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Missouri High School Stars Take the Super Bowl LX Spotlight—Here’s Who

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Missouri High School Stars Take the Super Bowl LX Spotlight—Here’s Who


Super Bowl LX arrives Sunday as the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks face the AFC champion New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Both teams finished 14–3 and now meet on the league’s biggest stage with championship stakes and a new generation of stars defining the matchup.

Seattle is seeking its second Lombardi Trophy and first since the 2013 season, while New England is chasing a record seventh Super Bowl title. Though the franchises met in Super Bowl XLIX, this year’s meeting features entirely different rosters and storylines.

For Missouri football fans, this year’s game carries a smaller but still meaningful connection. Only two Missouri natives are on active Super Bowl rosters, both with Seattle: Lee’s Summit quarterback Drew Lock and Maryville center Jalen Sundell, while New England enters the matchup without a Show-Me State representative.

If circumstances force Seattle to turn to backup quarterback Drew Lock on Sunday, the Super Bowl stage could feature an all-Missouri quarterback-center exchange, with Maryville native Jalen Sundell snapping the ball to Lee’s Summit’s Lock, a rare Show-Me State connection at the center of the NFL’s biggest game.

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Missouri players have periodically appeared on Seattle Super Bowl teams over the years, creating a subtle pipeline that continues with this year’s roster.

Drew Lock Seattle Seahawks quarterback throws a pass

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) warms up before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium during the 2025 season. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Born in Columbia and raised in Lee’s Summit, Lock became one of the Kansas City area’s most productive high school quarterbacks at Lee’s Summit High School. He threw for more than 5,000 career yards and completed 206 of 312 passes for 2,717 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, earning Kansas City Star All-Metro Player of the Year honors and the Simone Award as the metro area’s top high school football player.

Lock continued his career at the University of Missouri, where he developed into one of the most prolific passers in school history before being selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. His professional career has included multiple stops before returning to Seattle.

Quarterback Drew Lock throwing a pass for Nike Football at a camp

Vapor Carbon quarterback Drew Lock (15) passes the ball as he warms up during Nike Football ‘ The Opening’ at Nike World Headquarters on July 9. 2014. / Steve Dykes-Imagn Images

Now in his second stint with the Seahawks, Lock serves as the backup to starting quarterback Sam Darnold, providing veteran depth for a Seattle team making its first Super Bowl appearance in more than a decade.

Sundell built his foundation at Maryville High School, where he was a four-year letterman and earned all-conference honors on both the offensive and defensive lines. He was named the 2017 Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year while helping the Spoofhounds capture a state championship and finish 13–2.

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Jalen Sundell Seattle Seahawks center blocks for quarterback Sam Darnold

Seattle Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61), a Maryville native, blocks for quarterback Sam Darnold (14) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

He later starred at North Dakota State, earning All-American recognition before signing with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Sundell made the roster as a rookie and steadily expanded his role along Seattle’s offensive line.

Entering the 2025 season, Sundell won the Seahawks’ starting center job and has started all 13 games he has played after returning from an injury earlier in the year, anchoring the interior of the offensive line during Seattle’s Super Bowl run.

Although only two Missouri natives appear in this year’s game, Seattle’s earlier Super Bowl appearances also featured players from the state.

Lebanon native Justin Britt was part of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl appearance during the 2014 season (also against the Patriots), which culminated in Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015. A multi-sport standout at Lebanon High School who excelled on the gridiron and as a state champion wrestler before playing football at the University of Missouri, Britt was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and started at right tackle as a rookie in that Super Bowl, marking his lone Super Bowl appearance with Seattle before later transitioning to center during his tenure with the team.

Justin Britt Seattle Seahawks center snapping the ball to Russell Wilson

Lebanon native Justin Britt (68) started at center for the Seattle Seahawks, seen here snapping the ball to quarterback Russell Wilson, during their last trip to the Super Bowl in 2014 against the New England Patriots. Maryville native Jalen Sundell is expected to start at center for the Seahawks against the Patriots on Sunday. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Raymore-Peculiar product Chase Coffman also spent time with Seattle during the franchise’s Super Bowl era after a decorated high school career that included multiple first-team all-state selections before continuing his career at Missouri and in the NFL.

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Seattle’s first Super Bowl run during the 2005 season included Webb City standout Grant Wistrom, a dominant two-way high school player who later became a first-round NFL Draft pick and starting defensive end during the Seahawks’ early 2000s playoff push.

Grant Wistrom Seattle Seahawks defensive end rushes the quarterback while being blocked by an Arizona Cardinals OL

Webb City Cardinals Hall of Famer Grant Wistrom (98), a Super Bowl champion with the St. Louis Rams, helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2005 season as a starting defensive end after signing with Seattle in free agency.. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Missouri representation is lighter in this year’s Super Bowl, yet the state’s presence remains visible through Lock and Sundell, whose football paths began in different corners of Missouri before converging on the same championship roster.

Their inclusion continues a pattern of Show-Me State athletes contributing to Seattle’s biggest seasons.



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Montgomery County man pleads guilty in child death involving fentanyl

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Montgomery County man pleads guilty in child death involving fentanyl


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.

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Missouri women’s basketball adds high-major starting point guard transfer

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Missouri women’s basketball adds high-major starting point guard transfer


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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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.

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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.



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Pop culture fans flock to Springfield for Missouri Comic Con

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Pop culture fans flock to Springfield for Missouri Comic Con


SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -Sunday was the last day of the 2026 Missouri Comic Con in Springfield.

Events took place at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds E-Plex and brought together multiple celebrities from the film and digital landscape to meet with fans and take part in Q&A’s.

Some notable names were Randy Quaid from ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ and Jaime Pressly, best known for her role in ‘My Name Is Earl.’

There were also multiple cosplay meetups throughout the day for attendees to spot their favorite characters from several forms of media.

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“Just a way for the community to come together and just celebrate being a fan of something. And whatever it is you’re a fan of, you’re going to find other people here who are a fan of that as well,” said Joey Mills, MC of VXV. “And it’s a place to connect. It’s a safe place for people to be a fan of whatever they’re a fan of and not worry about, you know, if it’s cool or not to be talking about this at school or at work. Come here, it’s cool to talk about it with all the rest of the folks here.”

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.



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