• 8 catches for 127, TD

Week 13, 49-0 loss vs. Webb City

• 7 catches for 57 yards

Season: 119 catches for 2,233 yards, 24 TDs

Missouri HS records

Most career yards

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-11, 6,367
2. Erick Roe, West Platte,2003-07, 4,057

Most career receiving TDs

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-11, 73
2. Erick Roe, West Platte, 2003-07, 49
3. Eric Anderson, Cameron, , 2003-05, 49

Most receiving yards, single season

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 2,244
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2010, 1,714
3. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2009, 1,616

Most receiving yards, single game

• 1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 354
• 2. Austin Stigall, Mountain Grove, 2002, 312
• 3. (tie) Damond Lacy, Southern Boone County, 2005, 303
• 3. (tie) Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 303

Receiving Yards Per Game (minimum 25 games)

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 122.5
2. Eric Anderson, Cameron, 2003-05, 99.4

Here are what his career numbers look like through 34 games:

Freshman (2008): 37 catches, 801 yards, 12 TDs
Sophomore (2009): 63 catches, 1,616 yads, 22 TDs
Junior (2010): 78 catches, 1,706 yards, 15 TDs
Senior (current): 119 for 2,244 yards, 24 TDs

Total: 297 catches, 6,367 yards, 73 TDs

From left, Hillcrest's Dorial Green-Beckham, Glendale's Trevor Vaughn, Hillcrest coach John Beckham and Catholic's Nick Gori.

Three of Springfield’s best high school football players deservingly took home awards from the Springfield Quarterback Club Monday at Coyote’s Adobe Cafe.

In a monumental shock To no one’s surprise, Hillcrest senior wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham took home the Bill Wainwright MVP award. Of course, DGB shattered the nation’s career record for receiving yards, which meant he nuked the same state record, as well as many others. To get the specifics, you can click here. Let’s just say he finished with more than 6,000 yards in a career and no one else from the state of Missouri had much more than 4,000.

In one of my favorite moments — and one that I know he’s been waiting for — Hillcrest coach John Beckham gushed about his adoptive son, saying the following: “Dorial has done things no other athlete in the country has done. He’s done more for Springfield football than anyone else. … If it wasn’t for Dorial, Cam Johnson wouldn’t have done what he’s done.”

Very strong words, but very true. The DGB effect was widespread, but he made it not just fun to play football, but more desirable than ever. Cam Johnson is a Glendale senior who will likely play college football at an impressive level. He didn’t start playing until his junior season, and is friends with DGB. I respect John Beckham immensely, because if DGB was my son, I probably wouldn’t have been as outwardly humble.

Beckham won the Wayne Reed Coach of the Year award. He helped steer Hillcrest to a 10-2 record, giving the Hornets the following: The school’s first 10-win season, a District title, a conference title and the first state quarterfinal appearance.

Glendale’s Trevor Vaughn was recognized as the city’s Back of the Year, putting together a dynamic season. He rushed for 1,650 yards on the season, but was more than just a running back. He was second on the team in pass receptions (29), threw 2 touchdown passes and tied a national record with 3 kickoff returns for TDs in the season opener against Joplin. The Falcons won a district title and lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the defending Class 5 champions, Lee’s Summit West.

Catholic’s Nick Gori was named Lineman of the Year for his work as the Fightin’ Irish’s most devastating linebacker (and occasional nose guard), as well as his prowess as the Irish’s leading rusher and kicker. Gori rushed for 948 yards and 16 TDs. Catholic won a district title and lost to Rogersville in a quarterfinal.

To visit the Springfield Quarterback Club website, click here.

A consistent 20+ mph wind and a herculean Lees Summit West Titan offense overwhelmed the Nixa Eagles in their season ending 42-3 loss.

Nixa had their chance early when Iowa State recruit Luke Knot’s first pass was intercepted by Sam Rehagen and taken inside the Titan’s 20 yard line.  On the Eagle’s sixth run of the drive Rehagen attempted to back-flop (for lack of a better term) his way to the endzone -no different than numerous other carries where such an effort nets an additional yard or two after contact.  Lees Summit West somehow managed to knock the ball loose and recovered it within their own five, but facing a tough defense headed by Nakoah Brown, J.D. Payne, and Kevin Shrauger the Titans were forced to punt into an extremely stiff breeze which gave the Eagles generous field position.

A false start penalty stalled any hopes of a continued dose of Dean Deetz finding six points and Nixa’s Shelby Harris kicked a 31 yard field goal to achieve Nixa’s only lead of the game.  The Titans drove downfield -thanks in part to a late hit out of bounds after an already huge catch and run- 80 yards for a QB keeper by Knot through the right side of the Nixa defense: a common theme of the game considering four star recruit Evan Boehm anchoring the left tackle position.

The following Nixa possession stalled in a three and out, but again the Titans were stopped by a stout Eagle defensive effort… that was until up-back Nick Rameriz received the snap instead of punter Alec Stanke and ran 43 yards into the Eagle end zone to add another six plus one points for Lees Summit West, then added another touchdown on the last possession of the half with another Knot keeper on a 30 yard, less than 40 second possession.

Here are statewide scores from the high school football quarterfinals

Class 5

Parkway Central (10-1) vs. Hazelwood East (7-4), 6 p.m.
Kirkwood 46, Camdenton 18
Lee’s Summit West 42, Nixa 3
Staley 7, Fort Osage 6

Class 4

Farmington 31, Gateway 14
MICDS 39, St. Francis Borgia 17
Webb City 49, Hillcrest 0
Savannah 13, Harrisonville 6, OT

Class 3

John Burroughs 49, Ste. Genevieve 7
Osage 63, North Callaway
Rogersville 28, Cassville 7
Richmond 51, O’Hara 7

Class 2

Maplewood-Richmond Hts 36, Caruthersville 29
Lamar 33, MV-BT Liberty 18
Blair Oaks 27, Macon 14
Lafayette 42, Penney 0

Class 1

Valle Catholic 41, Skyline 8
Concordia 60, Archie 14
South Shelby 28, Westran 14
East Buchanon 36, Wellington-Napolean 29

Webb City's Jamison Cady

It was billed as the Ozarks’ best football program versus the Ozarks’ best player. Advantage Webb City.

That’s right, behind an intense running attack and an impressively disruptive defensive game plan, Webb City pounded Hillcrest 49-0 in a Class 4 Quarterfinal in front of an estimated 5,000-plus fans at Shumate Stadium today.

Then narrative was pitting two seemingly unstoppable forces. Webb City is the defending Class 4 champion, not having lost a game since the 2009 playoffs. On the other hand, Hillcrest won double-digit game for the first time in school history, won Ozark Conference and district titles and advanced to its first quarterfinal, mostly on the ridiculous talent of the nation’s No. 1 prospect, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.

Saturday’s narrative was dominated by Webb City. The main plot? Try 5 touchdown runs from Webb City’s Jamison Cady, two 100-yard rushing performances by other Cardinals and a defensive attack that limited DGB to 6 catches for 58 yards and the Hornets to 117 total yards of offense. The game was so one-sided the second-half mercy rule — turboclock, meaning the clock doesn’t stop for incomplete passes, penalties, etc. — started with 10 minutes and 30 second left in the second half.

The game started inauspiciously for the Hornets as the opening kickoff was mishandled and downed at the Hillcrest 1-yard line. A 3-and-out and a 21-yard punt into the wind gave Webb City all the momentum it would need. Cady punched in the Cardinals’ fourth offensive play into the end zone. Less than 4 minutes off the clock, Cady did it again from 38 yards out. And less than 8 minutes later, he ran another one in from 5 yards for another TD. The fullback who 11 rushes for 80 yards and 5 TDs had 4 TDs on 6 first-half carries at one point. With their starters — because, yes, Webb City went to its bench midway through the third quarter — the Cardinals rushed 31 times for 357 yards and all the TDs.

Hillcrest could never find any rhythm early. Trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, the Hornets moved the ball inside Cardinals territory, but quarterback Matt Futrell was picked off by cornerback Jarvis Jones. Futrell had completed his last 5 passes, too. In the end, Webb City shut down the running attack and made Hillcrest one-dimensional. When it came to DGB, the Cardinals covered him with Jones and a safety over the top. Because the wind was so severe, Hillcrest tried to find receivers over the middle, but Webb City’s zone was too efficient and its pass rush too devastating. Futrell finished 13-of-27 for 112 yards and 3 interceptions. The Hornets rushed 8 times for 5 yards.

