LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Second-seeded Joplin saw its season come to an end after the Eagles fell 21-0 to top-seeded Lee’s Summit North in the Class 6 District 3 title game on Friday.
The Broncos (11-1) scored 14 unanswered points in the second quarter and held the Eagles scoreless thanks in large part to turning Joplin over twice in the first half. Neither team garnered much offense in the second half until Lee’s Summit North found the end zone late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
“We talked about how tough Class 6 is, and obviously this is one of the better teams in it,” Joplin coach Curtis Jasper said. “We hung with them all the way. We just couldn’t get things going offensively. I am really proud of our kids and how hard they played.”
With the loss, Joplin finishes the season with a 10-2 record, making it to its third district title game in four years. The Eagles graduate 27 seniors.
“We had an up-and-down season last year and this group really poured into the offseason and really poured into each other,” Jasper said of his senior class. “They were going to make sure that didn’t happen again, and it didn’t. We only had two losses on the season and they were both to really good football teams. And, we beat some really good football teams, including Nixa twice, and that is hard to do. They have a lot to be proud of, and not just wins and losses. They have a lot to be proud of in what they did as a part of this program, making sure things were done the right way so we can continue to build this program off their contributions.”
GAME ACTION
After a scoreless first quarter, Lee’s Summit North QB Tre Baker got the Broncos deep in the red zone with a 22-yard completion to Devin Blayney down to the 8-yard line on the first play of the second period.
Three plays later on third-down-and-goal from the 1, Baker’s second effort on a QB sneak was enough to get the ball across the goal line for a touchdown to give Lee’s Summit North a 7-0 lead with 10:03 left in the first half.
Joplin’s next drive ended in an interception from QB Always Wright — the second turnover of the game for the Eagles to that point — and two plays later, Baker hooked up with Blayney for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead with less than eight minutes to play in the first half. Joplin ultimately lost the turnover battle 5-1.
“You can’t give a team like that extra possessions,” Jasper said. “We gave them way too many.”
The turnover bug bit Joplin again early in the second half. After the Eagles blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt by the Broncos, Wright was picked off for a second time three plays later to give Lee’s Summit North the ball in Joplin territory.
“(Lee’s Summit North’s) front five were really good,” Jasper said when asked what gave his offense trouble. “They have a lot of speed defensively, too. They were playing a lot of games up front, a lot of stunts and twists. And they are good at it because that is what they do. … With as long and as athletic as they are, it was giving us fits.”
Near the end of the third quarter, Lee’s Summit North was forced to punt near midfield only to see the punt return muffed by the Eagles, with the Broncos recovering at the 1-yard line. Fortunately, the JHS defense didn’t waver, as Joplin recovered a Lee’s Summit North fumble on the very next play to give the Eagles the ball back on their own 1-yard line.
Lee’s Summit North sealed the win late in the fourth quarter when Baker found Tanner Howes for an 8-yard touchdown near the two-minute mark to make the score 21-0.
Lee’s Summit North will take on Christian Brothers College in the semifinals round of playoffs next week.
