Week 2 Games to Watch in Kansas City

Week 2 in the Kansas City metro area will feature a few top-10 matchups, at least according to the voters in the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters poll. Here’s 10 games to keep an eye this week. Liberty North at Liberty This showdown pits the Class 6 No. 5 ranked Liberty North vs. the No. 9 ranked Liberty at Liberty High School. Liberty won the regular season game, while Liberty North won in the postseason. This game will feature the No. 54-ranked prospect in Liberty senior running back Wentric Williams, who is coming off a 32-carry, 295-yard, 3-touchdown showing last week against Blue Springs. He is one of three top-100 prospects for the Eagles, along with offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="96197" first="Michael" last="Capria"] and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="177054" first="Caden" last="Dennis"]. Liberty North lost to Arkansas power Bentonville last week but cut a 26-point deficit down to 13 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="172248" first="Sam" last="Van Dyne"] passed for a pair of scores and 143 yards. An intriguing matchup in this will be Williams against the Eagles’ defense that is led by sophomore linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="172304" first="Melvin" last="Laster"], ranked No. 2 in the 2024 class. Maryville at Harrisonville A showdown of two traditional powers in the state. Maryville is coming in ranked No. 6 in Class 2, while Harrisonville is No. 5 in Class 4. This game will feature two standout running backs. Maryville’s Tyler Siemer ran for 150 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown — the lone score for the Spoofhounds in a 40-6 loss to Blair Oaks. Harrisonville’s [player_tooltip player_id="96149" first="Jace" last="Reynolds"], ranked No. 83 in the 2022 class, put up 358 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns in a win against Wayne Hill (NJ) last week. Reynolds now has six of the top 10 single-game rushing performances in Harrisonville history. Ray-Pec at Blue Springs Blue Springs nearly pulled off an upset last week against Liberty, but lost by one. [player_tooltip player_id="172251" first="Lamana" last="Tapusoa"] was held in check by Liberty (1 carry, -4 yards), but that opened the door for senior running back Kyle Bruce, who ran for 166 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Ray-Pec is the defending Class 6 champions held on for a 20-14 win against Rockhurst. Standout wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="99468" first="Jaidyn" last="Doss"] held to only two catches for 13 yards. Park Hill at Rockhurst This will be only the fourth meeting since Park Hill joined Class 6 and Rockhurst has a slim 2-1 lead in the series. Both teams are coming off a loss in Week 1. Rockhurst is ranked No. 7 in Class 6 after a close battle with Ray-Pec. Wide receiver Gavin O’Boyle had six catches for 77 yards and a one-handed touchdown that led to a sport on SportsCenter. Raytown at Raytown South Raytown enters as the No. 3 team in Class 5 following a win over North Kansas City, ranked No. 10 in Class 5. Junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="37711" first="Zander" last="Samuels"] average more than 15 yards a carry last week (9/142) and had a touchdown for Raytown. Raytown South lost the debut of coach William Harris scored 28 points against Belton. Raytown has won the past four in the rivalry series, while the Cardinals look to snap a 13-game losing streak. Kearney at Platte County The battle for the Highway 92 Road Sign commences in Platte City. The Pirates lost last week to Class 6 Park Hill South, while Kearney was idle due to COVID-19 issues within the program. Platte County has the No. 2-ranked prospect in the 2023 class in [player_tooltip player_id="112562" first="Chandavian" last="Bradley"] who has a bevy of Division I offers. He could against a monster lineman from Kearney in Tulane commit [player_tooltip player_id="177900" first="Keanon" last="McNally"], the seventh-ranked offensive lineman and No. 49 overall in the Class of 2022. William Chrisman at Smithville Smithville is the No. 1-ranked team in Class 4 and is coming off an impressive win over Grain Valley in Week 1. Senior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="187846" first="Keltin" last="Nitsche"] is the top-leading receiver in the Kansas City area following a 9-catch, 175-yard showing. Junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="179109" first="Andrew" last="Hedgecorth"] threw for 272 yards for Smithville and accounted for 4 touchdowns, showing ability to run and throw equally well. The Smithville defense allowed 139 yards of total offense but will be tested by Chrisman running back Anthony Miller. The junior ran for 241 yards on 24 carries in the Bears’ season-opening win. Lee’s Summit North at Lee’s Summit The loaded roster of Lee’s Summit North rolled to a 28-10 win against Blue Springs South last week. Abilene Christian commit [player_tooltip player_id="171825" first="Tre" last="Baker"] completed 72 percent of his passes for 132 yards and six different targets had a catch. The Tigers, though, have won 8 of the past 11 meetings in this series. Grandview at Park Hill South Intriguing matchup of two talented teams. Grandview is ranked No. 8 in Class 4 and is led by senior running back Keenan Jones, who ran for 207 yards and three scores last week. Park Hill South rolled up 300 yards rushing in a 42-14 win over Class 5 runner-up Platte County last week. RB/QB [player_tooltip player_id="103404" first="Briggs" last="Bartosh"], who is drawing interest from FCS school, ran for 208 yards and two scores. St. Michael the Archangel at St. Pius X If you like teams that pass the ball often, this will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the area. St. Michael’s Dillon Zaun threw for 350 yards and three scores last week. Pius quarterback Jack Mosh threw three touchdowns among his nine completions and finished with 239 yards last week in a win against Pembroke Hill. Mosh is a Missouri baseball commit.