Webb City (12-0) advances to face Savannah (11-1), which beat Harrisonville 13-6 in overtime. The game is Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

Webb City    14   15   13   7 — 49
Hillcrest         0     0    0   0 — 0

First quarter

WC — Jamison Cady 1 run (Alex Easley kick)
WC — Cady 38 run (Easley kick)

Second quarter

WC — Cady 5 run (pass failed)
WC — Safety, ball out back of end zone
WC — Cady 12 run (Easley kick)

Third quarter

WC — Phoenix Johnson 24 run (pass failed)
WC — Cady 1 run (Easley kick)

Fourth quarter

WC — Trey Parra 3 run (Easley kick)

Stat geekage

Webb City
Jamison Cady, senior fullback — 11 carries for 80 yards, 5 TDs
Phoenix Johnson, junior running back — 14 carries for 138 yards, TD
Breckin Williams, senior quarterback — 6 carries for 139 yards, 0-for-4 passing, 2 ints

Hillcrest
Matt Futrell, senior quarterback — 13-of-27 for 112 yards and 3 interceptions, 3 rushes for 7 yards
Dorial Green-Beckham, senior wide receiver — 6 catches for 58 yards (none in second half)
Hillcrest total offense — 117 yards

Interview with Jamison Cady

DGB speaks

Rogersville RB Dylan Cole

Dylan Cole after win over Catholic in sectional

Senior Dean Deetz had a big night racking up over 200 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs

Despite early miscues, Dean Deetz and the Nixa Eagles run away with a rematch win over the Branson Pirates 41 to 15.

Conventional wisdom states –at least in theory- that the team with a bye has a week to get things tuned up and come out onto the field sharp and firing on all cylinders.  Nixa halfway proved that adage early with the defense stopping Branson and their 1600 yard wonder Malachi Daniels on the first two Pirate possessions in spite of a big play from quarterback Chandler Hall to receiver Parker O’Dell on a tightrope effort along the sideline.

On offense Nixa looked less than ready to come out and put up points on the board the way they had done in their first matchup against Branson in scoring 28 points in the first quarter.  Sam Rehagen ended Nixa’s first two possessions with interceptions.  The third series had all the earmarks of another flawed Eagle possession as Rehagen had to eat a twenty yard loss on a wild shotgun snap on the opening play.  Fortunately –for the Nixa faithful- a personal foul penalty got some of those lost yards back and set the stage for a 14 play 85 yard Eagle drive with power back Kevin Shrauger running for 31 yards on five carries and Dean Deetz finishing it off with a two yard touchdown to take an early lead Nixa would not capitulate. (Deetz would get three more rushing TDs, one set up by his own impressive 42 yard punt return)

The rest of the second quarter provided for most of the game’s excitement, with the score 14 to 0 Branson managed a successful 9 play 63 yard drive capped off with an 8 yard goal to go run by sophomore Isaiah Daniels touchdown rush.  Coach Rehagen’s Eagles decided that the next possession would put an end any hope of a Branson comeback.  Shrauger carried three tacklers for a 14 yard carry on first down.  Sam Rehagen dropped back to pass and dumped it off to Deetz in the left flat.  Deetz then converted a below the knees catch into a 46 yard touchdown reception that firmly put the game out of Branson’s reach.

Branson will end the season at 6-6, while Nixa (10-1) will face the 11-1 Lee’s Summit West Titans who are coming off a 35-28 overtime win over the Glendale Falcons.

*Nixa senior Brady Melugin left the game with a knee injury and returned in the second half on crutches.  No word beyond that.

*Branson pulled their starting line ups after Nixa did in the fourth quarter, and scored their second touchdown thanks to sophomore DaQuan Ervin, listed as RB/DB put played under center and scored on a quarterback keeper and the following two-point conversion.

*Branson’s Coach Steve Hancock reaches a milestone in featuring two 1000 yard rushers in the same season.

Stat-Attack!

Branson

A. Burke 8 carries, 114 yards
M. Daniels 18 carries, 69 yards, fumble.
C. Hall -5 yards rushing, 3-8 23yards INT  (P. O’Dell 3 rec, 23 yards)

Nixa

D. Deetz 16 carries, 108 yards (6.75avg) 3TDs;
K. Shrauger 13 carries, 83 yards (6.3avg)
S. Rehagen 12 carries, 60 yards, 2-5 59 yards TD 2INT (Deetz with both catches and TD)

Senior Dean Deetz had a big night racking up over 200 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs

The second round of the high school football playoffs lived up to the hype. Below are the scores and we are adding game story links from around the state.

Class 5

Parkway Central 42, Webster Groves 26
Hazelwood East 25, McCluer 14
Camdenton 26, Ft. Zumwalt East 24
Kirkwood 48, Holt 0
Lee’s Summit West 35, Glendale 28, OT
Nixa 41, Branson 15
Fort Osage 12, Winnetonka 3
Staley 45, Raytown South 6

Class 4

Farmington 42, Hillsboro 7
Gateway 52, Miller Career Academy 14
MICDS 31, Ladue 21
St. Francis Borgia 30, St. Charles West 10
Hillcrest 28, Union 21
Webb City 63, Jefferson City Helias 21
Harrisonville 21, Hannibal 7
Savannah at Kearney, (n)

Class 3

Ste. Genevieve 30, Park Hill Central 7
John Burroughs 42, Lutheran North 12
North Callaway 24, Southern Boone Co. 0
Osage 38, Boonville 20
Rogersville 34, SGF Catholic 14
Cassville 42, Pleasant Hill 12
Renaissance at O’Hara, (n)
Richmond 21, Maryville 2

Class 2

Caruthersville 55, Crystal City 20
Maplewood 7, Brentwood 0
MV-BT Liberty 61, Fair Grove 26
Lamar 62, El Dorado Springs 6
Blair Oaks 14, South Callaway 8
Macon 31, Monroe City 7
Lafayette 29, Butler 6
Penney at Lawson, (n)

Class 1

Valle Catholic 52, Thayer 21
Skyline 54, Miller 34
Concordia 58, Tipton 12
Archie 33, Osceola 29
South Shelby 21, Louisiana 7
Westran 14, Salisbury 0
Wellington-Napoleon 15, South Harrison 14
West Platte at East Buchanon, (n)

————

Quarterfinal schedule

All games at 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Class 5

Hazelwood East (7-4) at Parkway Central (10-1)
Kirkwood (10-0) at Candenton (7-5)
Nixa (10-1) at Lee’s Summit West (10-1)
Staley (11-0) at Fort Osage (10-1)

Class 4

Gateway Tech (10-2) at Farmington (11-1)
MICDS (12-0) at St. Francis Borgia (12-0)
Webb City (12-0) at Hillcrest (11-1)
Harrisonville (11-1) vs. Kearney/Savannah

Class 3

Ste. Genevieve (10-2) at John Burroughs (11-1)
North Callaway (8-4) at Osage (12-0)
Rogersville (11-1) at Cassville (12-0)
Richmond (11-1) vs. O’Hara/Renaissance winner

Class 2

Caruthersville (11-1) at Maplewood (10-2)
MV-BT Liberty (12-0) at Lamar (11-1)
Macon (11-1) at Blair Oaks (10-2)
Lafayette (11-1) vs. Penney/Lawson

Class 1

Valle Catholic (11-1) at Skyline (9-3)
Concordia (11-1) at Archie (9-3)
South Shelby (8-4) at Westran (10-2)
Wellington-Napoleon (12-0) vs. East Buchanon/West Platte

When Glendale High School’s football players look back on Monday night’s Class 5 sectional loss to Lee’s Summit West, they’ll remember they took the defending Class 5 champions to overtime. They’ll remember they made the Titans play catchup in a way they’ve never seen. They’ll remember how the Titans were so desperate they asked the officials to investigate the length of their spikes coming out of halftime.

One day, it will be a story worth telling, and one they’ll dish out to friends and family with pride. It will be one told with their heads held high.

But the near future isn’t going to feel good.

Lee’s Summit West erased a 28-0 second half deficit to beat Glendale 35-28 in overtime Monday night with a gutsy and clutch performance. For two-and-a-half quarters, The Class 5 District 7 champion Falcons (8-3) outplayed Lee’s Summit West. The Falcons stopped the run, made nice defensive plays down the field and took advantage of an offensive and defensive line that featured future Missouri Tiger recruit Evan Boehm (6-foot-4, 305 pounds). And when they had the ball, Trevor Vaughn treated Lee’s Summit West (11-1) as he did most teams this season.

Vaughn finished with 31 carries for 273 yards and two TDs, including a 78-yard run on the game’s third offensive play, and broke another 68-yard run in the second quarter, but fumbled at the 1-yard line. It was recovered by Omar Wijahat for a TD. Two TDs later — one on a 18-yard play-action pass from Will Rogers to Cameron Johnson — Glendale had a 28-0 lead with 7:50 left in the second half.

