MO Soccer Blog
'22 Boys Postseason #7 (11-11)
by Admin on 11/10/22
The 2022-23 season is the third with the Championship Factor (CF) classification process in place for all sports and we thought it might be interesting to take a look at how that has changed the landscape of soccer, arguably one of the sports that the CF affects the most due to the higher than normal occurrence of private school champions.
We won’t get into all the history and mitigating factors of the CF in this post (mainly because we did that extensively last year), but those who would like an explanation of how it works, why it came about and more, here is a quick resource.
https://www.ozarkssportszone.com/2020/06/24/mshsaas-new-championship-factor-explained
Classifications for the soccer season came out in mid-September for the 224 boys soccer schools with 28 schools impacted by the CF points system. (A quick recap: winning a district is 1 point, reaching a final four is 2, second place is 3 and winning a title is 4 points…any private/parochial/charter school team that has accumulated 0-2 points within the past six years stays in its enrollment class, 3-7 points in six years pushes that school up one class and 8+ points pushes the school up two classifications. Points are not accumulative for the year - the most any school can get is 4.) Here’s the link to seeing what private schools are impacted by the CF.
https://www.mshsaa.org/Activities/ChampionshipFactor.aspx?alg=33
A breakdown:
- Six schools had 8+ points and in theory moved up two classes; however, due to the enrollment they already have, Rockhurst (15), CBC (11) SLUH (1) and DeSmet (8) would likely already be in Class 4, so this likely doesn’t affect them. (DeSmet would be a C3 only with 0-2 points.) John Burroughs (13), Priory (9) and Whitfield (8) all jumped up two classes from what their enrollment would be and are the ones most affected.
The one caveat to all of this is that it is still early in the CF history to get a good read on how schools will continue to be impacted because of the six-year window it currently uses. It will be quite difficult (although not impossible, as Burroughs showed last year and Whitfield is showing this year in Class 3) for small enrollment schools like John Burroughs, Priory and Whitfield to maintain success when playing larger schools each postseason. Whitfield is one of the top-ranked class 3 schools a year after winning a Class 2 title (and finishing as runner-up in Class 1 in 2020) and likely will have a say in how this year’s tournament plays out after escaping a very difficult C3 district. However, all three schools are more the exception than the rule because all three have exceptional soccer pedigree and success historically.
One thing the CF has done is that it has opened up the Class 1 and 2 playoffs to many “non-traditional” powers. In Class 1 this year there is only one school that has ever claimed a state title in MO (Duchesne 1993 and 2004). Class 2 has five former champions (private schools Barstow, Principia, Bishop LeBlond, St. Paul Lutheran and public school Southern Boone) in its 55 teams. To contrast, the year prior to the CF going into place (2019), Class 1 had 4 former champions and Class 2 had 13 schools that had or now have won titles (those 13 account for roughly 25 total state champions since 1968).
Essentially, the CF has made classes 3-4 more difficult/competitive (based on historical successes of the programs) and pushed many of the small school powers from class 1-2 into those classes. There will be fluctuations to this over the next few years until a complete picture can be painted, but if trends follow, there will be 20-30 private schools who will be impacted yearly - most just one class up from where they would normally be enrollment-wise. Ultimately, Class 3 will have a heavier load of private schools than in the past, which is kind of ironic in the sense that Class 3 traditionally has had the fewest number of private schools since MSHSAA implemented four classes in 2014. In fact, Class 3 has not had a private school champ during those eight years. Class 4 has had five, Class 2 seven and Class 1 seven. Even with the CF in place, most championships will still likely come from private schools - at least in the near future -if the previous 50+ years is any indication.
(In the final regular season MO Power Rankings eight of the top 10 Class 2 schools were public. Only 3 of the top 10 in Class 1 were. In Class 3, 11 of the top 15 were public and 10 of the top 15 in Class 4 were public. )
2022 Class 1 Private Schools - 19
2019 Class 2 Private Schools -24
2022 Class 2 Private Schools -15
2019 Class 3 Private Schools -7
2022 Class 3 Private Schools -10
2019 Class 4 Private Schools - 6
2022 Class 4 Private Schools - 9
Some other numbers to consider regarding the CF and the change it has had in classifications since 2019 statewide.
