Missouri high school teams have few real challengers for state championships

[metro-dude]

Let's look @ the power teams in each region of Missouri.

1. SEMO----The top team in SEMO is class 4 Sikeston 10-0 but after the Sikeston Bulldogs I see no challengers. NMCC, Charleston, Cape Notre Dame, Cape Central and Poplar Bluff are down this year.

2. St. Louis---Class 5--- Chaminade is by far the top team in St. Louis.--Mild challenge from Hazelwood Central, Vianney, CBC and Webster.

3. Mid-Mo--Class 3--- Father Tolton with no challenger

4. Springfield--Class 5---Kickapoo---Is there a real challenge in Springfield?

5. Kansas City---The polls say---Class 5 Lee Summit 7-0--I'm guessing there are many challengers in Kansas City including class 3 Barstow.

Did I leave out any challengers?

 

[KCHI]

I've not seen Tolton play, but watched Barstow in the quarters last year and know they have some very good players returning. What are your thoughts on this possible post season match up?

 

[metro-dude]

I've not seen Tolton play, but watched Barstow in the quarters last year and know they have some very good players returning. What are your thoughts on this possible post season match up?

Earlier this year I picked 3 state champions and I have not changed my mind, yet.

Class 3---Kansas City Barstow---Record --?--Barstow is the real deal but the youth @ Tolson is for real as well. My pick is still Barstow over Tolson in a classic game.
Class 4---St. Louis Vashon--9-3 ( Loses to Chicago Kenwood---Chicago Morgan Park----Hazelwood Central ) Sikeston is # 1 in class 4 but their schedule will hurt them starting in the quarter-finals against a very good Parkway West or Westminister team. My guess Parkway West. If the Vashon and Sikeston schedule were reversed. Vashon would be # 1 in class 4.
Class 5---St. Louis Chaminade--Hazelwood Central is the only St. Louis area team that can compete with Chaminade. The folks in Springfield are betting Kickapoo can compete with the # 1 team in St. Louis. The up and coming " Tournament of Champions " tournament in Springfield will give us some insights if Kickapoo is a paper challenger or a real challenger.

 

[Rufus R. Jones]

Earlier this year I picked 3 state champions and I have not changed my mind, yet.

Class 3---Kansas City Barstow---Record --?--Barstow is the real deal but the youth @ Tolson is for real as well. My pick is still Barstow over Tolson in a classic game.
Class 4---St. Louis Vashon--9-3 ( Loses to Chicago Kenwood---Chicago Morgan Park----Hazelwood Central ) Sikeston is # 1 in class 4 but their schedule will hurt them starting in the quarter-finals against a very good Parkway West or Westminister team. My guess Parkway West. If the Vashon and Sikeston schedule were reversed. Vashon would be # 1 in class 4.
Class 5---St. Louis Chaminade--Hazelwood Central is the only St. Louis area team that can compete with Chaminade. The folks in Springfield are betting Kickapoo can compete with the # 1 team in St. Louis. The up and coming " Tournament of Champions " tournament in Springfield will give us some insights if Kickapoo is a paper challenger or a real challenger.

I've not seen Kickapoo, but I have seen Lee's Summit. They are very good. If they are not the closest to competing with Chaminade, I would think they would be close. In other words, I have a hard time thinking Kickapoo is as good as Lee's Summit. There, I said it.

 

[Ru-B-Do]

I will be the first to admit Kickapoo has always been a big fish in a little pond and every time we had the privilege of playing one of the big boys they always reminded us of that. However there is something special about this years student athletes. This past football season the Poo was never supposed to make it past the first round of districts and yet ran the gauntlet beating Lees Summit, LSW and Blue Springs. In Basketball Chaminade could remind us that we are in a little pond but oir group of boys will make them earn it.

 

[Rufus R. Jones]

This past football season the Poo was never supposed to make it past the first round of districts and yet ran the gauntlet beating Lees Summit, LSW and Blue Springs.

What do you mean they weren't supposed to make it past the first round of districts? They were the #1 seed!
Also, "gauntlet" is not the word I would use to describe that district this year- each one of those KC area teams you mention were having down years.
Not buying your attempt to make Kickapoo into an underdog.

 

[Ru-B-Do]

It is not an attempt to make us look like an underdog. The fans and players knew the talent we had this year but you have to admit our history against KC teams has not been very good to say the least. And although we thought we could win very few people in KC thought we could do it and thought the #1 seed was not deserved due to strength of schedule. I even listened to an podcast on 810 varsity where one of the coaches said that the schools in the district that were down south might be ranked to high. I have been extremely proud of our kids this year and hope we can continue to perform at the level of the large schools.

 

[msubearssuperfan1]

Kickapoo is 16-17 all-time against K.C. area teams in football.

 

[EdmundBlackadder]

I'm about as neutral on the Kickapoo-Lee's Summit thing as possible, since I graduated from Lee's Summit and my kids went to Kickapoo. I saw them play last year at Municipal Auditorium, a game LS won although Kickapoo was without Jared Ridder. I think Kickapoo was surprised that LS could run with them. I saw them play this summer at the Fieldhouse in Springfield. Kickapoo won that in a very exciting matchup but LS was without Spellman.

Rufus, don't worry. Kickapoo is as good as LS. Maybe not better. They are very well matched and play similar styles. If they played 100 times, each might win 50, and all 100 games would be great to watch. They play very exciting basketball. If they weren't competing against transfer-laden basketball factories out of St. Louis either could be favored to win state. Either might still do it, despite the fact that metro has already crowned Chaminade the "on paper" Class 5 champs. Someone last year apparently forgot to tell BS South that public schools from the west side of the state can't compete. (And the toughest game BS South had in the tournament was against Nixa.)

 

[Rufus R. Jones]

I'm about as neutral on the Kickapoo-Lee's Summit thing as possible, since I graduated from Lee's Summit and my kids went to Kickapoo. I saw them play last year at Municipal Auditorium, a game LS won although Kickapoo was without Jared Ridder. I think Kickapoo was surprised that LS could run with them. I saw them play this summer at the Fieldhouse in Springfield. Kickapoo won that in a very exciting matchup but LS was without Spellman.

Rufus, don't worry. Kickapoo is as good as LS. Maybe not better. They are very well matched and play similar styles. If they played 100 times, each might win 50, and all 100 games would be great to watch. They play very exciting basketball. If they weren't competing against transfer-laden basketball factories out of St. Louis either could be favored to win state. Either might still do it, despite the fact that metro has already crowned Chaminade the "on paper" Class 5 champs. Someone last year apparently forgot to tell BS South that public schools from the west side of the state can't compete. (And the toughest game BS South had in the tournament was against Nixa.)

Saw LSHS at the Wm. Jewell Tourney. Was super-impressed with Spellman. He was outstanding.
Looking forward to the Best of the Midwest Showcase at Johnson County Community College this Saturday. Padre Tolton will also be there- excited to see them play also.

 

[Rufus R. Jones]

Best of the Midwest Showcase, Saturday, 1/16/16:

http://www.810varsity.com/bestofmidwest