But what followed was unbelievable. Lee’s Summit West, which couldn’t move the ball in the first half, came alive. Senior quarterback — and Iowa State commit – Luke Knott may have started the game 3-of-14 passing for 34 yards and two interceptions, but he finished 13-of-28 for 208 — that’s right, he was 10-of-14 passing for 174 yards in the second half. He also rushed for 145 yards and two TDs, mostly coming off of QB draws from a 5 wide receiver set.

LSW slowly chipped away at the Glendale lead, remarkably moving the ball at lightning speed, scoring all four TDs on drives less than two minutes. Meanwhile, the Titan defense smothered Glendale, not allowing Vaughn to get loose on the perimeter or Johnson to break free in the secondary.

With 6:11 left on the clock and leading 28-21, Glendale converted two third downs, including a third-and-13 on a 37-yard reverse by Vaughn. But the drive stalled and Glendale punted the ball to the LSW 20 with 2:15 left. It turns out, Glendale left the Titans too much time. With a mix of runs and passes — all by Knott – LSW punched a TD in on a 1-yard Knott sneak with 41 seconds left.

Glendale couldn’t answer, getting the ball to the LSW 43 before time expired.

In overtime, it looked like Glendale’s defense might have made a stand. LSW faced a fourth-and-9 from the Glendale 24 and Knott found senior receiver Shaq Harrison on a post route in the end zone with a beautiful sliding catch. Glendale moved the ball to the 14, but a fade pass from Falcons QB Will Rogers to WR Jared Hood was intercepted.

The hundreds of LSW players and fans celebrated. The Glendale team and fan base was shocked. Sure, they knew they were huge underdogs against the defending state champs, but they were so close. Still, Glendale coach Joel Heman urged his kids to be proud.

“They played their hearts out against the defending state champs,” Heman said. “We were close, but that’s a state-championship caliber football team. I couldn’t be more proud of our kids.”

Lee’s Summit West will host Nixa in a Class 5 quarterfinal at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Lessons learned

• Let’s be honest, Glendale was a huge underdog coming into this game. But as they have done all season, the Falcons found a way to score. The offensive line played well and so did Trevor Vaughn, finding wrinkles in the defense and making players miss. On his 68-yard run where he fumbled heading in to the end zone, he juked and jumped at the same time, seeming jumping over a defender, and turned a hit into a 360 spin. Very impressive. Still, Glendale didn’t blow this game, LSW took it. They figured it out and were able to score at will, scoring 4 TDs in 17 minutes.
• LSW was grasping at straws coming out of halftime. You’ll probably read about this elsewhere, too, and it was really a non-issue. But it made for one of my favorite crowd moments of all time. After a first half of watching his players slip on a muddy Lowe Stadium field repeatedly, LSW coach Royce Boehm approached the officials and asked them to check Glendale’s spikes. According to my friend Justin McMillin, who was covering the game for the News-Leader, the beef was over a quarter-inch. MSHSAA made a few Falcons — including Trevor Vaughn — change their spikes, missing the opening kickoff. Once Glendale fans figured out what was going on, they started yelling at the LSW sidelines and chanting, “Check. Their. Cleats.” In the moment, it was hilarious. But once LSW made its charge, it lost its steam.
• LSW offensive lineman Evan Boehm is a beast. 6-foot-4, 305 pounds? He’s headed to Mizzou.
• Many question how many of these Glendale players will be differencemakers at the college level. Lee’s Summit West has 7 kids who will likely be Division I.
• Glendale didn’t blow it. LSW took it. Glendale has nothing to be ashamed of.

Stat geekage

Glendale

• Senior tailback Trevor Vaughn carried 31 times for 273 yards and 2 TDs.
• Junior quarterback Will Rogers was 5-for-9 passing for 78 yards, a TD and an interception.
• Senior wide receiver Cameron Johnson had 3 catches for 50 yards and a TD

Lee’s Summit West

• Senior QB Luke Knott was 13-of-28 passing for 208 and rushed for 145 yards and 2 TDs
• Senior tailback Marcus Strickland had 11 carries for 53 yards and 2 TDs.
• Lee’s Summit West scored 28 points in 17 second-half minutes

The second round of the high school football playoffs begin tonight, and there are huge local games. Below is the schedule and be sure to stop back by for game-story links tomorrow.

All games begin at 7 p.m.

Class 5

Webster Groves at Parkway Central
McCluer at Hazelwood East
Camdenton at Ft. Zumwalt North
Holt at Kirkwood
Lee’s Summit West at Glendale
Branson at Nixa
Winnetonka at Fort Osage
Raytown South at Staley

Class 4

Hillsboro at Farmington
Gateway vs Miller Career Academy at Sumner HS
MICDS vs Ladue at SLUH
St. Francis Borgia vs St. Charles West
Hillcrest at Union
Jefferson City Helias at Webb City
Harrisonville at Hannibal
Savannah at Kearney

Class 3

Park Hill Central at Ste. Genevieve
Lutheran North at John Burroughs
Southern Boone Co. at North Callaway
Boonville at Osage
SGF Catholic at Rogersville
Pleasant Hill at Cassville
Renaissance at O’Hara
Maryville at Richmond

Class 2

Crystal City at Caruthersville
Maplewood at Brentwood
Fair Grove at MV-BT Liberty
El Dorado Springs at Lamar
Blair Oaks at South Callaway
Macon at Monroe City
Lafayette at Butler
Penney at Lawson

Class 1

Valle Catholic at Thayer
Skyline at Miller
Concordia at Tipton
Archie at Osceola
Louisiana at South Shelby
Westran at Salisbury
South Harrison at Wellington-Napoleon
West Platte at East Buchanon

Thanks to MSHSAA.org, here is the most up-to-date playoff scoreboard around. And, check back in the morning for game-story links.

Class 5
Webster Groves 34, Rockwood Summit 32
McCluer 42, Seckman 7
Camdenton 24, Vianney 7
Holt 13, Waynesville 10
Lee’s Summit 38, Lebanon 6
Branson 21, Lee’s Summit 17
Winnetonka 14, Truman 0
Raytown South 8, Central

Class 4
Farmington 61, Desoto 16
Hillboro 34, Sikeston 0
Miller Career 42, Festus 14
Gateway Tech 50, Cexter 0
Ladue 58, Vashon 40
St. Charles West 29, Jennings 6
MICDS 47, Soldan 12
St. Francis Borgia 42, Duchesne 7
Union 28, Republic 6
Hillcrest 41, St. Clair 14
Webb City 35, Bolivar 21
Jefferson City Helias 26, Carthage 17
Hannibal 26, Grain Valley 17
Harrisonville 43, Moberly 0
Kearney 16, Platte City 3

Class 3
Park Hills Central 29, Dexter 28
Ste. Genevieve 48, Fredericktown 14
John Burroughs 28, McCluer South 8
Lutheran North 33, Priory 26
Southern Boone County 38, Bowling Green 33
North Calloway 54, Orchard Farm 35
Osage 35, Eldon 0
Boonville 52, Owensville 14
Rogersville 28, Aurora 6
Cathoilc 35, Mountain Grove 7
Cassville 35, Clinton 0
Pleasant Hill 14, Monett 6
O’Hara 28, Lincoln Prep 0
Renaissance 50, Pembroke Hill 26
Richmond 42, Chillicothe 8
Maryville 41, Van Horn 0

Class 2
Caruthersville 48, Herculaneum 0
Crystal City 16, Charleston 13
Brentwood 17, Carnahan 14
Maplewood 38, Principia 0
MV-BT Liberty 49, Strafford 8
Fair Grove 34, Willow Springs 13
Lamar 61, Warsaw 0
El Dorado Springs 44, Sarcoxie 0
South Callaway 44, Christian 14
Monroe City 24, Centralia 21
Macon 21, Clark County 13
Butler 30, Carrolton
Lafayette 47, Adrian 0
Lawson 39, Trenton 0
Penney 13, Hogan Prep 12

Class 1
Thayer 42, Cleveland NJROTC 0
Valle Catholic 44, Hayti 8
Miller 49, Lockwood 14
Skyline 21, Greenfield 0
Tipton 56, Santa Fe 14
Concordia 62, Sacred Heart 0
Osceola 13, Midway 10
Archie 20, University 6
South Shelby 39, Knox County 8
Louisiana 29, Scotland County 20
Salisbury 35, Marceline 7
Westran 39, Milan 0
Wellington-Napoleon 22, Polo 0
South Harrison 58, St. Mary’s 0
East Buchanon 48, Albany 8
West Platte 20, King City 6

Hillcrest tailback Stuart Andress

While everyone in the state — and possibly the nation — knows Hillcrest High School is at its most destructive when passing, the Hornets won its first-round playoff game with an abnormal dose of running the football.

