MO Soccer Blog
'22 Boys Postseason #8 (11-12) Quarterfinal Preview
by Admin on 11/12/22
Quarterfinal Preview (11-12-22)
A cold Saturday for MO quarterfinals awaits 32 teams hoping to extend their season and reach the finals next weekend in St. Louis. Several intriguing matchups ahead after a long layoff always makes for a full and fun day for the sport across the state. Home field advantage, handling travel and managing the emotions of a do-or-die matchup will all factor into play. We have updated the MPR rankings and scores and will show the “favored” team by MPR based on the entire season so far. One thing MPR doesn’t account for - teams who are “hot” at the right time or who may get on a roll this week. The new playoff system vastly changes the regular schedule that most teams are used to so well-coached and mature squads will have an advantage.
Class 1
Bishop DuBourg (10) at Brentwood (8) (+.02)
What looks to be the schools first-ever meeting (since 2008) obviously has major implications and couldn’t be closer on paper. DuBourg (13-11) has rallied from a 6-7 start and four consecutive losses prior to postseason play to advance for the first time since 2015 and third since 2009. The Cavaliers slipped past St. Mary’s 2-1 in OT in the D1 finals. Brentwood (14-7) comes in as a slight MPR favorite and has only lost once since Sept. 23. The Eagles have home field advantage (7-3 at home this year) and a little bit of post-season experience as well after winning a district last year. Both teams give up 1.6 goals/game, but Brentwood has had a little more offensive firepower. DuBourg counters with a demanding C1 schedule that has prepped them for this moment.
Duchesne (20) at St. Francis Borgia (4) (+.63)
This one has an old school vibe to it as the only C1 team with championship experience (Duchesne ’93, ’04) travels to Washington to face maybe the tourney’s hottest team, Borgia. The two met way back on Sept. 1 and Borgia (12-9) rolled to a 6-1 win, but don’t expect a laugher this time. Borgia is just one year removed from nearly eliminating last year’s champ, Lutheran St. Charles, losing in penalties in this same game. The Knights got here via the same route this time by winning a 2-1 penalty shootout with #2 Father Tolton that went down to the 6th kicker. Duchesne (10-17) has had an inconsistent path to the quarters but Pat Turner’s squad got it together in the D3 tourney. Turner hasn’t won a boys title yet, but he does have four girls championships to his name, so the Pioneers will be prepared.
Smithton (9) at New Covenant Academy (6) (+.15)
The Cooper Sports Complex in Springfield will host this quarter between two teams with ample recent playoff experience. Smithton (19-6) enters after a relatively easy D5 win, their third title in a row, and on a roll with 12 wins in the last 13 matches. The only loss was in the Kaysinger Tournament final to Sacred Heart. The Tigers were eliminated in the quarters last year by a late Maryville goal that ended an undefeated season. The last loss before that was to New Covenant (16-8-1) 5-0 on Sept. 30. NCA is also playing its best ball of the season after upsetting both #5 College Heights and #1 Laquey in the D6 tourney. The Warriors don’t go down easily - their last five losses were all by a goal.
Summit Christian Academy (1) (+.76) at Maryville (16)
A rematch of last year’s district final now has even more at stake. SCA (16-6) assumes the tourney favorite roll after Laquey and Tolton lost and goes in to its first playoff as a heavy MPR favorite BUT the Spoofhounds will be a tough out at home. Maryville (13-5) eliminated SCA 2-1 in the district finals last season en route to a 3rd place C1 finish and is in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. Maryville relies on a potent offense, averaging 5 goals/match. SCA has figured out how to win the close ones, including three of four in penalties/OT this year and is coming off a challenging October schedule that has obviously benefitted them.
Class 2
Saxony Lutheran (9) (+.08) at Principia (11)
Two teams with a lot of history meet up at one of the best facilities MO has to offer (unless weather dictates otherwise and The Mesa is unavailable). Saxony Lutheran fans are probably still recuperating from the Crusaders district run that saw both semifinals (Perryville) and finals (Affton) go to penalties before Saxony (14-9) advanced. The Crusaders return to the playoffs after a two-year drought that ended a six-year run of district titles. Principia (11-10) had an easier time in D2 and also returns for the first time since 2019, when the Panthers won it all for the second time. Principia generally doesn’t wow anyone with its record (no team since the 2015 title squad has been more than two games over .500), but the demanding schedule has paid off in the past. Both teams score and defend at the same rate, so expect a tense game here.
