Missouri run game wears down Kansas All-Stars

Even as the Kansas All-Stars held a one-point lead for 13 minutes in the first half, the tone had been set, and continued to be dictated by the Missouri squad.

The Missouri All-Stars chewed up 274 rushing yards on 52 tries and snuffed the Kansas wing-T offense for three quarters to post a 19-7 win Thursday at Blue Valley High School in the 21st annual GKCFCA Country Mark Kansas vs. Missouri All-Star Game.

It was the fifth-consecutive win by Missouri, which was coached this season by Richmond’s Rob Bowers. Lee’s Summit North graduate Will Harrington, who handled a majority of the snaps at quarterback and rushed for a game-high 88 yards and scored twice on 15 carries, was named the team’s most valuable player.

“We did what I thought we could do – lined up and pounded it at them,” Bowers said. “Our quarterbacks did a nice job judging the reads, and we had quick running backs.”

Running an offense heavy on sweeps and read options, Missouri drove 80 yards to start the game. Richmond’s Gabe Vandiver, Harrington and Blue Springs South’s Steve Sullivan had runs of 11, 24 and 18 yards on the first three plays, respectively, and Harrington’s fourth-down sneak preceded his 4-yard keeper for a touchdown on the 11th play.

 “We just wanted to share the ball with everyone,” said Harrington, who was a Simone Award semifinalist. “It’s a read I’ve done over and over. It was definitely a comfortable offense.”

The extra point sailed wide left at the 6:07 mark, allowing Kansas to take a 7-6 lead 13 seconds later when Olathe South’s Teddy Colbert took a handoff on the kick return and burst through a hole in the middle on his way to an 88-yard touchdown.

Missouri’s response was effective, though it took a while to cash in.

A 13-play drive ended when Harrington was intercepted at the 16 by Olathe Northwest’s Avery Parker, and after a stuff by Pleasant Hill’s Tully Byrne gave Missouri the ball on downs at the Kansas 41, Sullivan got stopped at the 2 on fourth-and-goal.

But two plays later Staley’s David Marcinko recovered a Kansas fumble at the 3, and Vandiver crashed in for the go-ahead score on the next snap.

“Our defense really set the tone, which really gave the offense a lot of confidence,” Harrington said.

The conversion run failed, but Missouri had the lead for good.

Byrne fell on another Kansas fumble four plays into the second half, this one forced by Raytown South’s Jamaal Cox. It gave Missouri possession at the Kansas 35, and Harrington scored five plays later on a 7-yard keeper.

That was plenty of cushion for the Missouri defense, which yielded just five first downs through the first three quarters. Byrne and Fort Osage’s Tony Tanumai, the two-time Examiner Defensive Player of the Year, helped form a stiff and penetrating defensive front.

“I was having a blast,” Tanumai said. “Especially with an offense like that. It’s just man-on-man, may the best man win.”

Starting from its 17 early in the fourth quarter, Kansas pieced together a 14-play drive, starting with an 18-yard run by Olathe North’s Orange Mooney and featuring four completions by Blue Valley Northwest’s Garrett Fugate.

But Fugate was stopped on second-and-goal, and two incompletions in the end zone crippled any Kansas comeback plans with 6:20 remaining.

Sullivan all but clinched the win two plays later when he broke off a 43-yard run around right end to get the Missouri offense out of danger.

Sullivan had 74 yards rushing on 10 carries, while Vandiver added 63 and Ray-South’s Jameel Cox 42, running behind a line that included Fort Osage’s Dillon Taff and Rueben Sia.

“It’s cool to experience playing will all the other players,” said Sullivan, who helped lead the Jaguars to the Class 6 state championship. “You don’t really like them when you’re playing against them, but then this week you’re bonding.”

Kansas, which was coached by Olathe South’s Jeff Gourley, still holds an 11-9 series lead.