And senior tailback Stuart Andress was up to the challenge on a historic night.

“I had no idea I’d carry it that much,” Andress said.

The Hornet running back carried a career-high 25 times for 137 yards and a TD in a 35-14 victory over St. Clair Wednesday night in a Regional game, giving a Hillcrest (10-1) team 10 wins for the first time in school history. While 139 yards is a good, but not jawdropping amount of yards, each carry seemed to chip away at the Bulldogs’ swagger. Eventually the Hornets seemed to impose their will and advanced to travel to Union (11-0) at 7 p.m. Monday.

St. Clair (7-3) had no answer for Andress, mostly because the Bulldogs assigned a safety to specifically double-cover Dorial Green-Beckham, the nation’s No. 1 receiving prospect. Union ended up doing a great job on DGB, holding the national recordholder for career yardage to just 5 catches for 68 yards including two TD catches (1, 5). Essentially, the Hornets proved they could run the ball effectively and confidently in a game with everything on the line.

Aside from St. Clair’s defensive gameplanning, the weather was cold, windy and rainy, especially in the second half. As the weather has the ability to be cold and wet, this was a huge statement to the rest of the state that Hillcrest isn’t one dimensional.

Hillcrest plays Union at 7 p.m. Monday. Union beat Republic 28-6 at home, and will again host. The Winner of that matchup will face the winner of the Webb City/Jefferson City Helias game.

Scoring summary

Hillcrest    7     21     7     7 — 42
St. Clair     0      2     12   0 — 14

First quarter

Hillcrest — Matt Futrell 1 run (Chase Briscoe kick)

Second quarter

Hillcrest — Futrell 1 run  (Briscoe kick)
St. Clair — Safety, bad snap out back of end zone
Hillcrest — Stuart Andress 8 run (Briscoe kick)
Hillcrest — Futrell 1 pass to Dorial Green-Beckham (Briscoe kick)

Third quarter

St. Clair — Kyle Juergens 62 run (run failed)
St. Clair — Juergens 15 pass to Alan Barett (kick failed)
Hillcrest — Futrell 5 pass to Green-Beckham (Briscoe kick)

Fourth quarter

Hillcrest — Scott Jankowski 3 run (Briscoe kick)

Stat geekage

Hillcrest

Dorial Green-Beckham, senior WR — 5 catches, 68 yards, 2 TDs; 1 rush, 21 yards
Matt Futrell, senior QB — 13-of-21 passing, 142 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 2 TD runs

St. Clair

Kyle Juergens, junior QB — 5-of-18 passing, 49 yards, TD; 15 carries for 135 yards

Springfield Catholic QB Chad McBride

High school football is one of the rare places where playoffs and turbo-clock can co-exist. It didn’t take long for Catholic to eliminate any drama as the Irish dominated both sides of the ball in a 35-7 win over Mountain Grove, setting up a rematch with Rogersville, which beat Aurora at home 28-6. The Irish built a 21-0 lead before the end of the first quarter on a 34-yard pitch-and-catch from quarterback Chad McBride to tight end Jack Wolfe. The one play drive was an early dagger for the Panthers and the Irish built it to 35-0 on Catholic’s first drive of the second half. Two quarters of turbo-clock and a lot of mop-up time meant a quick finish. The Panthers managed a late score from George Lada to avoid the doughnut. Catholic running back Nick Gori notched his 19th rushing touchdown of the year.

Stat Geekage

Catholic (9-2) 35

Total Yards: 321 yards
First Downs: 16
Chad McBride, QB: 3-for-7 passing, 48 yards, TD; 5 carries, 68 yards, TD
Cameron Skornia, RB: 11 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDs
Nick Gori, RB: 14 carries, 84 yards, TD

Mountain Grove (6-5) 7

Total Yards: 197 yards (53 on one play)
First Downs: 9
Shaun Anderson, QB: 3-for-10 passing, 28 yards, INT; 7 carries, 66 yards
Ricky Healy, RB: 11 carries, 56 yards

Scoring Plays

First Quarter

6:46 — Catholic: Chad McBride 5-yard run (Nick Gori kick); 7-0
2:52 — Catholic: Cameron Skornia 16-yard run (Gori kick); 14-0
1:12 — Catholic: Jack Wolfe 34-yard pass from McBride (Gori kick); 21-0

Second Quarter

7:59 — Catholic: Gori 3-yard run (Gori kick); 28-0

Third Quarter

5:32 — Catholic: Skornia 7-yard run (Gori kick); 35-0

Fourth Quarter

2:32 — Mountain Grove: George Lada 2-yard run (Andri Simmler kick); 35-7

Junior Quarterback Evan Gruener had a big second half throwing the ball

The first week of high school playoff football did not disappoint with Rogersville running away from Aurora 28-6.

Yes, you read that correctly: tonight’s match-up of 6-4 Aurora against 9-1 Rogersville was one of the most exciting games I’ve seen of the high school season to date.  The score does not really tell the story as the Houn Dawgs fought more like starved wolves in the effort against the Wildcats.

Rogersville opened up the game with a drive that got well into Houn Dawg territory but ended with a failed fourth down rushing attempt by senior running back Joe Zimmer. Aurora couldn’t sustain a drive for their first offensive possession and they fumbled away their second.  Rogersville gladly took what had been handed to them in a 40 yard scoring drive with a rushing touchdown by senior halfback Dylan Cole with one minute left in the first quarter.

The score managed to fully awaken the Houn Dawg offense and were able to move the ball from their own 10 yard line to across midfield into Wildcat territory squarely on the back of junior rusher Everett Basham –an appropriate surname for one of the most physical backs in the greater Springfield area.  He’s listed as 6’1 but plays much bigger than that.  Once this young man gets into the first level of the defense he’s got the speed to run past linebackers and get to the secondary; once he’s in the secondary a defense’s best hope is to have at least two defensive backs there to take him down –chances are that might not be enough anyway.  This drive showcased his power in carrying those fortunate enough to tackle him for an extra handful of yards after contact.

This had all the makings of an equalizing drive; quarterback Clayton Sumners completed a huge pass for a shade over 30 yards to Kurt Hadlow… which was summarily called back on an illegible man downfield call.

Aurora would score on their next possession by finishing off a 54 yard drive with two yard pass from Sumners to senior fullback Michael Helms, but fail on a 2 point conversion to go into the half down one point –the closest the score would prove to be for the rest of the game as Rogersville manages to score on their next two possessions of the second half to all but put the game away en route to their first victory of the post season.

Rogersville, who initially struggled in passing with junior Even Gruener going for 1-5 14 yards in the first half, but came back strong in the final twenty-four minutes of the game going 9-10 2TDs 153 yards.

Aurora goes home 6-5 for 2011 but will have talent going into next season while Rogersville will have a rematch against Springfield Catholic next week.

STAT ATTACK!

Aurora: 297 yards total 1TD INT

#44 E. Basham 193 yards 28 carries

#7 C. Sumners 9-20 89yds, TD INT

Rogersville: 322 yards, 4 TDs 1 Fumble

# 31 D. Cole 54 yards 13 carries (19yd TD reception)

#10 E. Gruener  10-15 167 yards 2TD

With all the national hype Hillcrest High School senior Dorial Green-Beckham has been receiving, it’s good to keep track of his ridiculous accomplishments. We did it last year, and we’re doing it again. DGB did it, as everyone anticipated, breaking the national record for career receiving yardage.

In a 35-7 victory at home vs. Republic, DGB not only had 11 catches for 303 yards and 4 TDs, it shattered Abram Booty’s record 5,687 yards. DGB now is the only wide receiver in high school history to have more than 6,000 career yards, settling in on 6,109. Booty set the National Federation of High School Sports record from 1993 to 1996 while at Evangel Academy of Shreveport, La.

DGB set another record of sorts, too. He now owns Missouri’s 3 best single-season receiving seasons, placing his senior season above his junior and sophomore, almost looking like an upward trending bar graph. His 303 yards in a game ties for the third-best single-game number in the state, giving him a piece of third — and first.

Hillcrest will have at least one more game as the 9-1 Hornets host St. Clair today in a Class 4 regional game. If the Hornets win, they’ll either travel to Union or have a rematch with Republic.

If you’re not familiar with DGB’s status, he is the No. 1 rated high school football player in the contry and sought after by every college program that matters. For more answers on him, read up on our DGB FAQ.

The 6-foot-5 1/2, 220 wide receiver with a 4.43 40-yard dash was named the MaxPreps National Athlete of the year as a sophomore because of his accomplishments in football, basketball and track and field.