Orchard Farm (3) (+.85) at Helias (23)
On paper, this is the biggest mismatch of the C2 quarters, but both teams are coming off emotional weeks that saw each play at its highest level of the season - exactly what you want this time of year. Orchard Farm (19-5) scored one of its program’s biggest wins when it bounced overall #1 Westminster Christian 2-1 in OT in the D3 finals. The Eagles started the season 1-2, but have been consistently good this season, with only losses to Gateway Academy (a team not recognized by MSHSAA) and C3 quarterfinalist Whitfield since October started. Take away Gateway’s (7) and Ft. Zumwalt North’s (5) goals against and OF has only allowed nine all year with 14 shutouts. Helias, on the other hand, struggled to stop anyone for most of the year (only one shutout in 26 matches), but found a way at the end to limit damage and take advantage of its offense to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2019. The Crusaders (8-18) will have its hands full, but will also host with a solid fan base behind them and some confidence that was lacking earlier.
School of the Osage (4) at Marshall (2) (+.07)
Two mid-MO public schools who have had program-defining years will meet in Marshall with very little separating them and potential history on the line. Osage (18-6) finally broke through, winning its first-ever district title in penalties at #3 Logan-Rogersville. The Indians have been on a roll as of late, scoring 32 goals in the past five games. While the teams haven’t met since 2010, they did play eight common opponents with Osage winning seven (an OT loss to Capital City the exception) and Marshall winning all eight. Marshall (21-2-1) has hovered near the top of the MPR rankings all year and held the top spot for a while before stumbling in back-to-back one-goal losses against Father Tolton and Hannibal in the same week. The Owls have been to three other final fours but haven’t won a district since 2017, so this is new for everyone on the field today. Marshall is 11-0-1 at home this year, which could go a long way in a game between two very even opponents.
Barstow (6) (+.12) at Excelsior Springs (7)
The final quarter in C2 has a team with championship pedigree (Barstow) and a team with last year’s final four experience (Excelsior Springs). Barstow (15-9) has won two Class 1 titles in the past eight years and reached the playoffs nine times since 2008. The Knights haven’t lost to a C2 team this year and eliminated last year’s final four squad and D7 #1 seed Harrisonville 3-1 in the finals. Excelsior Springs (14-5) is looking to improve on last year’s 3rd place finish, but the Tigers are slight underdogs at home. Both teams own 4-goal wins over St. Pius (KC). Expect a close game here and the Tigers have been good in OT, winning all three that have gone extra this year. Barstow, on the other hand, is 0-2 in OT games.
Class 3
Cape Notre Dame (9) at Webster Groves (1) (+.81)
Webster Groves is the only #1 MPR team to have survived district play after knocking out #3 Rockwood Summit in penalties. The Statesmen (18-3-3) have been solid all year (all 3 losses were by a goal to powers CBC, Vianney and Clayton) and they own wins over C4 #1 Chaminade, SLUH and Lindbergh, but the win that stands out is the 6-1 thrashing of Cape Notre Dame Sept. 3. WG defends as well as anyone (.6 GAA) and are playing at home, so CND (17-6-1) has a monumental task ahead. However, if ever a team found its stride it was in the second half against rival Cape Central in the D1 finals. Tied 0-0 at half, the Bulldogs maybe had the best 40 minutes of the tournament, scoring six times to reach the playoffs after a year’s absence and shocking their town rival. CND’s season turned with some defensive changes that has produced eight shutouts in the past 12 games after having only one in the first 10.
Whifield (2) (+.46) at Ft. Zumwalt East (8)
Whitfield (17-3) keeps climbing the ladder after reaching the C1 finals in 2020, winning the 2021 C2 title, it’s 8th. The season started a bit bumpy with losses to C4 quarterfinalists Lindbergh and Chaminade then straightened out with 15 straight wins before a loss to Ladue to end the year. Whitfield won the one that mattered, though, and eliminated Ladue in the D3 finals behind a solid offense (3.3 Goals/game) and a staunch back line (.9 GAA). Ft. Zumwalt East (18-4) ended Ft. Zumwalt South’s two-year C3 dominance with a 3-1 D4 title win in the third matchup of the local rivals this year. FZE has made the playoffs twice in the past three years and has nearly mirrored Whitfield’s offensive and defensive numbers. FZE started 2-3, but has been in a groove since, losing only to Liberty (Wentzville) 2-1.
Glendale (4) (+.1.04) at Webb City (29)
Glendale (23-4) will roll into Webb City (13-11) today as the biggest favorite of the day and the team most likely to repeat a final four trip. The Falcons are always good under 1000+ win coach Jeff Rogers and this year’s team has the makings of a special one after a dominant regular season with a defense that has allowed registered 20 shutouts. The two teams have played seven common opponents with Glendale winning all seven. Webb City, on the other hand, is only 2-5 in those seven matches and will have to figure out a way to tighten up a defense that has allowed nearly two goals per game. The Cardinals haven’t been to the playoffs since 1999 but held serve in its district and must embrace the underdog label. The MO soccer playoffs are ripe with stories of improbable wins over the years. A WC win would be another of those legendary stories.