Schools affected by sport - keep in mind that soccer has far fewer schools playing than most of the rest of these sports (number of schools participating in parentheses - only fall sports numbers are from 2022-23 as those haven’t been updated yet):
Boys soccer 28 (224 schools) 12.5%
Girls soccer 27 (223 in 2021-22) 12.1%
Tennis Girls 18 (183) 9.8%
Tennis Boys 16 (171 in 2021-22) 9.3%
Golf Girls 16 (227) 7%
Golf Boys 21(328 in 2021-22) 6.4%
Volleyball 25 (436) 5.7%
Football 14 (307) 4.5%
Cross Country Girls 18 (410) 4.4%
Boys Basketball 21(549 in 2021-22) 3.8%
Girls Basketball 15 (528 in 2021-22) 2.8%
Baseball 14 (492 in 2021-22) 2.8%
Track (Boys) 13 (502 in 2021-22) 2.6%
Cross Country Boys 11 (416) 2.6%
Softball 7 (322) 2.2%
Track (Girls) 10 (500 in 2021-22) 2%
Wrestling Boys 4 (240 in 2021) 1.7%
Wrestling Girls 0 (195 in 2021 and only one class, so no movement possible) 0%
Essentially, the CF has impacted soccer’s classifications the most so far. This isn’t surprising considering the high number of private school successes over the years. It will be interesting to see what happens after a few more years of the CF in place and if MSHSAA will stick to the current six-year cycle.
Thanks for reading!
Later Friday (today)…a quick look at all 16 quarterfinals.
'22 Boys Postseason #6 (11-10)
by Admin on 11/09/22
Vol 2. Edition 6 (11-10–22)
We are back with a quick update from the final three days of district play, which included the remaining 29 district championships. Plenty of fantastic games to finish the week including some shockers, some elite teams looking to make a championship run and some new faces breaking through into the playoffs for either the first time or the first in a long time.
Some numbers from the week that was:
18 of the 32 district finals were decided by one goal
9 were decided by 2 goals
2 decided by 3 goals
2 decided by 4 goals
1 decided by 6 goals
10 district finals went into OT of some sort and several ended in penalties (hard to know exactly as the MSHSAA scoreboard reporters weren’t consistent in posting OT scores)
Champions by seeds: 1st (20), 2nd (9), 3rd (2) and 4th (1).
Class 2 had 5 #2 seeds claim titles, while Class 3 had 7 #1 seeds.
Class 1
Six of the #1 seeds advanced, with only #2 Borgia winning over #1 Tolton in D4 and #3 seed New Covenant capturing D6 over #1 Laquey. Those two upsets knocked out the top two MPR teams from the season, leaving new #1 Summit Christian as the tourney’s highest remaining team in its first ever playoffs. Here’s the rest: Borgia (4), New Covenant (6), Brentwood (8), Smithton (9), Bishop DuBourg (10), Maryville (16) and Duchesne (20). Maryville is the only remaining C1 final four team left from 2021 after it finished third in its first trip. Duchesne is the only team left with a championship to its name, winning titles in 1993 and 2004. Borgia (3), Bishop DuBourg (3) and Smithton (2) have been to final fours before, while New Covenant and Brentwood joins SCA as first-time participants.
Class 2
Only two #1 seeds advanced - Marshall and Excelsior Springs. Five #2 seeds pulled upsets in the finals, while Helias is the only #4 seed left in the entire tourney (all classes) after winning a competitive, but relatively weak (MPR-based) D4. #2 seed Orchard Farm outlasted overall #1 Westminster Christian in extras to win D3. Excelsior Springs is the only C2 Final Four squad from 2021 to still be playing. Here are the updated MPR rankings of the 8 quarterfinalists: Marshall (2), Orchard Farm (3), School of the Osage (4), Barstow (6), Excelsior Springs (7), Saxony Lutheran (9), Principia (11) and Helias (23). Only Barstow (2014 and 2018) and Principia (2015, 2019) have championships, but all four of those came at the Class 1 level. Marshall (3), Orchard Farm (1), Excelsior Springs (2), Saxony Lutheran (1) and Helias (6) all have been to final fours, but have never won one. Osage is making its first foray into the state playoffs.
