The 2025 Missouri high school football season has come to a close with an exciting slate of MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl champions crowned last weekend at Spratt Memorial Stadium in St. Joseph.
Platte County stood at the forefront once again, opening the year as the state’s preseason No. 1 and finishing in the same spot after a 14-0 run capped by an overtime win against Carthage for the Class 5 championship. The season also delivered first-time titles for Worth County in 8-man and Tipton in Class 1, along with undefeated state champions in Blair Oaks (Class 2) and Kearney (Class 4).
Movement across the top 10 took center stage this week.
Lee’s Summit made the most dramatic ascent. The Tigers opened the preseason at No. 10 before falling off with an 0-4 start, then reeled off 10 consecutive wins and beat then No. 3 Jackson in the semifinals and No. 2 Nixa in the Class 6 championship to finish No. 2.
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Nixa held firm as a contender and finished No. 5 after reaching the Class 6 final, while Seneca broke into the top 10 by securing the Class 3 title after two straight runner-up finishes. Carthage and Jackson also delivered strong postseason showings that kept them firmly in the upper tier.
Championship-caliber balance defined several of the state’s elite programs. Kearney rode one of Missouri’s stingiest defenses to a perfect season and the Class 4 crown, and Blair Oaks dominated its first year back in Class 2 on the way to its second consecutive title and seventh in program history. Behind them, programs such as CBC, Kirkwood, Lafayette, and Hannibal anchored a deep and competitive field that showcased high-level football from August to November.
With five state champions finishing undefeated and several programs returning significant pieces, the groundwork has already been laid for another compelling chase in 2026.
Dec. 7, 2025
Final Record: 14-0
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Last Week’s Ranking: 1
It takes a truly special team to run the table as No. 1 for the entirety of the season, but that’s exactly what they did. They won games in a variety of fashions — blowouts, last-second touchdowns and overtime wins. But they always found a way, and they claimed their second consecutive Class 5 state championship with a thrilling 34-28 victory over Carthage in the Show-Me Bowl.
Final Record: 10-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Ranked No. 10 in our preseason poll, the Tigers quickly fell off after an 0-4 start. But, with senior star Preston Hatfield healthy and running the offense, the Tigers ripped off 10 straight wins, including postseason victories over five state-ranked teams — Lee’s Summit North, North Kansas City, Liberty, then No. 3 Jackson and No. 2 Nixa — to win the Class 6 championship.
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Final Record: 14-0
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Ranked No. 11 in the preseason, the Bulldogs did nothing but impress all season. Their defense never allowed more than 24 points in any game and they beat No. 12 Hannibal 21-14 to win the Class 4 state championship.
Final Record: 14-0
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
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One of the best teams regardless of classification, the Falcons won the 2024 Class 3 championship and then dropped down to Class 2 with much of that same team intact. They breezed to their second straight championship, beating St. Pius X (Festus) 59-0 in the title game while allowing only 15 points and pitching three shutouts in five postseason games.
Final Record: 13-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Ranked No. 2 since the preseason, the Eagles barged their way into the Class 6 championship game for the second time in as many seasons. The favorite going in against Lee’s Summit, the Eagles’ defense allowed a Show-Me Bowl record 457 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns to Tigers quarterback Preston Hatfield and lost 41-37.
Final Record: 12-2
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Last Week’s Ranking: 6
Backed by a superb defense, Carthage went on a tear in the postseason and took No. 1 Platte County to the wire in the Class 5 championship before falling 34-28 in overtime.
Final Record: 12-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 7
Jackson’s season ended with a 35-28 loss to eventual Class 6 champion Lee’s Summit in the state semifinals.
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Final Record: 13-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 11
Coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in Class 3, the third time was the charm for the Indians, as they beat Lift for Life Academy 33-26 to claim their third state championship in program history.
Final Record: 11-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
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The Cadets lost to Jackson, 45-42, in the Class 6 quarterfinals.
Final Record: 10-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Their season ended with a 64-35 loss to No. 1 Platte County in the Class 5 semifinals.
Final Record: 10-1
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Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Lafayette’s season ended with a 77-62 loss to No. 3 CBC in the Class 6 District 2 championship game.
Final Record: 11-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Getting back to the Show-Me Bowl for the first time since 2021, the Pirates finished as Class 4 runner-up with a 21-14 loss to No. 3 Kearney.
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Final Record: 9-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
The Lions’ season ended in the Class 5 semifinals with a 20-8 loss to state runner-up Carthage.
Final Record: 11-1
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
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A 45-28 loss to Nixa ended the Crusaders’ season in the state quarterfinals.
Final Record: 10-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
Liberty reached the Class 6 quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion Lee’s Summit, 24-14.
Final Record: 9-1
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Last Week’s Ranking: 16
The Jaguars’ season ended with a loss to Blue Springs in the Class 6 District 6 semifinals.