Jefferson City (21) at East (KC) (6) (+.57)
The state’s capital city must have something in the water this year as both Helias and JC defied the odds in winning district titles. The #2 seed Jays (15-10) escaped D7 with three-straight 1-0 wins, including a final victory over last year’s final four squad, #4 seed Van Horn. It’s been a wild final month for Jeff City, losing five in a row at one point to end the season. The Jays will need to continue the defensive mastery against a talented and high-scoring East (KC) (18-2-1) squad that has looked a C3 contender all year. East is 6-0 at home, while the Jays have had success (7-2) on the road. One thing that doesn’t bode well for JC is the one common opponent - Lincoln College Prep. JC lost 3-0, while East rolled to a 4-1 win. East is rolling right now, too, going 14-0-1 in its last 15 matches.
Class 4
Lindbergh (10 ) at CBC (6) (+.30)
Two teams very familiar with each other meet in STL that could be much closer than what the casual observer might think. The two programs have met at least once every year since 2010 and have played 10 common opponents to similar results. CBC (15-9) is the favorite at home and owns a 1-0 2OT win over Lindbergh (17-9) back on Sept. 1. The Cadets also have the history, winning 10 titles in 21 final four appearances. However, the postseason almost ended early when Priory pushed CBC to 2OT’s. The Cadets play a monster schedule and haven’t really got much separation over the year, at one point losing four straight late in the year. Lindbergh got smacked 5-0 by SLUH Oct. 6, but since then has only lost to C3 powers Webster Groves in penalties and Rockwood Summit in 2OT. The Flyers ended a long playoff drought in 2019 with a 4th place finish and are back after a down 2021 when they finished 6-12-3.
Chaminade (1) (+78) at St. Dominic (12)
Two Hall of Fame coaches lead their programs into an intriguing quarter in O’Fallon. It’s not often that a state #1 enters a quarter with seven losses and a 5-1 defeat to end the regular season (also at St. Dominic), but Chaminade (19-7-1) is just that team. The Red Devils and legendary coach Mike Gauvain have three titles, but haven’t won one since 2006 and somehow enter as clear favorites in this quarter MPR-wise despite that late-season loss. When Chaminade is on, they are dynamic and dangerous, as witnessed by wins over Rockhurst, SLUH, Kickapoo and DeSmet, among others. They also lost to seven-win Parkway Central so which team shows is the X-factor. St. Dominic, to no one’s surprise, is back to a quarter under Greg Koeller. The Crusaders (17-8-2) have five titles, but also have been in a dry spell, last winning in 2013. Dominic opened 5-6-2, but a 12-2 finish has them playing at a high level once again.
Kickapoo (4) at Rockhurst (3) (+.06)
On paper, this one is as close as it gets. Last year’s champ Rockhurst (18-2-2) gets to host a quarter and that may make a difference in a game that will likely not be anything like the previous meeting this year, a 6-1 Hawklets win Sept. 17. Kickapoo (25-2) only has one other loss - that to Chaminade (although it did lose the opener to Rock Bridge that was eventually a forfeit win). Kickapoo survived Ozark in the D5 finals and has been on an offensive roll since losing to Chaminade 11 games ago, posting a 52-6 goal margin. Rockhurst is always a threat to win it all as their 26 final four appearances and 8 titles would attest. One interesting note: Rockhurst did lose to Lee’s Summit West 3-1, while Kickapoo earned a 1-0 win over the Titans.
Rock Bridge (20) at Liberty North (8) (+.39)
Another matchup that probably can forget the MPR as Liberty North (18-5) hosts a Rock Bridge squad that had to forfeit 13 games for using an ineligible player and thus skewing their final numbers. Rock Bridge (11-13) was the state’s #1 team for a good chunk of the season and survived three 200 mile round trips in a week to win the D7 title over last year’s 4th place team, Blue Springs. The Bruins are talented in all aspects of the game and are use to playing in unfamiliar places, but have been a bit inconsistent in front of the net recently. Liberty North only has five losses, but none of the losses are particularly “impressive” in that none came against a playoff team. In fact, today’s match is only the second against a playoff team - the other was a 2-0 win over Webb City, the lowest MPR ranked (by class) team left in the playoffs. Home field will help the Eagles as they are 6-0 on their own turf. This is Liberty North’s third trip to the playoffs in its 13 year history and they are looking for their first trip to the finals, while Rock Bridge has been five times, finishing 3rd each time.
'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.