Class 3
Not much drama after it was all said and done in C3, at least based on how the seeds went as 7 of the 8 districts produced first seed winners. Only Jefferson City as a 2 seed claimed a title in the upset-heavy D7 where six of the seven games were decided by one goal. The Jays put together three straight 1-0 wins, including a final over last year’s final four squad, Van Horn, a 4 seed. #12 Cape Notre Dame had the biggest win of the tourney, a 6-0 thumping of rival Cape Central (9) that most figured would be much closer. Overall #1 Webster Groves survived a clash with #3 overall Rockwood Summit, while #2 overall Whitfield needed extra time to eliminate last year’s runner-up, Ladue. Whitfield is looking to pull off the never done “play in three straight finals in three different classes” trick. Glendale entered as the overall #4 and is the only team from last year’s final four to still have a chance to get back after Ft. Zumwalt East ousted two-time defending champ Ft. Zumwalt South. The updated MPR rankings: Webster Groves (1), Whitfield (2), Glendale (4), East KC (6), Ft. Zumwalt East (8), Cape Notre Dame (9), Jeff City (21) and Webb City (29). Cape Notre Dame has three titles in its history (2002, 2006, 2007), Webster Groves owns two (2014-15), Whitfield eight (last in 2021 C2), while Glendale (8) and Jeff City (2) have been to final fours before, but never won. East KC, Webb City and FZE are looking for their first trip to the finals.
Class 4
As expected, C4 is loaded with long-time soccer powers, but maybe not the ones we expected this year. Five 1 seeds won their district, with two seconds and a third also claiming local titles. Two Metro Catholic Conference showdowns highlighted the slate with overall #1 DeSmet losing to #7 CBC 1-0 and #2 Chaminade prevailing over #3 SLUH 3-2. #16 Lindbergh put an end to a possible 3-teams from the MCC reaching the quarters when it eliminated #6 Vianney 1-0. How competitive is C4? Six of the finals were decided by a goal with only #4 Rockhurst and #9 Liberty North enjoying two-goal wins. Updated C4 MPR for the quarterfinalists: Chaminade (1), Rockhurst (3), Kickapoo (4), CBC (6), Liberty North (8), Lindbergh (10), St. Dominic (12) and Rock Bridge (20). Rock Bridge’s ranking (and record) is a bit deceiving after having to forfeit 13 matches this year and controversy seems to follow them, but the Bruins found a way to take out host Blue Springs, a final four team last year, 1-0. Rockhurst is the defending champion and always a threat as their 26 final fours and eight titles attest. CBC owns 10 championships and 21 final fours (last in 2018), while St. Dominic has five titles (last in 2013) and Chaminade three (last in 2006). Lindbergh also has one, winning the 1994 tourney. Kickapoo (3) and Rock Bridge (5) have been to final fours and never won, while Liberty North searches for its first final four trip.
'22 Boys Postseason #5 (11-3)
by Admin on 11/03/22
Vol 2. Edition 5 (11-3–22)
Wednesday action saw three Class 2 champions crowned, continued lopsided Class 1 games and some late drama in Nixa in Class 4.