Final Record: 9-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
Rockhurst’s season ended with a 29-22 loss to No. 1 Platte County, who scored the winning touchdown with 2 seconds remaining, in the Class 5 District 8 championship.
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Final Record: 9-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
Republic’s season ended in the Class 5 District 6 championship with a 31-14 loss to Carthage.
Final Record: 10-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 19
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The Panthers saw their 2025 season end in the Class 6 quarterfinals with a 38-13 loss to Cardinal Ritter.
Final Record: 8-4
Last Week’s Ranking: 20
The Wildcats’ season ended in the Class 6 District 6 finals with a 26-21 loss to unbeaten Helias Catholic.
Final Record: 10-3
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Last Week’s Ranking: 21
The Tigers’ season came to a close in the Class 4 state semifinals with a 52-24 loss to No. 4 Kearney. Festus averaged 36.8 points per game in 2025.
Final Record: 8-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 22
North Kansas City’s season ended with a 42-21 loss to Lee’s Summit in the Class 6 District 7 championship.
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Final Record: 7-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 23
SLUH’s season ended Nov. 7 with a 28-25 loss to Lafayette Wildwood in the Class 6 District 2 semifinals.
Final Record: 8-3
Last Week’s Ranking: 24
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The Wildcats’ season ended at the hands of No. 7 Kirkwood, 21-10, in the Class 5 District 2 championship.
Final Record: 10-2
Last Week’s Ranking: 25
Savannah’s season came to an end with a 24-0 loss to No. 5 Kearney in the Class 4 District 8 championship.
Missouri lawmakers are right to treat the collapse of rural health care as an urgent crisis. Nearly half of the state’s remaining rural hospitals are at risk of closure, and many communities already know what it means to lose emergency rooms, labor and delivery services and timely stroke care. In this environment, legislation allowing MU […]
A man charged after a 2-year-old was found dead under his care pleaded guilty to charges including murder in connection to the child’s death.
Bryan Danter, identified in court documents as the child’s father, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony murder, second-degree drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records.
Danter was charged in September 2024 with drug trafficking and child endangerment counts after state troopers found a 2-year-old child dead in an apartment, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.
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After investigators concluded the child died of exposure to fentanyl, a felony murder charge was added to the case, according to previous reporting. An individual can be charged with felony murder in Missouri when someone dies during the perpetration of a felony.
The probable cause statement filed at the time described guns discovered by state troopers during the child death investigation.
The guns included a pump-action shotgun, a semi-automatic shotgun and a semi-automatic .22- caliber rifle. Troopers said the serial number on the rifle had been sanded off, according to previous reporting.
Since Danter was previously convicted in a felony case and is not allowed to own firearms by law.
Danter has a sentencing hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. June 12.
Make that two signings for Kellie Harper’s team in the opening week of the transfer portal.
Missouri women’s basketball landed a commitment Sunday from Indiana point guard Nevaeh Caffey, who announced her decision to sign with the Tigers via social media. Caffey is a native of Warrenton, Missouri, who started all 32 Hoosiers games last season as a true freshman.
The Tigers have now made two additions out of the transfer portal since the window opened April 6, with Caffey joining Michigan transfer and freshman shooting guard McKenzie Mathurin.
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More: Missouri women’s basketball lands first transfer addition of offseason
Caffey is from the St. Louis area and played her high school at Incarnate Word Academy, winning 139 straight games and four straight MSHSAA Class 6 titles with the powerhouse. She was named Miss Show-Me Basketball as a senior in 2025.
In 32 starts, averaging 32.1 minutes on the floor per game, Caffey scored 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game. The 5-foot-10 shot 41.7% from 3-point range on 36 total attempts, and she averaged 3.3 free-throw attempts per game with a 81.3% clip.
Point guard — and guard depth at large — looked likely to be a target area for the Tigers in this transfer window, which will remain open for new entries through April 21.
The Tigers can return Averi Kroenke, who sustained a season-ending injury before the Tigers’ season-opener last year, and have a top-100 high school prospect in Natalya Hodge with the ability to run the point.
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With high-major starting experience, Caffey sets up to find a prominent spot in the rotation next year in Columbia.
Five Missouri players have entered the portal and will transfer out of the program this offseason, including core rotation members in guards Chloe Sotell and Shannon Dowell. If there had been no outward movement, Mizzou would not have had any room to work in the transfer portal due to the NCAA’s 15-player roster limit for college basketball programs.
More: Missouri alum Sophie Cunningham reportedly re-signs with Indiana Fever
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Mizzou has now filled two of those five possible open roster spots.
Frontcourt depth is now the clear-and-obvious major need for Mizzou. The Tigers need experience at both forward and center to round out their roster.
