Missouri
Nixa football falls short to De Smet in Missouri Class 6 championship
COLUMBIA — The final chapter in Nixa football’s storybook season ended with a runner-up finish.
Nixa football (13-1) fell 35-20 to De Smet (12-2) in Friday night’s Missouri Class 6 state championship game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.
The season will go down as Nixa’s best in program history. It was their first appearance in a decade and their second overall.
John Perry, who finished his fifth year as Eagles coach, told his team during their first meeting that they’d one day be the best team in Missouri. He got his team and community to believe but came up one win short.
Friday night won’t mark the end of Nixa’s story as it returns key players at quarterback and the offensive line heading into 2025. The Eagles will lose Dylan Rebura after one of the best rushing seasons in state history, along with defensive standout Parker Mann and others. They will return Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, quarterback Adam McKnight and others.
Nixa football couldn’t put together game-tying drive
Down eight with 4:21 left in the game, Nixa had the ball at its own 35. The Eagles drove deep into De Smet territory, where it faced a fourth-and-2 with just over a minute to go.
McKnight dropped back but couldn’t find an open receiver. He was sacked by De Smet’s Hudson Brewer, who forced a fumble, which Quincy Byas recovered.
Needing a stop that would have given them the ball with seconds remaining, De Smet running back Jayden McCaster broke a tackle and outran the Nixa defense for a 70-yard score to put the game out of reach.
De Smet football scored 14 unanswered to start second half
After going into halftime tied at 14, the Spartans scored 14 unanswered in the third quarter.
De Smet pulled trickery for its first score, going with a Statue of Liberty play when facing third-and-goal from the Nixa 2. McCaster ran it in.
After a Nixa three-and-out, the Spartans found the endzone 52 seconds later after McCaster broke away for a 46-yard run. Duff punched in a one-yard touchdown two plays later to double up the Eagles.
Nixa didn’t lie down. A nine-play, 64-yard drive concluded with Rebura running in his second touchdown of the game from four yards away to bring the game within eight.
De Smet football made right adjustments to slow down Nixa rush attack
The Eagles had 84 rushing yards through their first two drives. They had 107 for the remainder of the game.
De Smet made solid adjustments, moving around different members of a defensive line with a four-star defensive end and a defensive tackle signed with Eastern Michigan.
Rebura finished with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the team finished with 3.4 yards per carry.
Missouri linebacker signee Jason King finished with 18 tackles, eight being solo. The Spartans had eight tackles for a loss.
Missouri
Recovery efforts continue after deadly Missouri flash flooding | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather
Recovery efforts continue after deadly Missouri flash flooding
FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar continues her coverage live from Ironton, Missouri, following catastrophic flash flooding that tore through the region Friday, leaving one dead and prompting more than 350 water rescues. Latest on recovery efforts:
July 11 (UPI) — One person was found dead and hundreds evacuated in Missouri after an intense day of flash flooding across the state, authorities said Saturday.
More than 350 people were rescued in Iron, Reynolds and Crawford counties on Friday as floodwaters rapidly took over the area.
Officials said 250 of those were staff and children at Camp Taum Sauk, all of whom were safely evacuated. Another 100 were water rescues.
“It was very harrowing,” Jennifer Box, mother of of two you boys at the camp, told The New York Times. “We knew they were safe, but we didn’t know how to get to them, and that’s kind of your worst nightmare.”
One Crawford County woman, Faith Gregory, was found dead a mile downstream from her home in Huzzah Creek, officials said.
Authorities said Gregory was swept away after part of her home collapsed in the floodwaters.
“It’s definitely not the outcome we were hoping for, but it’s a tragic reminder of how strong Mother Nature can be and how forceful it can be,” Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Eddie Young told FOX Weather.
The region was battered by more than 12 inches of rain, leaving many area residents remained strained throughout Saturday.
“But they’re OK,” spokeswoman Kate Moore, of Missouri Region C, told ABC News. “They’re just stranded because the roads are washed away. We have a lot of damage — the trees, buildings, a lot of things have gone and ripped the roads away.”
-
Kansas3 minutes agoKeystone Pipeline system’s operator agrees to pay $26.9M penalty over major Kansas oil spill
-
Kentucky9 minutes agoKentucky sheriff warns residents of rental scam circulating TikTok
-
Louisiana15 minutes agoDeRidder man found dead in Sabine River
-
Maine18 minutes agoThe Maine Bureau of Highway Safety urges Mainers to drive to save lives
-
Maryland23 minutes agoMaryland lawmakers express condolences after sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham
-
Michigan30 minutes agoMichigan churches strengthen safety after recent attacks on houses of worship
-
Massachusetts33 minutes agoFire spreads to 3 multi-family buildings in Lawrence, Massachusetts
-
Minnesota38 minutes agoPolice seeking suspect in Eagan road rage shooting incident