Starting with the champions…the School of the Osage (5) punched its ticket into the final 8 with a wild win at host Logan-Rogersville (3) in C2D5. Osage led until the final minute of regulation before LR knotted the score and sending it into OT where 2x15 wasn’t enough. Osage wins it in penalties and gives the school its first ever district title and a likely matchup with Marshall if the Owls hold up tonight. In Mexico for the C2 D4 final, four seed Helias Catholic rolled over two seed Southern Boone 6-2 for its first playoff appearance since 2019. Helias earned another point and automatically jumps into Class 3 next year, but will enjoy the present and await Westminster Christian (1) or Orchard Farm (4) at home in quarter play. SBC is now 0-2 in finals since winning a then-best 11 in a row and the 2020 C1 title. D7 Excelsior Springs (7) had an easy night with a 5-1 win over St. Pius (KC) and another trip to the quarters. The Tigers await the winner of D7, which is still in semi play tonight.
In C4 action last night, Chaminade eliminated John Burroughs 3-1 to advance to a final against SLUH. So far all five MCC schools have stayed alive, with two guaranteed to make state play and possibly a third if Vianney can win D1. The high drama of the night in C4 was the late game in Nixa where the host school and Ozark battled into OT before a corner kick goal advanced Ozark into the final against top seed Kickapoo, 6-2 winners over Waynesville.
Class 1 has either been close games or blowouts. D2 top seeds Metro and Brentwood advanced with 2-0 wins, while in D6 overall #1 Laquey blasted Dixon 9-1 and 3 seed New Covenant upset College Heights 5-0. College Heights had won the earlier match 4-3, so this was quite the turnaround.
Thursday games are almost all finals (23), with four other semis thrown in. A lot to cover so for tonight we will provide seeding info and MPR favorites. Remember, anything within .30 is right for an “upset” based on MPR. The average number of MPR upset has been just under .30 at .25. Only three games where the MPR has favored a team over .50 and lost so far with Raytown South’s (-.99) win over Grain Valley the biggest upset of the tourney.
So far, district seeding is 132-27 (83%) and MPR is 126-33 (79%).
Class 1 - More blowouts and a few close ones? Seems to be the trend…look at D4 and D8 as the intriguing ones tonight. St. Mary’s is in its final year of soccer…can it keep going and uphold its long soccer tradition one last time?
D1 Semis
#1 Dubourg (+.12) vs. #4 Valley Park
#2 St. Mary’s vs. #3 Gateway Science (+.28)
D3 Final
#1 Duchesne vs. #2 Winfield (+.31)
D4 Final
#1 Father Tolton (+.37) vs. #2 Borgia
D5 Final
#1 Smithton (+.77) vs. #2 Stover
D7 Final
#1 Summit Christian (+.89) vs. #2 Lone Jack
D8 Final
#1 Maryville vs. #2 Lutheran (KC) (+.07)
Class 2 - Marshall has a big advantage going in, but everywhere else is likely going to be very close. D7 semis could be anyone’s and the D1 and D3 finals have some championship contenders going toe to toe.
D1 Final
#1 Affton (+.16) vs. #2 Saxony Lutheran
D2 Final
#1 Med-Bio (+.20) vs. #2 Principia
D3 Final
#1 Westminster Christian (+.26) vs. #2 Orchard Farm
D6 Final
#1 Marshall (+.82) vs. #2 Odessa
D7 Semis
#1 Harrisonville vs. #4 Oak Grove (+.15)
#2 Barstow (+.18) vs. #3 Center
Class 3 - All 8 finals tonight! Local rivals (throw out the records!) all over the state except in 6-7 where unfamiliar teams from different geographic regions battle it out.
D1
#1 Cape Notre Dame vs. #2 Cape Central (+.07)
D2
#1 Webster Groves (+.44) vs. #2 Rockwood Summit
D3
#1 Whitfield (+.13) vs. #2 Ladue
D4
#1 Ft. Zumwalt East (+.61) vs. #2 Ft. Zumwalt South
D5
#1 Glendale (+.50) vs. #2 Springfield Catholic
D6
#1 Webb City (+.16) vs. #3 Belton
D7
#2 Jefferson City vs. #4 Van Horn (+.24)
D8
#1 East (KC) (+.68) vs. #6 Pembroke Hill
Class 4 All finals. Big time clash in D2 tonight. Can FZN be this year’s Cinderella? Four #3 seeds trying to make the playoffs…pre-season favorites Rockhurst and Rock Bridge have challenges tonight on the road. Third 100+ mile trip (one way) for RB this week.