We summed all of it up with a week-by-week breakdown and follow it up with his new status in the state record book. Thus, DGB’s senior season in a statistical nutshell.

Week 1, 48-26 victory over Seneca at Missouri Southern on ESPNU

• 18 catches for 284 yards, 3 TDs

Week 2, 37-20 loss to Rogers (Ark.) Heritage at Simmons First/Hootens.com Kickoff Classic

• 7 catches for 142 yards, 2 TDs

Week 3, 21-9 victory at Joplin

• 6 catches for 94 yards

Week 4, 31-21 victory vs. Camdenton

• 12 catches for 215 yards and 2 TDs

Week 5, 31-8 victory vs. Glendale

• 10 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs (129) diff – 101

Week 6, 42-14 victory at Waynesville

• 7 catches for 159 yards and a TD.

Week 7, 40-19 victory vs. Rolla

• 13 catches for 354 receiving yards, 3 TDs (state single-game yardage record)

Week 8, 49-0 victory vs. West Plains

• 5 catches for 116 yards, 2 TDs

Week 9, 56-6 victory vs. Marshfield

• 9 catches for 189 yards, 2 TDs; 29-yard TD run

Week 10, 35-7 victory  vs. Republic

• 11 catches for 303 yards, 4 TDs

Season: 98 catches for 1,986 yards, 21 TDs

Missouri HS records

Most career yards

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-11, 6,109
2. Erick Roe, West Platte,2003-07, 4,057

Most career receiving TDs

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 69
2. Erick Roe, West Platte, 2003-07, 49
3. Eric Anderson, Cameron, , 2003-05, 49

Most receiving yards, single season

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 1,986
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2010, 1,714
3. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2009, 1,616

Most receiving yards, single game

• 1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 354
• 2. Austin Stigall, Mountain Grove, 2002, 312
• 3. (tie) Damond Lacy, Southern Boone County, 2005, 303
• 3. (tie) Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 303

Receiving Yards Per Game (minimum 25 games)

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 122.5
2. Eric Anderson, Cameron, 2003-05, 99.4

Here are what his career numbers look like through 34 games:

Freshman (2008): 37 catches, 801 yards, 12 TDs
Sophomore (2009): 63 catches, 1,616 yads, 22 TDs
Junior (2010): 78 catches, 1,706 yards, 15 TDs
Senior (current): 98 catches for 1,986 yards, 21 TDs

Total: 276 catches, 6,109 yards, 70 TDs

Yes, today is Friday, but in Missouri it’s customary to play most of Week 10′s games on Thursday, in order to give playoff teams more time to prepare for Wednesday’s Regional round. Check out the Week 10 scoreboard and the game-story links.

Hillcrest 35, Republic 7

Ozark 42, Kickapoo 26

Glendale 45, Parkview 0

Nixa 49, Branson 15

Catholic 42, Reeds Spring 13

Neosho 28, Central 13

Rogersville 53, Buffalo 0

Helias 29, Bolivar 19

Lebanon 23, Willard 20

Fair Grove 38, Strafford 33

Webb City 48, Carl Junction 7

Cassville 42, Seneca 0

Diamond 0, Lamar 55

Carthage 61, McDonald County 14

Greenfield 51, Liberal 7,

Aurora 24, Mount Vernon 8

Skyline 33, Pierce City 27

Monett 36, East Newton 15

Mountain View-Liberty 54, Willow Springs 7

Marshfield 42, West Plains 35

Sarcoxie 22, McAuley Catholic 12

Miller 42, Marionville 20,

Thayer 49, Cabool 13,

Osage 42, Salem 0

Lockwood 33, Jasper  0

Hayti 56, Portageville 0

Ash Grove 28, Hollister  14

Pleasant Hope at El Dorado Springs, (n)

Stockton at Warsaw, (n)

Today’s games

Smith-Cotton at  Rolla

Camdenton at Waynesville

Cuba at Houston

Rockhurst at Joplin

Ava  at  Mtn Grove

DGB with brother Darnell (left) and parents.

Hillcrest wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham ran a short 5-yard pattern crossing into the heart of Republic’s defense, accepted a strike from quarterback Matt Futrell and knew he was about to make history. “That’s the first thing I thought after I caught that pass … this could be it right here,” Green-Beckham said. On his way to the 81-yard touchdown, DGB set the all-time national receiving yards record previously held by Abram Booty (Evangel Christian, Shreveport, La., 1993-96), but didn’t stop there. The highly touted recruit finished senior night with 303 yards and four touchdowns on 11 catches, cracked 6,000 career yards and shattered his own Missouri single season receiving mark (1,919 yards this season). “(The national record) was the goal I set and this is it.”

The Hornets pounded Republic along the way, 35-7, to clinch the Class 4, District 10 title (to go with their Ozark Conference championship and Hillcrest’s best record in program history.) The Tigers lone score coming on a *badly missed call to end the first half. Futrell broke the 6,000-yard career passing mark in the first quarterback on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jonah Hill. The senior QB went 15-for-27 passing for 336 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. DGB had scores of 81, 36, 62 and 42, extending his career total to 69 — 20 more than second on the all-time Missouri list. Republic totalled 217 yards of offense behind 75 yards receiving for Beau Allen and Jake Laswell‘s 74 rushing yards. Both teams have made the postseason and will play next Wednesday.

* — I wish there was a way to sugarcoat it, the ball was lying on the ground when Tigers receiver Beau Allen, who jumped on it like a fumble, rolled over and showed it to an official. “Get the kid an Oscar,” one local cameraman said after capturing the hilarious replay. They captured on their fancy cameras (watch the game replay on MC22 this weekend #endplug), I captured it in crap-definition.

DGB with all of his high school quarterbacks.

Scoring plays

First Quarter

7-0 7:42 — Hillcrest: Jonah Hill 6-yard pass from Matt Futrell (P.A.T. Chase Briscoe)

Second Quarter

14-0 1:06 — Hillcrest: Dorial Green-Beckham 81-yard pass from Futrell (P.A.T. Briscoe)
14-7 00.0 — Republic: Beau Allen 41-yard pass from Nick Williams (P.A.T.)

Third Quarter

21-7 10:31 — Hillcrest: DGB 36-yard pass from Futrell (P.A.T. Briscoe)
28-7 :44.8 — Hillcrest: DGB 62-yard pass from Futrell (P.A.T. Briscoe)

Fourth Quarter

35-7 6:49 — Hillcrest: DGB 42-yard pass from Futrell (P.A.T. Briscoe)

Stat Geekage

Hillcrest 35

Total Offense: 419 yards
DGB: 11 catches, 303 yards, 4 TDs; 1 carry, 8 yards
Matt Futrell: 15-for-27 passing, 356 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs

Republic

Total Offense: 217 yards
Beau Allen: 6 catches, 75 yards, TD
Jake Laswell: 19 carries, 74 yards

Up Next (Wednesday, 11/2)

Sullivan at Hillcrest

Republic at Union

DGB breaks national receiving record

DGB talks about setting the national record

“>

Senior Willy Gray finds the end zone for the second time in 2011

Week 10 of the high school football season felt bittersweet for visitor and home team alike with both squads eliminated from postseason contention.  The night provided for excitement and nicely poignant moments from before the first kickoff to after the play of the year.

The home team began the night by pulling a University of Maryland-esque uniform swap in warming up with their red tops, but coming out for the coin toss in black jerseys with pink numbering in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

Once the game started they stayed true to their offensive M.O. in getting the usual suspects of their single wing attack going –junior Cody Lindsay recovered a dropped snap on the second offensive drive and gained 32 yards along with six points.  Defensively the Tigers thwarted the Chiefs offensive unit until deep into the second quarter in consistently forcing either punts or turnovers with junior starting defensive lineman Alex Detherow making key tackles and recovering a loose ball to end Kickapoo’s second possession.

Coach Mark Bliss decided to leave it all on the field play-calling wise to begin the fourth quarter; his Tiger’s executed a flawless David Salazar screen to Kramer Patterson who summarily chucked it to Austin Robert for a 57 yard touchdown strike to put the score at 14-0.  Again the Tigers halted any notion of a Kickapoo advance on the ensuing drive which would pave the way for giving an unsung hero some time in the spotlight.

