Blue Springs South, Kearney to play for state softball titles: Missouri, Kansas results

The Blue Springs South softball team will play for a Missouri state championship Friday after hammering Marquette 11-2 in Thursday’s MSHSAA Class 5 semifinals.

The Jaguars will meet Thursday’s other Class 5 semifinal winner, Francis Howell, which shut out Liberty 10-0. Friday’s Class 5 high school softball state final is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.

Liberty beat Marquette 3-1 Thursday evening for the third-place trophy in Class 5.

Here’s a rundown of other state tournament action in Missouri, as well as Kansas, for KC-area high school teams and individual athletes:

Missouri Class 4 softball tourney

The Kearney Bulldogs are also playing for a state softball title Friday after beating Warrenton 6-3 in Thursday’s Class 4 semifinals.

Kearney will face Helias Catholic, a 5-1 winner over Washington Thursday, in the Class 4 state-championship game at 10 a.m. Friday in Springfield.

Kansas volleyball tourneys

Pool play begins Friday morning; by the end of the night Saturday, the KSHSAA state champs for 2022 will have been crowned in all classifications.

Here’s the schedule for Friday’s larger-class competitions, with tourney sites noted:

Class 6A, at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina

Seedings: 1. Washburn Rural (40-1); 2. Wichita Northwest (33-4); 3. Mill Valley (30-8); 4. Liberal (27-8); 5. Blue Valley (28-9); 6. BV North (23-10); 7. Lawrence Free State (25-12); 8. BV West (23-13).

Pool 1: Liberal vs. Blue Valley, 8:30 a.m.; Washburn Rural vs. BV West, 9:30; Liberal vs. BV West, 10:30; Washburn Rural vs. Blue Valley, 11:30; Blue Valley vs. BV West, 12:30 p.m.; Washburn Rural vs. Liberal, 1:30.

Pool 2: Mill Valley vs. BV North, 8:30 a.m.; Wichita Northwest vs. Lawrence Free State, 9:30; Mill Valley vs. Lawrence Free State, 10:30; Wichita Northwest vs. BV North, 11:30; BV North vs. Lawrence Free State, 12:30 p.m.; Wichita Northwest vs. Mill Valley, 1:30.

Class 5A, at Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina

Seedings: 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (35-3); 2. St. James Academy (33-3); 3. Maize South (31-5); 4. Andover Central (33-7); 5. Hutchinson (30-7); 6. Topeka Seaman (30-8); 7. Lansing (26-8); 8. Bishop Carroll (28-9).

Pool 1: Andover Central vs. Hutchinson, 3:30 p.m.; Aquinas vs. Carroll, 4:30; Andover Central vs. Carroll, 5:30; Aquinas vs. Hutchinson, 6:30; Hutchinson vs. Carroll, 7:30; Aquinas vs. Andover Central, 8:30.

Pool 2: Maize South vs. Topeka Seaman, 3:30 p.m.; St. James vs. Lansing, 4:30; Maize South vs. Lansing, 5:30; St. James vs. Topeka Seaman, 6:30; Topeka Seaman vs. Lansing, 7:30; St. James vs. Maize South, 8:30.

Class 4A, at Hutchinson Sports Arena

Seedings: 1. Andale (39-0); 2. Circle (34-4); 3. Clay Center (27-10); 4. Paola (26-11); 5. Rock Creek (25-12); 6. Tonganoxie (24-14); 7. Louisburg (20-17); 8. Bishop Miege (16-21).

Pool 1: Paola vs. Rock Creek, 8:30 a.m.; Andale vs. Miege, 9:30; Paola vs. Miege, 10:30; Andale vs. Rock Creek, 11:30; Rock Creek vs. Miege, 12:30 p.m.; Andale vs. Paola, 1:30.

Pool 2: Clay Center vs. Tonganoxie, 8:30 a.m.; Circle vs. Louisburg, 9:30; Clay Center vs. Louisburg, 10:30; Circle vs. Tonganoxie, 11:30; Tonganoxie vs. Louisburg, 12:30 p.m.; Circle vs. Clay Center, 1:30.