D1
#1 Lindbergh vs. #3 Vianney (+.34)
D2
#1 DeSmet (+.59) vs. #2 CBC
D4
#5 Ft. Zumwalt North vs. #3 St. Dominic (+.15)
D6
#1 Rockhurst (+.40) vs. #2 Lee’s Summit
D7
#1 Rock Bridge (+.25) vs. #3 Blue Springs
D8
#1 Liberty North (+.08) vs. #3 Park Hill South
Note: a few days of travel may slow Blog reports...will do our best to keep you updated!
'22 Boys Postseason #4 (11-2)
by Admin on 11/02/22
Vol 2. Edition 4 (11-2–22)
A relatively quiet Wednesday night on tap with only 10 matches, but we will crown our first playoff qualifiers as a trio of Class 2 districts finish up play. D4 will have 2 seed Southern Boone (+.23) and 4 seed Helias battling it out (remember, anything under .30 separation means to expect a close one) while D5 has arguably the highest profile teams in Logan-Rogersville (3) +.21 and Osage (5). D8 in Excelsior Springs (+.72) has the host school taking on upstart St. Pius (KC). The C4 D6 tourney resumes in Nixa with semis between Kickapoo-Waynesville and Nixa-Ozark. Kickapoo and Ozark are the favorites in those, but host Nixa could make things interesting. C4 D3 finishes up semifinal play between heavyweights Chaminade (2) and John Burroughs (20) - Chaminade has a +.86 MPR and should be favored, but the same was said last year and JB advanced, while the other four games are all in C1. D6 semis between top ranked Laquey and Dixon (27) and College Heights Christian (4) vs. New Covenant (7) with College Heights a slight favorite (+.21).
On to the Tuesday night recap…
Very few teams that ever win a state title don’t experience “that moment” when things look to be slipping away or the match isn’t going your way. Champions find a way and last night there were plenty of “moments” that teams may look back on as the one where they escaped to survive another day. Along with the talent, skill, coaching and everything else, top teams generally have to take the best shots from the underdogs who have nothing to lose.
Thus was almost the case in C4 D7 last night where final four favorites Rock Bridge escaped a gutty effort by 5 seed Blue Springs South in a 2-1 penalties (4-1) win in Blue Springs. The Bruins inability to score in the flow of play lately nearly caught them before marksmanship from the mark pushed them through. In the other semi, 3 seed Blue Springs used its home field advantage to knock off 2 seed Hickman 2-0, setting up another RB-BS final tomorrow. The winner of that district will get the winner between D8 top seed Liberty North who held serve in a 2-0 win over Staley and 3 seed Park Hill South, who slipped past rival Park Hill 2-1. South had the lower seed, but the higher MPR. In the other KC area district, Rockhurst rolled to a 4-1 win over Ray-Pec and will face 2 seed Lee’s Summit, 2-1 winners over Lee’s Summit West. The D1 tourney didn’t disappoint last night as both games were decided by a goal. Top seed Lindbergh survived 4 seed Oakville in OT, while Vianney eliminated Jackson. Not at all surprised by Jackson in a 1-0 game, but this time the magic ran out and the Griffins play on. The other STL districts remained competitive as expected. C2 #1 overall DeSmet pulled away from a 1-1 tie to eventually oust Eureka 4-1, while 2 seed CBC fended off a pesky Kirkwood squad, 3-2, setting up a battle of soccer royalties Thursday in the D2 final. The teams split games this season already. Only one semi played last night in D3 as SLUH eliminated Howell North 2-0. The Jr. Bills await the Chaminade-Burroughs winner Saturday. The biggest upset of the night in C4 came in D4 where 5 seed Ft. Zumwalt North kept its stellar season rolling with a convincing 3-1 win over top seed Liberty (Wentzville), which sets up a final against St. Dominic, 4-2 winners over upset-minded (and lowest remaining seed) Timberland.