Enter senior Willy Gray.  On offense he’s a fullback blocking for the likes of Cody Lindsay, Auston Adams, or David Salazar.  On defense he’s getting pressure at left end.  On kick returns he’s an up-back blocking for the speedier guys behind him.  Tonight he played his part in making key blocks on run plays in ensuring the effectiveness of the BlissWing (to coin a phrase) attack on screens and their typical misdirection looks.  With roughly eight minutes left in the first half Willy was targeted for a Salazar pass on the right side of the field.  Gray’s hands were sure and he had the catch made for a first down.  From there Willy made the most the opportunity in spinning away from a tackler and completing the rest of the catch for a total of 55 yards for a touchdown and making it a 21-0 score.
(I caught up with Willy Gray at the game’s conclusion to discuss tonight’s game here)

Kickapoo would be able to find paydirt four times –once in the second quarter with the remaining scores in the final two quarters- but it would not be enough to overcome Ozark’s offensive production.   Ozark’s seniors gathered together after thanking their fans postgame for a linked arm lap of the field as the band played the alma mater. The Chiefs end the season 6-4 while the Tigers finish off a 3 game win streak to cap the season at 7-3.

Central HS tight end Ernest Greenwood has a Division I future.

When you watch Central High School’s football team, it’s not hard to see Bulldog tight end/defensive end Ernest Greenwood. How can you tell? He’s the 6-foot-5, 225-pound junior that has the perfect blend of athleticism, explosion and soft hands for the offensive side, and quickness, tenacity and smarts on defense.

That’s why he’s getting recruiting letters from Missouri and Oregon, according to Central coach Ozzie Riley.

“He’ll definitely play at the next level,” Riley said. “It will probably be the top level.”

Greenwood played at Central as a freshman, but moved to Strafford as a sophomore and didn’t play. He moved back to Central, but didn’t get the right amount of practice time, forcing him to miss the season’s first few games.

But once he was eligible, he made an immediate impact. He scored a 60-yard TD on a fumble return in an overtime loss at eventual-district champion Glendale and a 28-yard TD pass in last week’s narrow loss to Parkview.

TAGsgf.com caught up with Greenwood to talk his football future, The Carter IV and entomology.

With all the national hype Hillcrest High School senior Dorial Green-Beckham has been receiving, it’s good to keep track of his ridiculous accomplishments. We did it last year, and we’re doing it again. And DGB is not just closing in on owning every Missouri receiving record, he’s about to set national records. And when we say “about to set,” we mean next week. As in Thursday against Republic.

In a 56-6 victory at Marshfield, DGB not only had 9 catches for 189 yards and 2 TDs and a 26-yard TD run, all 3 TDs came in the first 3 1/2 minutes. That is not a misprint. In the end, it leaves DGB 62 yards from breaking Abram Booty’s 5,687 yards. Booty set the National Federation of High School Sports record from 1993 to 1996 while at Evangel Academy of Shreveport, La.

DGB set another record of sorts, too. He now owns Missouri’s 3 best single-season receiving seasons.

If you’re not familiar with DGB’s status, he is the No. 1 rated high school football player in the contry and sought after by every college program that matters. For more answers on him, read up on our DGB FAQ.

The 6-foot-5 1/2, 220 wide receiver with a 4.43 40-yard dash was named the MaxPreps National Athlete of the year as a sophomore because of his accomplishments in football, basketball and track and field.

We summed all of it up with a week-by-week breakdown and follow it up with his new status in the state record book. Thus, DGB’s senior season in a statistical nutshell.

Week 1, 48-26 victory over Seneca at Missouri Southern on ESPNU

• 18 catches for 284 yards, 3 TDs

Week 2, 37-20 loss to Rogers (Ark.) Heritage at Simmons First/Hootens.com Kickoff Classic

• 7 catches for 142 yards, 2 TDs

Week 3, 21-9 victory at Joplin

• 6 catches for 94 yards

Week 4, 31-21 victory vs. Camdenton

• 12 catches for 215 yards and 2 TDs

Week 5, 31-8 victory vs. Glendale

• 10 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs (129) diff – 101

Week 6, 42-14 victory at Waynesville

• 7 catches for 159 yards and a TD.

Week 7, 40-19 victory vs. Rolla

• 13 catches for 354 receiving yards, 3 TDs (state single-game yardage record)

Week 8, 49-0 victory vs. West Plains

• 5 catches for 116 yards, 2 TDs

Week 9, 56-6 victory vs. Marshfield

• 9 catches for 189 yards, 2 TDs; 29-yard TD run

Season: 78 catches for 1,683 yards, 17 TDs

Missouri HS records

Most career yards

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-11, 5,659
2. Erick Roe, West Platte,2003-07, 4,057

Most career receiving TDs

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 64
2. Erick Roe, West Platte, 2003-07, 49
3. Eric Anderson, Cameron, , 2003-05, 49

Most receiving yards, single season

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2010, 1,714
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 1,683
3. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2009, 1,616

Most receiving yards, single game

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 354
2. Austin Stigall, Mountain Grove, 2002, 312
3. Damond Lacy, Southern Boone County, 2005, 303

Receiving Yards Per Game (minimum 25 games)

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 122.5
2. Eric Anderson, Cameron, 2003-05, 99.4

Here are what his career numbers look like through 34 games:

Freshman (2008): 37 catches, 801 yards, 12 TDs
Sophomore (2009): 63 catches, 1,616 yads, 22 TDs
Junior (2010): 78 catches, 1,706 yards, 15 TDs
Senior (current): 87 catches for 1,683 yards, 17 TDs

Total: 265 catches, 5,806 yards, 65 TDs

Glendale senior Trevor Vaughn

Well, while pulling away for 3 long TD runs, the myth needed to be accounted for. And according to Vaughn, it’s true. “I don’t want to use up energy I don’t need to,” said Vaughn, who rushed 17 times for 255 yards and 3 TDs, breaking runs of 76, 50 and 49 yards.

Vaughn’s efforts put an exclamation point on the Falcons’ 55-25 victory over Lebanon, that not only made senior night special, but gave the Falcons the Class 5 District 7 title. Of course, many remember when Parkview knocked Glendale out of the playoffs last season with a last-second field goal.

Scoring summary

Lebanon 6 9 3 7– 25

Glendale 14 7 7 27– 55

First quarter

GHS –Trevor Vaughn 76 run (Derek Roberts kick)

LHS –Brock West 16 run (run failed)

GHS –Cameron Johnson 9 pass from Will Rogers (Roberts kick)

Second quarter

LHS –West 1 run (run failed)

GHS –Rogers 1 run (Roberts kick)

LHS –FG Mitch Mather 31

Third quarter

LHS –FG Mather 32

GHS –Jared Hood 45 pass from Rogers (Roberts kick)

Fourth quarter

GHS –Jeremy Armstrong 21 run (Roberts kick)

GHS –Cody Jacobs 65 interception return (kick failed)

LHS –Jase Glenndenning 19 pass from Hayden Brackett (Mather kick)

GHS –Vaughn 50 run (Roberts kick)

GHS –Vaughn 49 run (Roberts kick)

Springfield Catholic QB Chad McBride

Catholic coach Bobby Cornelison could finally exhale when Aurora quarterback Clayton Sumners’s pass fell to the grass and the defense of the Fightin’ Irish stood up one final time to edge the Houn Dawgs, 10-7. “I could use some blood pressure medicine,” Cornelison said as he walked off Swisshelm Field following Friday night’s Class 3 District 10 matchup. Sumners led Aurora to the Irish 11-yard line on what started as a methodical drive and took a shot at the end zone with 4.5 seconds to play. The pass, intended for Andrew Parker fell incomplete and the clock wound out.

The Catholic offense struggled through a scoreless first half, managing just a pair of first downs. Aurora running back Everett Basham ran through the Irish defense for 77 yards in the first half (he finished with 131) as the Houn Dawgs dominated the Irish in every facet early … except the scoreboard.

First half stats

Aurora
Total Yards — 168
First Downs — 10
T.O.P. — 17
Snaps — 37

Catholic
Total Yards — 35
First Downs — 2
T.O.P. — 5
Snaps — 15

Aurora made three threatening trips into Catholic territory, but each resulted in a turnover. Cornelison said he wasn’t surprised by his team’s slow start. “Remember Rockem Sockem Robots? It was like that.” The second half was dominated by long, sustaining drives from each side. The Houn Dawgs finally made good on a long drive, a 6-minute, 78-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard plunge from Basham, to go ahead 7-0. Irish back Nick Gori answered with a 1-yard score of his own, set up by a 35-yard pass from quarterback Chad McBride to Tim Gerwel, who was playing with a cast on his hand. An Aurora 3-and-out set Catholic up at the Houn Dawg 48, and Gori finished the drive sending a 30-yard kick between the uprights. The 10-7 lead would hold as Aurora looked for a kept its offense on the field for the final play of the game. “They called timeout and we thought they were going to kick a field goal, but they didn’t. They thought there was still time left, but they’re a very good team and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them again (in the playoffs),” McBride said.

