2026 Boys Postseason #6 (11-6)
by Admin on 11/06/26
Boys Blog #6
Thursday of District week is almost always one of the biggest nights of the year and this year did not disappoint. Upsets, nail biters and dominant performances were the norm tonight as we crowned eight more District champions and several others earned spots in the finals over the next few days. Just a quick note in that this will be the last recap of the week as I am traveling. We’ll try to get a few quick updates and favored teams listed for the remainder of the games.
For those curious, the MPR Accuracy through 135 games the MPR has accurately predicted 117 correctly. Ten of those upsets were under .50 difference and only two (Smithton over Stover 1.25 and College Heights over Greenwood 1.23) were over 1.00. (Note: this did not have all the results from Thursday calculated in yet as not all were reported by the time we put this together.)
A quick spotlight on Friday’s finals, of which there are only three - all in the small classes.
C1D1#4 Maplewood (+.50) vs. #6 Saxony Lutheran at Maplewood.
C1D7 #1 Pembroke Hill (+1.05) vs. #5 Barstow at Barstow.
C2D2 #10 Lutheran South (+.05) vs. #12 St. Mary’s South Side
Maplewood has had a banner year, rolling to a 19-2 mark, its best since finishing second in C1 in 2016. The Blue Devils also host, which will be a huge benefit in both crowd and familiarity. Saxony (10-8) has played a more difficult schedule and barely escaped #8 St. Pius (Festus) 2-1 in OT in the semis. The two haven’t played since 2017 but have split the four previous games.
C1’s top squad pretty much the whole year, Pembroke Hill, has one of its more difficult challenges in its quest to sweep both the girls and boys state championships in the same calendar year. The Raiders enter at 10-6-2 - the byproduct of a demanding schedule - and have had Barstow’s number in the past, winning 14 of the past 17, including a 4-0 result just two weeks ago. Barstow (11-11) also doesn’t duck anyone so don’t expect the Knights to go down easily at home. This one also boasts two legendary coaches in Pembroke’s Matt Pritchett and Barstow’s Scott Huppe, each of whom have been at it over 25 years. Huppe already has two titles and Pritchett is looking for his second boys crown.
The C2 final tonight is virtually even - likely the only difference in the MPR is the fact that Lutheran South edged St. Mary’s 3-2 at home in September. Both teams can score (St. Mary’s averages 3.6 Goals/game, while LS is at 2.9) but defending has been an issue for each (LS allows 2.3 Goals/game and St. Mary’s 2.5). The scoreboard may be popping tonight at South in what should be an entertaining game.
Some quick hits from Thursday action…
#10 Whitfield is back in the playoffs after a 2-1 2OT win over #3 Metro behind a goal from James Kelly on his 16th birthday. Not a bad way to celebrate!
#4 Maplewood is alive only after surviving a 2-1 2OT scare from #15 Brentwood.
#2 Father Tolton has yet to be challenged - claiming the D3 crown with an 8-0 romp over Smithton. Tolton hasn’t played a full playoff game yet en route to its 3rd title in four years.
#11 St. Paul Lutheran took care of #22 Lone Jack 5-2 to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Make it two titles in three years of existence for #9 Faith Christian Academy. The Knights thumped Cameron 7-1 and will get the Barstow/Pembroke Hill winner.
#2 Priory held serve and will get #1 John Burroughs in what would've been a great state final, but will have to settle for a District final instead. The Ravens handled MICDS 2-0.
Southern Boone jumped all over Moberly early and cruised to a 4-0 finals win in Mexico. Southern Boone returns to the playoffs for the first time since winning C1 in 2020.
#7 Kirksville cruised into a final with a 7-1 win over Savannah, but 2 seed #9 Excelsior Springs fell to 3 seed #22 St. Pius (KC) 2-1 in OT.
In C3, #2 St. Dominic and #4 Ft. Zumwalt South earned their way to a district final with wins over Warrenton (5-1) and St. Charles (2-1).
The top seeds in C3D5 also will meet Saturday in a final at Cap City. Camdenton squeaked by Lebanon 1-0 on a goal with 2:37 to play and Capital City sent rival Jeff City packing 3-1 after spotting the Jays a 1-0 lead. Capital City looks for its first boys title in four tries, while Camdenton looks for its first playoff nod since 2009.
#9 Springfield Catholic and #18 Logan Rogersville will renew their recent rivalry as both won Thursday. The Irish are 25-2 overall against Log-Rog, but this year’s game was a tight 1-0 affair and LR will host Tuesday.
A shocker in C4D4 when #30 Troy stunned #16 and top seed Rock Bridge 2-1 in penalties. Troy gets #19 Ft. Zumwalt West, 1-0 winners over host Timberland.
#3 Rockhurst claimed its 15th consecutive District with a 5-0 topping of Blue Springs.
#2 SLUH had no issues with #12 Lafayette, winning 6-0. The Jr. Bills await #7 Kirkwood, 3-2 winners over #6 Marquette. No easy nights in that district, but SLUH seems to be hot at the right time again.
#4 Oakville quietly rolls along with a 2-0 win over Jackson and will face #13 Lindbergh, who also scored a 2-0 result over Northwest.
#10 Liberty North held off a stubborn #39 Park Hill squad 1-0, but 2 seed #23 had no answers for 3 seed #17 Liberty. The Blue Jays cruised 4-0.