Class 3 saw the biggest upset of the night and the second biggest of the entire tournament out in KC D8, where host Pembroke Hill got a 2-1 OT win over 2 seed Platte Co. Pem Hill was .80 underdogs entering that one, but will move on to play East (KC), 7-1 winners over Kearney. East looks to a formidable team going forward if it can continue to play at this level. Something to watch out there. In D7 also had a big shock seed wise when #4 Van Horn, playing with 10-men, held on for a 1-0 win over 1 seed St. Michael’s. The two teams weren’t separated by much MPR (.29), so this one had the potential all along. Van Horn gets 2 seed Jefferson City, who held on to a 1-0 win over 6 seed Raytown South. No surprise that evenly matched district has had its share of upsets and close matches. In D6, top seed Webb City rolled on with a 2-0 win over Grandview and will match up next with Belton. The 3 seed eliminated 2 seed Willard by a comfortable 5-2 margin. As expected, Glendale and Springfield Catholic will meet up in the D5 finals. Camdenton kept it close with the Falcons before bowing 2-0, while Catholic pulled away for a 4-1 victory over 3 seed Rolla. No big shockers in the other four districts, either. Ft. Zumwalt East and two-time defending state champ Ft. Zumwalt South will renew their rivalry in the D4 finals Thursday after East held off Holt 3-2 and South outlasted Hannibal 1-0. Top seed Whitfield eliminated MICDS and 2 seed Ladue stopped Clayton 2-0 to move to that final, which should be a good one between two very experienced playoff squads. The match everyone is waiting for, Webster Groves and Rockwood Summit, is also on as both advanced. WG routed Lutheran South 7-0, while Summit pulled away from a game Parkway West squad 4-2. The D1 final is also as anticipated - the Battle of Cape Girardeau. Notre Dame hummed along to a 4-0 win over Desoto and Cape Central handled a good Farmington squad 4-1. All eight C3 finals will take place on Thursday - what a night that promises to be throughout the state!
In Class 2 action, not one seed upset of the 11 matches played, but plenty of close games showed how competitive C2 will be in the weeks ahead. D1 didn’t disappoint with two intense games between four final four worthy teams. We thought OT may be in the books and it was when Saxony Lutheran used a golden goal to outlast 3 seed Perryville 2-1. The other semi had top seed Affton slipping past 5 seed Bayless also by a 2-1 score. One goal games stayed the norm in D2 where top seed Collegiate School ended University City’s season and 2 seed Principia ousted Soldan. Top overall seed Westminster Christian and Orchard Farm (4) took care of business in D3, ousting St. Charles West and St. Charles, respectively. Three seed Sacred Heart battled gamely, but couldn’t take out 2 seed Odessa, losing 3-2. #2 overall Marshall handled Boonville 4-0 to reach the final in D6 as well. In D7 2 seed Barstow, 3 seed Center and 4 seed Oak Grove joined top seed Harrisonville (bye) in the semifinals with comfortable wins last night.
'22 Boys Postseason #3 (11-1)
by Admin on 11/01/22
Vol 2. Edition 3 (11-1–22)
The calendar has turned to November and in just a few short weeks the season will crown four champions. The month starts with one of the busiest nights of them all - Tuesday of District week is always full on the schedule, which means 70 games spread across all four classes and all parts of the state. This is also a taxing night on referees with already thin crews spread thinner throughout. Be mindful of that when it comes to your support tonight from the bleachers - the games don’t go on without them!
