Smithville blanks Hannibal to win Class 4 title

In a battle of teams that haven’t won a state championship but had been to the finals, Smithville ended the longer of the two waiting periods. The Warriors scored on their first drive and in all aspects dominated Hannibal, winning the Class 4 championship 31-0 on Friday, Dec. 3 at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. The Warriors scored on the ground, the air and special teams and the defense held a Pirates squad that averaged 49 points per game to zero. Smithville last reached the title game for the first time since 1969, since Hannibal was making Its first trip since 2006. The Pirates have no been shutout in both title game berths. <strong>Players of the Game </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="96165" first="Rhett" last="Foster"], Smithville, WR, 2022 The 6-foot-3 target provided what was arguably the biggest play of the game when he hauled in a 54-yard touchdown pass on the Warriors’ first play of the game. That set the tone and the team, obviously, never trailed from there. That was his second 50-yard catch in two weeks after having a key catch in the semifinal win against MICDS that set up a touchdown in the 16-point comeback. The uncommitted prospect already has a track and field offer but should get some interest after leading the team with 786 yards receiving, despite missing two games due to an ankle injury. [player_tooltip player_id="130203" first="Aneyas" last="Williams"], Hannibal, P/DB, 2024 The sophomore had an off day on offense, but came up big on specials teams, punting four times for an average of 44 yards per kick. His longest was a 57-yarder that pinned the Warriors inside their own 20-yard line. The returning all-stater led the Pirates with 12 tackles, including 10 solo ones. Junior LB Ashton Watts finished with nine tackles. On offense, he had 16 yards receiving on four catches and was held to a season-low 8 yards of rushing on seven carries. [player_tooltip player_id="179109" first="Andrew" last="Hedgecorth"], Smithville, QB, 2023 The second-year starting quarterback threw a pair of first-half touchdowns and helped an offense that racked up 363 yards of total offense. He threw for 173 yards, completing 13 of 21 passes and his 54-yard touchdown pass to Foster on his first throw was his longest. He ran for 37 yards on 13 carries and the Warriors had to punt only one time but he booted it 55 yards — which was only the second longest of the day. Gabe Talley, Smithville, LB, 2022 The senior led the team in tackles again and did a little bit of everything in this title game. The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder had 15 total tackles, including nine solo stops. He combined with senior defensive tackle Jack Alexander on a tackle for loss, while also forcing a fumble in the fourth quarter that was recovered by junior defensive end Justin Perkins. That turnover in the fourth turned into 15-yard touchdown run by Preston Rash to account for the final points. [player_tooltip player_id="96260" first="Cody" last="Simoncic"], Smithville, LB/QB, 2022 In his final game for the Warriors, Simoncic came up with big plays on the offense and defense, though his future in college football will come on the defensive side of the ball. He came in on offense in a ‘Wildcat’ set and each time he ran the ball. He finished with 11 carries, second most on the team, and ran for 53 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter. On defense, he had 11 tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss and a key interception in the second quarter. That came with his team up 14-0 and Hannibal drove down the field in the final minute but Simoncic intercepted a pass at the Smithville 5-yard line, which kept the shutout intact. You can follow Cody Thorn on Twitter at @FreelancingCT