Speaking of the playoffs: In District 9, Rogersville scorched Ava, 41-19 and Mountain Grove beat Buffalo, 21-8. Mt. Vernon beat Reeds Spring 52-0 in the other District 10 game. With the wins Catholic and Rogersville each locked up playoff spots and each must lose (by a lot) next week to not host in the opening round of the playoffs. The Irish will face the winner of Mountain Grove/Ava, while Rogersville will host the Mt. Vernon/Aurora victor.

Stat Geekage

Catholic (7-2) 10

Total Yards: 143
First Downs: 11
Nick Gori, RB: 22 carries, 84 yards, TD
Chad McBride, QB: 2-for-6 passing, 42 yards, 2 INT; 9 carries for 33 yards

Aurora (5-4) 7

Total Yards: 303
First Downs: 19
Everett Basham, RB: 26 carries, 131 yards, TD
Clayton Sumners, QB: 12-for-20 passing, 103 yards, 2 INT

Scoring

Third Quarter
(:.32.3) Aurora: Basham 1 yard run (Tyler Denney kick), 7-0
Fourth Quarter
(9:26) Catholic: Gori 1 yard run (Gori kick), 7-7
(3:35) Catholic: Gori 30 yard field goal, 10-7

Up Next

• Catholic at Reeds Spring, Thursday, Oct. 26
• Aurora vs. Mt. Vernon, Friday, Oct. 27

Check out the Week 9 high school football scoreboard, and don’t forget to click on the game story links.

Glendale 55, Lebanon 25
Hillcrest 56, Marshfield 6
Kickapoo 28, Branson 24
Parkview 34, Central 22
Nixa 35, Willard 7
Ozark 47, Neosho 12
Catholic 10, Aurora 7
Camdenton 42, Rolla 0
Rogersville 41, Ava 19
Bolivar 49, Warrensburg 6
Republic 30, West Plains 27
Fair Grove 58, Hollister 15
Raymore-Peculiar 42, Joplin 27
Hayti 36, Cabool 12
Strafford 28, Ash Grove 14
Mountain Grove 21, Buffalo 8
Greenfield 18, Lockwood 14
Monett 33, Seneca 21
Miller 40, Skyline 21
Marionville 28, Pierce City 14
Willow Springs 48, Cuba 26
Thayer 50, Portageville 8
MV-BT Liberty 61, Houston 8
Waynesville 56, Smith-Cotton 34
Cassville 44, East Newton 0
Pleasant Hope 28, Stockton 18
Mt Vernon 52, Reeds Spring 0
Lamar 55, Sarcoxie 0
Salem 43, St. James 27
Webb City 56, McDonald County 19
Diamond 34, McAuley 6
Carthage 42, Carl Junction 7
Liberal 19, Jasper 16
Nevada 20, Clinton 14
El Dorado Springs 53, Warsaw 22

While the 1^st half statistics point to another productive night for the 3-headed monster of a ground attack by Deetz, Rehagen, and Shrauger, it was Nixa’s defense which proved to be critical in shutting down the Tigers of Willard.

Both squads couldn’t sustain their respective opening drives past midfield, and the game looked like it would prove to be an even contest between two Central Ozark Conference teams.  Yet the game’s momentum swung early in Nixa’s favor as a Justin Atchison pass was intercepted with a huge leap over the targeted receiver by senior Brady Melugin.  Nixa wasted no time in the remaining minutes of the 1^st quarter with a Dean Deetz 22 yard run on the second play after the turn over.

The second half was no nicer a mistress to Willard as Kevin Shrauger picked off Atchison with an impressive tip-toe catch –right in front of the Tiger bench.  Sam Rehagen then burned the defense on a 49 yard quarterback scramble on 2^nd down.  Willard put together an eleven play drive yet could not manage to score any points against a stingy Nixa defense.  Shrauger extended an eight yard pass in between the hashes to a 55 yard catch-and run, and would score again after Willard fumbled from their own 20 yard line to end the half and ensure a 3rd and 4th quarter absence from Nixa’s starting skill players.

After the game I caught up with junior J.D. Payne in discussing his role in Nixa’s win

Nixa improves to 8-1 on the season and remains undefeated in district play and will travel to 5-4 Branson next Thursday while Willard falls to 1-7 and will goes on the road to Lebanon.

Nixa QB Sam Rehagen

There are few better blends of skill and charisma than Nixa High School senior quarterback Sam Rehagen. The left-hander has helped Nixa to a 7-1 record, a No. 7 ranking in Class 5 and a 2-0 record in District 7.

He’s a three-year starter at defensive back, but it’s his first stab at being a full-time starter at quarterback. And, he’s excelling. Even though he sat out two games for an undisclosed suspension, Rehagen is 31-of-46 passing for 605 yards and 7 touchdowns. He’s also rushed 75 times for 341 yards and 4 TDs. And, as a salty DB, he has 27 tackles and 1 interception.

Before Nixa travels to Willard for a district game Friday, TAGsgf.com sports editor Allen Vaughan caught up with Rehagen to talk about southpaw QBs, T.I. and his way with words.

Branson senior running back Malachi Daniels

Branson High School has been blessed with great running backs throughout the years. Malachi Daniels fits right among the best.

The Pirate senior tailback crossed the thousand-yard threshold with a super-human performance against Parkview Friday, rushing 25 times for 282 yards and 4 TDs, including a 44-yard run on a draw play as time expired. On the season, he’s rushed 186 times for 1,287 yards and 10 TDs. It’s Branson’s fifth-consecutive victory after losing its first 3. The Pirates host Kickapoo in a huge Class 5 District 8 game Friday.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound back said the recruiting process has been slow, but he’s the classic ‘tweener, who will probably play at a school/level above his size, but one that fits his skill. He’s a strong runner with great vision and balance.

After Branson’s 28-14 victory over Parkview, TAGsgf.com sports editor Allen Vaughan caught up with Daniels to talk about recruiting, his favorite running backs and why Branson is on such a roll.

With all the national hype Hillcrest High School senior Dorial Green-Beckham has been receiving, it’s good to keep track of his ridiculous accomplishments. We did it last year, and we’re doing it again. And DGB is not just closing in on owning every Missouri receiving record, he’s about to set national records.

According to the National Federation of High Schools record book, DGB sits just 250 yards shy of Abram Booty’s career record of 5,867 set in 1996 for Shreveport Evangel Academy in Louisiana.

Also, he needs only 81 yards to lay claim to the three best single-season yardage marks in Missouri HS history. He was also named to the 2012 US Army All-American Bowl Monday.

If you’re not familiar with DGB’s status, he is the No. 1 rated high school football player in the contry and sought after by every college program that matters. For more answers on him, read up on our DGB FAQ.

The 6-foot-5 1/2, 220 wide receiver with a 4.43 40-yard dash was named the MaxPreps National Athlete of the year as a sophomore because of his accomplishments in football, basketball and track and field.

We summed all of it up with a week-by-week breakdown and follow it up with his new status in the state record book. Thus, DGB’s senior season in a statistical nutshell.

Week 1, 48-26 victory over Seneca at Missouri Southern on ESPNU

• 18 catches for 284 yards, 3 TDs

Week 2, 37-20 loss to Rogers (Ark.) Heritage at Simmons First/Hootens.com Kickoff Classic

• 7 catches for 142 yards, 2 TDs

Week 3, 21-9 victory at Joplin

• 6 catches for 94 yards

Week 4, 31-21 victory vs. Camdenton

• 12 catches for 215 yards and 2 TDs

Week 5, 31-8 victory vs. Glendale

• 10 catches for 130 yards and 2 TDs (129) diff – 101

Week 6, 42-14 victory at Waynesville

• 7 catches for 159 yards and a TD.

Week 7, 40-19 victory vs. Rolla

• 13 catches for 354 receiving yards, 3 TDs (state single-game yardage record)

Week 8, 49-0 victory vs. West Plains

• 5 catches for 116 yards, 2 TDs

Season: 78 catches for 1,494 yards, 15 TDs

Missouri HS records

Most career yards

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-11, 5,659
2. Erick Roe, West Platte,2003-07, 4,057

Most career receiving TDs

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 64
2. Erick Roe, West Platte, 2003-07, 49
3. Eric Anderson, Cameron, , 2003-05, 49

Most receiving yards, single season

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2010, 1,714
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2009, 1,616
3. Dane Kolkmeyer, Joplin, 2008, 1,574

Most receiving yards, single game

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2011, 354
2. Austin Stigall, Mountain Grove, 2002, 312
3. Damond Lacy, Southern Boone County, 2005, 303

Receiving Yards Per Game (minimum 25 games)

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest, 2008-10, 122.5
2. Eric Anderson, Cameron, 2003-05, 99.4

Here are what his career numbers look like through 34 games:

Freshman (2008): 37 catches, 801 yards, 12 TDs
Sophomore (2009): 63 catches, 1,616 yads, 22 TDs
Junior (2010): 78 catches, 1,706 yards, 15 TDs
Senior (current): 78 catches for 1,494 yards, 13 TDs

Total: 256 catches, 5,617 yards, 63 TDs

Here are some fresh 2011 highlights

DGB

We are cooking up our Dorial Green-Beckham watch, but before that, here’s a video package from Hillcrest’s 49-0 victory over West Plains Friday. DGB only played a half, but he still had 5 catches for 116 yards and two TDs.