A beautiful Halloween night saw the Class 1 tournament officially kick off with all five #4 seeds (Fatima, Canton, Knob Noster, Cameron and Cole Camp) winning handily. Those five advance to take on #1 seeds - all on short rest as all play again tonight - with Fatima likely having the best shot at taking out a #1 in a difficult D4 that the Comets host. Father Tolton (2nd overall in C1) and Fatima locked up in an OT match last year in this very game that Tolton escaped. The other semi has last year’s D4 winner Borgia (5) vs. a very capable, if not unpredictable, MMA (18) team. Borgia enters as one of the hotter C1 teams, so a competitive evening will be on tap in Westphalia tonight. Actually, all eight districts in C1 have action tonight with D1, D2 and D6 opening play with the 4/5 game and 3/6 games in the bigger districts. All the others will be semifinals so in just two short days C1 will be whittled down quickly. The closest semi pairing tonight is D7 with Lone Jack (20) and Green Ridge (21) only separated by .02 in the MPR. The D3 semis should also be tight battles with 1 seed Duchesne (22) and 4 seed Canton (25) only separated by .30, while 2 seed Winfield (12) and 3 seed STEAM (14) are only .08 apart. This district is one of the ones where the seeds went against MPR, so we will see how Duchesne’s strength of schedule plays out.
Class 2 -Arguably the best game of the night was the C2 D4 semi between top seed Fulton (21) and 4 seed Helias (31). We thought this might be a good one and it didn’t disappoint. Helias jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half before Fulton stormed back to tie early in the second. The two teams raced back and forth for the next 40+ minutes before a Helias goal with just minutes left in the first OT secured the upset and sent the Crusaders into the finals against Southern Boone (24) tomorrow night. SBC got an early goal and cruised to a 4-0 win over host Mexico. In D8 3 seed St. Pius (KC) (32) knocked out 2 seed Bishop LeBlond (15) 1-0, setting up a championship against heavily-favored Excelsior Springs (7) who cruised by 4 seed Chillicothe 5-1. In D5 top seeds Logan Rogersville and Osage had no problems in their semis, setting up the expected title bout there. Boonville snuck past St. Paul Lutheran 1-0 in an OT thriller to advance, while 3 seed Sacred Heart also moved on. Both teams have a quick turnaround with semis tonight. Marshall (2) awaits Boonville, while Sacred Heart is actually favored in MPR over 2 seed Odessa. The small-school Gremlins depth will be on display tonight.
Razor thin margins separate tonights C2 D1 action in Perryville, which should make for a great night in arguably the most competitive C2 district statewide. 1 seed Affton (6) takes on 5 seed Bayless (8) and only a slight edge in MPR (.07) to Affton. The other semi has 2 seed Saxony Lutheran (13) and 3 seed Perryville (10), with the teams virtually dead even in MPR (.01 edge to Perryville). Saxony got the 2 seed by virtue of a 1-0 win in penalties earlier. Don’t be surprised if OT is played at some point in Perryville tonight. In other action, C2D2 semis are tonight in sort of an unknown district. Collegiate School (11) and Principia (19) are the top seeds. D7 also opens play with only top seed Harrisonville (18) off this evening due to a bye. Barstow (9), Oak Grove (12) and Center (14) all have higher MPR scores than Harrisonville and should advance to determine if that seeding was correct.
Class 3 took Monday off, but is back in full force this evening with all 8 districts seeing semifinal play. After tonight, we will be down to the final 16 in C3, so a lot on the line this evening. In D1, the two Cape teams eye a rematch with Notre Dame (12) the top seed over Central (9) due to a regular season win, but will have to get by DeSoto (44) and Farmington (14), respectively. D2 has the two of the state’s top teams in the class in opposing semis tonight. Webster Groves (1) (+1.45) and Rockwood Summit (3) (+.90) are heavy favorites over Lutheran South and Parkway West. The D3 semis are intriguing, as well. The last two Class 2 champions (Whitfield (2) and MICDS (34)) square off in one, while familiar foes Ladue (6) and Clayton (11) are in the other. Ladue has topped all three of those teams in the regular season, but one was Pk’s (Clayton) and Whitfield was only 2-1 in the regular season finale. Signs point to a Whitfield/Ladue final but Clayton is only .25 behind in MPR and that penalties loss is still fresh. D4 has two Zumwalt schools (East - 1 seed and South - 2-time defending champ) hoping for a rematch in the final, but Holt and Hannibal look to break through. East is a .49 MPR leader over Holt, while Hannibal is actually ahead of South by .26. The Pirates don’t get to play much in that area and are looking for a signature win over one of the state’s best programs as of late. D5 poses long-time rivals Glendale (4) and Springfield Catholic (15) as the favorites in those semis. Rolla (22) could give Catholic (+.26) some issues as the Irish struggled down the stretch. Camdenton is the Glendale challenger tonight and heavy underdogs (-1.09). D6 has, by the numbers, the weakest group, but that also makes it a highly-competitive district. Top seed Webb City (38) plays Grandview (45), while Belton (29) and Willard (33) are nearly even in the other semi. In D7 play, Raytown South’s big upset of 2 seed Grain Valley leads them to a match with favored Jeff City (+.52). Top seeded St. Michael’s (10) plays last year’s semifinalist Van Horn (18) in the other in what looks to be the closer semi. D8 has heavy favorites KC East (7) and Platte Co. (5) against upstarts Kearney (27) and Pembroke Hill (24), respectively. Both of those teams earned upset wins in a wild Saturday at Pembroke Hill.