Class 3A, at Hutchinson Sports Arena

Seedings: 1. Nemaha Central (42-1); 2. Riverton (37-2); 3. Goodland (36-3); 4. Cheney (35-4); 5. Beloit (34-5); 6. Eureka (30-6); 7. Heritage Christian (31-7); 8. Smoky Valley (32-8).

Pool 1: Cheney vs. Beloit, 3:30 p.m.; Nemaha Central vs. Smoky Valley, 4:30; Cheney vs. Smoky Valley, 5:30; Nemaha Central vs. Beloit, 6:30; Beloit vs. Smoky Valley, 7:30; Nemaha Central vs. Cheney, 8:30.

Pool 2: Goodland vs. Eureka, 3:30 p.m.; Riverton vs. Heritage Christian, 4:30; Goodland vs. Heritage Christian, 5:30; Riverton vs. Eureka, 6:30; Eureka vs. Heritage Christian, 7:30; Riverton vs. Goodland, 8:30.

Missouri volleyball quarterfinals

The MSHSAA quarterfinals for volleyball are Saturday. Numerous schools from the KC metro will be in action.

Schools in Classes 1-3 (such as Pleasant Hill, St. Pius X, Lawson and Lone Jack) were still to play their respective sectional matches Thursday evening. Those matches were going to determine Saturday’s quarterfinal pairings for Classes 1-3.

The semifinals and finals for Missouri volleyball in all classes are next Thursday-Saturday (Nov. 3-5).

Here are the bigger-class schedules for this weekend’s state-quarterfinal matches (remember, all of these matches are Saturday):

Class 5

Jackson at Lafayette (Wildwood) 1 p.m.

St. Joseph’s at St. Dominic (in O’Fallon), 1 p.m.

St. Teresa’s at Liberty North, 3 p.m.

Rock Bridge at Kickapoo, 3 p.m.

Class 4

St. Michael at Platte County, 1 p.m.

Incarnate Word at Parkway Central, 1 p.m.

St. Pius X (Festus) at Westminster Christian, 3 p.m.

Helias Catholic at Webb City, 3 p.m.

Class 3

Pleasant Hill at Odessa, 3 p.m..

Eldon vs. Seneca, 3 p.m.

Lutheran St. Charles vs. Blair Oaks, 1 p.m.

St. Genevieve vs. Ursuline

Class 2

Lone Jack vs. East Buchanan, 3 p.m.

Saxony Lutheran vs. Jefferson (Festus)

Herman vs. Stover

Strafford vs. Fair Grove

Class 1

Clarkton vs. Advance

Santa Fe vs. Tarkio/Fairfax

Lesterville vs. Winona

Miller vs. Drexel

Cross country championships

On the Kansas side of the state line, this is the big weekend for distance runners: the state meets at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence for Classes 5A and 6A, and at the Wamego Country Club in Wamego for Classes 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A.

The Missouri cross country championships will be lacing ‘em up next week, on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5, at the venerable Gans Creek course in Columbia. Classes 4 and 5 compete Friday, Nov. 4; Classes 1-3 run Saturday, Nov. 5.

Also coming up soon...

Along with the progression of the football playoffs for Missouri and Kansas teams, there are state events for fall sports happening every week through the month of November.

Here’s a look at what’s on deck after this weekend:

• Nov. 4-5: Kansas boys soccer semifinals and finals

• Nov. 10-12: Missouri boys swimming and diving championships

• Nov. 11: Kansas football sectionals (quarterfinals)

• Nov. 11: Missouri football big-class quarterfinals

• Nov. 12: Missouri boys soccer quarterfinals

• Nov. 14: Kansas unified bowling championships

• Nov. 18-19: Missouri boys soccer semifinals and championship games

• Nov. 19: Missouri football smaller-class quarterfinals

• Nov. 26: Missouri Class 6 football championship game

• Dec. 1-3: Missouri football championships for all other classes (Class 1-5, and 8-man)