Hillcrest is 7-1 on the season and is the Ozark Conference champion.

View Video from MaxPreps.com

Rehagen found success in both running and passing against the Ozark Tigers for a third district win

The Backyard Brawl had all the makings of a shootout between two evenly matched squads, but in the end Nixa ran away with the district win in convincing fashion by a score of 36 to 7.

Ozark began the opening drive with their successful three-headed running attack out of the single wing; senior Auston Adams ripped off a twenty-three yard run to move the chains to near midfield on the first play from scrimmage.  Coach Bliss’ offense then proceeded to get Cody Lindsay in on the action for two successive plays in gashing straight into the Eagles’ defensive secondary.

When faced with a fourth and goal from the four yard line the Tigers opted to go for the touchdown against attempting a three point kick – Nixa’s defensive line and linebacking corp instead knocked the ball loose and senior Kevin Shrauger recovered in the endzone for a touchback.

Nixa came out firing against the Ozark defense with senior quarterback Sam Rehagen launching a bullet pass to tight end Shane Burkhart for a ten yard completion.  The drive would not be sustained after Nixa lost possession on a fumble, which Ozark proceeded to give right back to the home team with a David Salazar interception.

Ozark maintained possession for the rest of the first quarter after a Nixa three and out series and scored on the first play of the second on a four yard pass from Seth Wheeler to Kramer Patterson.

Nixa would not be deterred and answered with a fourteen play 65 yard scoring drive splitting carries between Rehagen, Shrauger, and senior standout Dean Deetz.  Deetz averaged just under five yards per touch on the drive and was given the touchdown carry on the second and goal play from the Ozark five yard line.  I cannot stress the importance of Deetz’ speed in sustaining the drive, where he made the most of running outside either tackle and easily made his way past Ozark’s linebackers into the secondary.

The Tigers next possession ended with yet another turnover, with Salazar throwing his second of three interceptions on the night (picked off by Rehagen), with Nixa capitalizing on the ensuing possession with a 48 yard touchdown drive (Rehagen to Brady Adams 25 yard pass).

The second half began with a bang as Deetz took the Ozark kickoff 86 yards to the house to make the score 20 to 7.  The Eagle defense succeeded in stifling the Tiger single wing attack and forced  a punt after two big negative yardage plays (Shrauger stopping a run in the backfield, and later a Taryn Thomas nine yard sack on 3^rd and 17).

After the game Rehagen (who would score from 19 yards out with 2:02 left in regulation) stressed the importance of practice in shutting down Ozark’s single wing offense noting the challenging nature in accounting for pulling offensive linemen and misdirection reads after the snap, and also said forcing them into passing situations would benefit them immensely.  Rehagen also stated the Nixa gameplan on offense was to run the ball the same way Branson had two weeks prior.

Nixa (7-1, 3-0 in district play) will travel to 2-8 Willard coming off a big loss to Glendale, while Ozark (5-3, 1-1) will be hosted by Neosho coming off their first win of the season against Kickapoo to continue competition in MSHSAA District 8.

Stat-Attack!

Ozark

230  yards of Total Offense; 167 on 36 carries, 63 yards and 1 TD passing.

Individual statistics-

C. Lindsay: 10 carries, 51 yards.
S. Wheeler: 8 carries, 45 yards.

S. Wheeler 1-1 29 yards, 1 TD (K. Patterson)
D. Salazar 4-15 34 yards 3 INT

Nixa

271 yards of Total Offense; 210 on 41 carries; 61 yards and 1 TD passing

Individuals-

S. Rehagen: 16 carries, 107 yards TD
D. Deetz: 15 carries, 57 yards TD; 86 yard kickoff return for TD
K. Shrauger 10 carries, 46 yards TD

S. Rehagen: 3-5 61 yards TD

S. Harris: 4/5 XP, 21 yard field goal (Unsung hero of the game: blasted at least two kickoffs out of endzone and had four other touchbacks)

Here are the football scores from Week 8 of the high school football season. Don’t forget to click on the game-story links, and to find our district standings below.

Class 5

District 6

Camdenton 34, Smith-Cotton 12

Waynesville 42, Rolla 22

District 7

Lebanon 61, Central 20

Branson 28, Parkview 14

Glendale 42, Willard 14

District 8

Neosho 28, Kickapoo 21

Nixa 36, Ozark 7

Class 4

Class 3

Branson senior running back Malachi Daniels

Sometimes running backs get too much credit for big games. But when it comes to Branson High School senior Malachi Daniels, he deserves as much respect as possible.

Despite seeing three first quarter drives stall inside Parkview territory, including an interception and a missed field goal, Daniels revved the Pirate running attack, rushing for all 4 touchdowns and 282 of the team’s 364 yards  in a 28-14 victory at Parkview Friday night. Branson (5-3, 2-0 Class 5 District has now won 5 straight games.

Daniels used his array of speed, cutbacks and jukes to gouge the Vikings for 282 yards on 25 carries. But with the game tied a 7 with just second left, Daniels took what looked to be a normal handoff and weaved his way 44 yards for a touchdown. It stopped Parkview (2-6, 0-2 Class 5 District 7) in its tracks.

Parkview’s defense played very well, except for 3 long Daniels touchdown runs. The senior running back who crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the season had five runs for 20 yards or more. Fullback Austin Burke pitched in, rushing 10 times for 77 yards.

The Vikings played without leading rusher Cole Jenkins. Senior Rudy Beltran rushed 20 times for 60 yards, but 48 of them came in the second half. Quarterback Landon Ruff threw and ran for both of the Vikings TDs.

Scoring Summary

Branson    0    14    7    7    —    28
Parkview    0    7    0    7     —    14

Second quarter
Parkview — Landon Ruff 13 pass to Jordan Whitworth (Taylor Middlebrooks kick)
Branson — Malachi Daniels 7 run (Carlos Mena kick)
Branson — Daniels 44 run (Mena kick)

Third quarter
Branson — Daniels 31 run (Mena kick)

Fourth quarter
Parkview — Ruff 53 run (Middlebrooks kick)
Branson — Daniels 39 run (Mena kick)

Stat Geekage

BRANSON

Malachi Daniels, senior RB — 25 carries, 282 yards, 4 TDs (7, 44, 31, 39)
Austin Burke, senior FB  — 10 carries, 77 yards
Chandler Hall, junior QB — 2-for-8 passing, 12 yards, INT; 7 carries, 39 yards

PARKVIEW

Landon Ruff, senior QB — 6 carries, 78 yards, TD; 6-for-11 passing, 35 yards
Rudy Beltran, senior RB — 20 carries, 60 yards
Total offense: 143 yards

For every high school football team in the state (except for 10 local teams in Class 5…we will explain later) tonight is the most important week of the high school season — the beginning of district play.

Consider TAGsgf.com your home for comprehensive, easy to read local district football coverage, from the scores, to game-story links and updated standings. Let’s get started.

Class 5

District 6

• Camdenton High School (2-5)
• Rolla High School (2-5)
• Smith-Cotton High School (3-4)
• Waynesville High School (3-3)

Friday’s schedule: Camdenton at Smith-Cotton, Waynesville at Rolla

District 7

• Central (Springfield) High School (3-4, 0-2)
• Glendale High School (5-2, 1-0)
• Lebanon High School (5-2, 1-0)
• Parkview High School (2-5, 0-2)
• Willard High School (2-5, 2-0)

Friday’s schedule: Central at Lebanon, Branson at Parkview, Glendale at Willard

District 8

• Branson High School
• Kickapoo High School (5-2, 0-1)
• Neosho High School (0-7, 0-2)
• Nixa High School (6-1, 2-0)
• Ozark High School (5-2, 0-1)

Friday’s schedule: Neosho at Kickapoo, Ozark at Nixa, Branson at Parkview

Class 4

Class 3

We saw ESPN cameras during Joplin High School football team’s season-opener at Glendale, and heard rumors were that the Worldwide Leader in Sports’ cameras were following the Eagles around.

Well, turns out it was true. ESPN has released a promo for a Joplin-centric episode of Outside the Lines, its in-depth investigative sports show. The promo will air at 9 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2.