C4 D5 had a busy night in Nixa, where all four top seeds advanced. Waynesville was the 4 seed and slightly behind (.11) 5 seed Neosho, but the Tigers live on after a 3-1 win. This district takes the night off, but all the others see action this evening.
D1: Top seed Lindbergh (16) vs. 4 seed Oakville (23) and 3 seed Vianney (6) vs. 7 seed Jackson (44) in the other. No doubt the Griffins aren’t looking past Jackson - or at least they shouldn’t based on Jackson’s postseason magic over the past few years. Jackson squads are known for grinding and keeping it close until a break happens, but Vianney is a huge (+.98) favorite. Lindbergh also holds a slight edge (+.11).
D2: The state’s top team resides here. DeSmet is a big favorite to reach the finals over Eureka (28) and meet up with fellow MCC member CBC (7), who faces 6 seed Kirkwood (39), a big winner from Saturday.
D3: Almost the same setup here as MCC’s SLUH (3) and Chaminade (2) are heavy favorites to advance over Francis Howell North(31) and last year’s surprise John Burroughs (20). There’s always the danger in looking ahead and just about everyone has players who can make a difference in C4, but expect a SLUH-Chaminade rematch later this week.
D4: A couple of upsets Saturday have opened the door for potentially smoother paths for Liberty (Wentzville)(11) and traditional power St. Dominic (18) to meet again, but Ft. Zumwalt North and Timberland are fresh off big wins and no team has been consistently dominant in the area this year.
D6: Rockhurst (4) is a big favorite (+.74) to make another district final in tonight’s semi against Ray-Pec (26). Local rivals Lee’s Summit (10) and Lee’s Summit West (22) pair off in the other with LS having a slight advantage that won’t take into account two teams with players who know each other well.
D7: When you combine a Columbia heavy district and a Blues Spring heavy district, one could expect tonight’s semis to have been the forecast. Rock Bridge (24) is the 1 seed despite having to forfeit 12 games right before the tourney started. The Bruins were a top team all year and didn’t miss a beat in Saturday’s 8-0 drubbing of Truman. RB plays Blue Springs South in a semi, with South (37) also rolling to an opening 8-0 win over Battle. RB is only favored by .32, but that is with the forfeits included, so this one may not be as close as it seems. In the other semi, 2 seed Hickman (19) has a slight edge (+.31) over host Blue Springs (35). This game could be one to watch tonight. Hickman would love nothing but another chance at RB after getting knocked off in last year’s semis as the top seed, while Blue Springs eyes a second surprise trip to the final four after topping RB 3-0 in the finals.
D8: Status quo so far in D8, but tonight could change that. Top seeded Liberty North (9) has Staley (40), while the two Park Hill schools meet up in the other one. Park Hill (21) has the 2 seed, but Park Hill South (12) the MPR advantage (+.23). Another local game played on a neutral field (Oak Park) that should provide some tense moments.
