Liberty bragging rights and Park Hill at 2-0: Missouri HS football Week 2 roundup

The 2024 high school football season is now fully underway in the KC metro. Kansas schools joined Missouri programs in action this weekend, and Friday’s games featured several competitive, high-level matchups.

Here are some Missouri-side highlights from Week 2 around the Kansas City area:

Liberty 12, Liberty North 7

The Blue Jays have braggin’ rights again in Liberty.

Liberty outlasted defending Missouri Class 6 champion and crosstown rival Liberty North 12-7 on Friday night. The victory broke a six-game losing skid since the 2020 playoffs against the Eagles, who previously outscored LHS by a margin of 182-61 in the prior six meetings.

“This is just big for our guys and the school to get back on the winning side of things against your rival,” said head coach Chad Frigon. “But also gets us back on the winning side of things this year, which is the main focus.”

Liberty North led 7-6 at halftime — but just barely. After a Liberty pass from the LN 20 from Connor Hatfield to Jax Froehlich fell short at the 1 with 0:40 left before intermission, the Eagles stuffed Liberty not once, not twice, but three times to preserve the lead.

Following a scoreless third period, Liberty took over at its own 1 with 10:29 to play. From there, the Jays started out of their end zone with runs of 7 and 12 from Jackson Hicks to get out of the hole. The drive was aided thereafter by an offsides, a pass interference and a personal foul to get the Jays at the North 35.

Hicks continued his pounding on the ground before breaking loose for a 12-yard scamper off the left tackle for a 12-7 lead. The run capped a 12-play, 99-yard drive, including 50 rushing yards from the senior tailback.

“We kept with the ground game and the will of Jaxon and our line showed, from our own end zone until he finished in their end zone,” Frigon said.

The Jays held Liberty North again, forcing a punt with 3:10 left. Liberty was able to run out the clock for the win.

Liberty North opened the scoring with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Tillman Martin to Landon Lunt in the left side of the end zone for 7-0 lead with 2:47 left in the first quarter.

But Hicks answered when the senior took a handoff at the 50, broke free up the middle and was untouched for the touchdown, and a 7-6 deficit. For the night, Hicks finished with 199 rushing yards.

Liberty will play host to Raytown South (1-1) next Friday, while Liberty North will entertain Lee’s Summit West (1-1).

Park Hill 20, North Kansas City 13

Park Hill didn’t need three overtimes to win this week, but needed some late heroics nonetheless.

The Trojans scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull away for a 20-13 win on the road Friday night at North Kansas City.

Junior Zane Thomas threw three touchdowns for Park Hill, now 2-0 for the first time since 2019.

Two of those scores went to junior Dante Dixon. The first connection was a 7-yard score on the Trojans’ first drive. The third-and-goal conversion made it 6-0 with 7:51 to go in the first. Tegan Turner’s PAT made it 7-0.

The next connection sealed the win in the first matchup between the Northland schools since 2011, also a Park Hill win.

Up 14-13 going into the fourth, the Trojans scored on their second possession of the stanza.

Thomas hit Dixon on a seam near the NKC sideline and he outran the defense for a 68-yard touchdown. The extra point failed, keeping it a seven-point game with 8:32 left.

“I know we all came together as a team, just all being there together,” Dixon said. “We worked on that play all week.”

Said Thomas of the play: “It’s the best feeling in the world seeing it fly in the air and when he catches it and scores. There’s nothing like it.”

The Hornets (1-1) had held the Trojans scoreless in the second and third quarters.

Park Hill had scored on its first two possessions. Turner hit Xander Everts for a 7-yard score with 1:04 left in the first quarter, as the Trojans led 14-0 after the opening 12 minutes.

The Hornets dominated the second-quarter scoreboard, particularly late. Senior Jesiah Morris stepped in front of an intended target and returned Turner’s pass 65 yards for a defensive touchdown with 3:18 left in the half to cut the deficit in half.

The Hornets’ defense then forced a punt and got the ball back with 2:22 to go in the first half.

On first down, running back Donnell Jamison gained 20 yards, moving to the Park Hill 16-yard line.

Then with 6 seconds left, quarterback Stephen Thomas Jr. connected with Amro Toto for a 6-yard score, and a 14-13 halftime deficit after a muffed PAT.

NKC had three chances to seize the lead in the second half.

In the third, the Hornets drove to the Park Hill 19 but turned the ball over on an incomplete pass on fourth down.

The next drive, the Hornets’ Caleb Hill and Kobe Rhymes each jetted for 25-yard runs, but a fumble at the Park Hill 28 was recovered by the Trojans’ Matthew Aguirre.

The last threat came on an interception by NKC defensive back Samuel Zinnah in the fourth. The Hornets eventually advanced to the Trojans’ 35 but gained only two yards and turned it over on downs.

Two plays later Dixon scored the touchdown to seal the win.

Park Hill coach Andy Sims gave props to a Hornets defense that was tough most of the night.

“They are good and they are aggressive. I think they’re very well coached in their technique and what they’re doing is not overly complicated, but they don’t have to be in some certain areas,” Sims said. “You know, when they just kind of are able to beat you up in some key spots ... we just didn’t make very good adjustments, in my opinion.

“But in the end, it was a good tough win, and we wake up tomorrow at 2-0.”

Park Hill will host Staley (0-2) next Friday, while North Kansas City travels to Excelsior Springs (1-1).

Platte County 52, Grain Valley 21

After ending its season at Grain Valley in 2023, Platte County left no doubt this time around.

The Pirates blasted the Eagles 52-21 in a matchup of recent Class 5 powers in the Metro. The two faced off last season in the Class 5 District 8 final, with Grain Valley winning 27-25.

The contest looked to be another classic with a 14-14 halftime deadlock, but Platte County exploded in the second half. Quarterback Rocco Marriott got the offense rolling with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ty Christopher to break the tie, and the Pirates didn’t look back. A Jackson Goodell field goal preceded another Marriott touchdown pass, this time to Braiden Stevens, for 17 unanswered points and a 31-14 margin with 1:56 left in the third quarter.

Grain Valley (1-1) looked to get back into the game after Robert Palmer’s second rushing touchdown of 80-plus yards trimmed the deficit to 31-21. But Platte County’s Tres Baskerville answered with a touchdown reception, then another Marriott-to-Christopher connection for a 45-21 balloon of a lead. Marriott finished with five touchdowns in the contest.

Platte County, ranked No. 8 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, treks to Fort Osage next Friday, while Grain Valley travels to William Chrisman.

For playoff brackets, stats, recaps, online broadcasts and more, visit 810Varsity.com.