Missouri Class 6 championship preview: CBC vs. Liberty North

The Missouri Class 6 tournament field has been narrowed from 32 teams down to just two, CBC and Liberty North, who fittingly are the only two Class 6 squads who have yet to lose to another team from the Show-Me State. CBC (12-1) lost its season opener to East St. Louis (Ill.) and has won 12 straight games since. Liberty North (11-1) lost its opener to Bentonville (Ark.) and has won 11 in a row since. At 1 p.m. on Saturday, at the University of Missouri, one of those long streaks will come to an end. <h5><strong>CBC CADETS (12-1)</strong></h5> <strong>TEAM INFO</strong> CBC, the No. 1 team in the final Missouri Class 6 media rankings of the regular season, will be seeking its fourth state championship in eight seasons. The Cadets won in 2014, 2017 and 2018. Coach Scott Pingel’s squad is averaging 47.3 points per game the season and allowing 16.4. CBC has rushed for 3,094 yards, an average of 238 rushing yards per game, and have passed for 3,046. That adds up to an average of 472 yards per contest over 13 games. <strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="37608" first="Patrick" last="Heitert"] - 2022 QB</strong> Heitert has proven himself as a big-game quarterback this season capable of winning games with his arm or his legs. He has completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,878 yards, with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions, and has run for 379 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has offers from Southeast Missouri State and Dayton. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="103779" first="Jeremiyah" last="Love"] / [player_tooltip player_id="37738" first="Ralph" last="Dixon"] / [player_tooltip player_id="171841" first="Dylan" last="Van"] - 2023 RBs</strong> It’s hard to pick one of the Cadets’ three-headed monster at running back because each player has stepped up at different times this season. Love, who won the Missouri 100-meter dash (10.76 seconds) championship in the spring as a sophomore, has rushed for a team-high 869 yards, averaging 10.9 yards per carry, and scored 12 touchdowns. Dixon has rushed for 778 yards, averaging 9.4 per, and 12 touchdowns. Van has a team-high 112 carries for 644 yards and 12 touchdowns. Love, Dixon, Van and Heitert, the quarterback, each have 12 rushing touchdowns this season. Love recently picked up a scholarship offer from Iowa State to go along with offers from Kansas, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Missouri and Eastern Illinois. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="126237" first="Jeremiah" last="McClellan"] - 2024 WR </strong> The Cadets have a nice collection of wide receivers, including playmakers in senior quarterback-turned-wideout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171848" first="Ayden" last="Robinson-Wayne"]</strong>, junior Division I prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99471" first="Dakotah" last="Mayo"]</strong> and senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="172629" first="Gavin" last="Conley"]</strong>. McClellan, just a sophomore, has 41 receptions for a team-high 989 yards and nine touchdowns. He is averaging 24.1 yards per catch. He had two clutch receptions in the semifinal come-from-behind win against Lee’s Summit North. McClellan already has a bunch of Division I offers, including from Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan State and Iowa. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="37675" first="Tyler" last="Gant"] - 2023 DL</strong> Gant, a 6-foot-4, 270-pounder, is one of the top prospects in Missouri in the junior class and is capable of playing anywhere along the defensive front. He has recorded 68 tackles and five sacks, ranking third on the team in both categories, and the attention he receives from opposing offensive lines helps create opportunities for his teammates up front. Gant has several offers, including from Arkansas, Kansas State and Illinois. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171842" first="Kendall" last="Huston"] - 2022 OLB/S </strong> Huston has a remarkable stat line this season. In addition to his 56 tackles, which rank fifth on the team, he leads the Cadets with six sacks (tied with teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171844" first="Jaycob" last="Tatum"]</strong>) and five interceptions. Huston, who also has two fumble recoveries, has scored four touchdowns on defensive returns. &nbsp; <h5><strong>LIBERTY NORTH EAGLES (11-1)</strong></h5> <strong>TEAM INFO</strong> Liberty North, the No. 2 team in the Missouri media rankings, is seeking its first championship. Coach Greg Jones’ group is averaging 36.4 points per game and allowing 17.4. <strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="172248" first="Sam" last="Van Dyne"] - 2023 QB</strong> A lefty, Van Dyne is the top quarterback prospect in the junior class in Missouri and could be the top prospect at the position regardless of class. Van Dyne has completed 69 percent of his passes for 2,036 yards, with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He received an early scholarship offer from Missouri and will likely be a hot prospect for colleges this offseason. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="217659" first="Cayden" last="Arzola"] - 2022 RB</strong> The Eagles’ go-to guy in the backfield, Arzola has rushed for a team-high 1,179 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has topped 100 yards rushing in six of North’s 12 games, but has done so in three of the team’s four playoff games so far. Teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="185380" first="Micah" last="Jo Barnett"]</strong>, a sophomore, has rushed for 883 yards and eight touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="172302" first="Justis" last="Braden"] - 2022 TE</strong> Braden had a season-high eight catches in the Eagles’ semifinal win at Troy Buchanan. For the season, he’s recorded 39 receptions for 668 yards and five touchdown. He is averaging 17.1 yards per catch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="172304" first="Melvin" last="Laster"] - 2024 MLB</strong> A 6-2, 235-pounder, Laster is a man child in the middle of the Liberty North defense and is one of the top prospects in the sophomore class. Laster has recorded 73 tackles, including 10.5 for losses, 6.5 sacks and two interceptions this season. He received early offers from Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas State and Kansas over the summer. <strong>Blake Craig - 2023 K</strong> Craig is a weapon for the Eagles and has kicked seven of his 13 field goals during the team’s four playoff games. He has kicked two field goals in three of those four games. On Thursday, Liberty North posted video of Craig on Twitter kicking a 60-yard field goal during practice. <em><strong>You can follow Nate Latsch on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/natelatsch">@natelatsch</a>.</strong></em>