Top 25 Missouri high school football rankings (10/22/2024)

Cardinal Ritter stays unbeaten after toppling De Smet in St. Louis showdown. Who rose, who fell ahead of Week 9?

Christian Brothers College captains take the field in the Missouri Class 6 state championship on Dec. 2, 2023. / Photo by David Smith

Week 8 of the Missouri high school football season featured No. 1 vs. No. 4 in the poll meeting up and the No. 1-ranked Cardinal Ritter rolled to a win. Ten teams in the top 25 are still undefeated going into the final week of the regular season.

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Here is the SBLive Missouri Top 25 football rankings for Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024:

Missouri high school football rankings

As of October 21 2024

1. Cardinal Ritter (7-0)

Previous ranking: 1

QB Carson Boyd and RB Jamrion Parker both ran for more than 100 yards in a 28-3 win over previous No. 4 De Smet last week. Now, they face No. 3 Lutheran North to wrap up the regular season. 

2. CBC (7-1)

Previous ranking: 2

The win streak is now 6 in a row for the Cadets after a 62-28 win over Peoria (Illinois) Notre Dame. QB Nick McClellan threw for 338 yards and 5 touchdowns and capped his day with an 82-yard TD run in the fourth.

3. Lutheran North (7-1)

Previous ranking: 3

Martez Stephenson scored five times in a 71-7 thumping of Lutheran St. Charles. He ran for 264 yards and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

4. Nixa (8-0)

Previous ranking: 5

RB Dylan Rebura ran for 6 touchdowns and the Eagles dominated Ozark, 48-3, to keep bragging rights in the Backyard Brawl for the 5th year in a row. 

5. Lee’s Summit North (8-0)

Previous ranking: 6

The Broncos are a win away from posting a second straight undefeated regular season and 34 of the past 36 regular season games — the only losses were against Liberty North. The regular season finale is against a 7-1 Lee’s Summit squad.

6. De Smet (6-2)

Previous ranking: 5

The last time the Spartans didn’t score a touchdown in a game? That was a 23-0 loss to Ray-Pec in the Class 6 title game in 2020. 

7. Kearney (8-0)

Previous ranking: 7

The Bulldogs won a share of the Greater Kansas City Suburban Blue Division title with a 56-12 win over Winnetonka. A win at 2-win Excelsior Springs claims it outright.

8. Blair Oaks (7-1)

Previous ranking: 8

The Falcons have won six in a row after a 56-12 win over Hallsville last week. During the winning streak, Blair Oaks is outscoring the foes, 57-7.

9. Platte County (8-0)

Previous ranking: 9

QB Rocco Marriott threw a pair of touchdowns and ran for two more in a 55-14 win over Kansas City Ruskin. A win this week closes out the first undefeated regular season since 2006 — back in the Midland Empire Conference days. 

10. Eureka (8-0)

Previous ranking: 10

The Wildcats scored a season-high 47 in a 45-point win over McCluer last week. Six different players scored in the win for Eureka. Now, the Wildcats are a win away from the first 9-0 regular season since 2017.

11. Rock Bridge (7-1) 

Previous ranking: 11

The Bruins needed just 86 seconds to get on the board — a TD pass from Brady Davidson to Drevyn Seamon — in a 58-7 win over Hickman. Rock Bridge has won 7 in a row since a Week 1 loss in triple OT.

12. MICDS (6-2)

Previous ranking: 12

Since a loss two weeks ago, Fred Bouchard’s squad have won the last two games by a combined 108-19 margin. Brian Gould had 3 touchdowns on 10 carries in a 42-0 win over St. Dominic. 

13. Carthage (7-1)

Previous ranking: 13

It wasn’t pretty, but the Tigers escaped with a 14-13 win over rival Webb City. Carthage had three drives of 10 plays or more that ended in turnovers on downs in Webb City territory. 

14. Helias Catholic (7-1)

Previous ranking: 14

The Crusaders went nearly 3 full games without a point scored. Sedalia Smith-Cotton scored with 4 minutes left in the fourth in a 51-8 win for Helias. 

15. Seneca (8-0)

Previous ranking: 15

For the fifth time this year, the Indians scored 50 or more and the 63 points were the second most this season for Cody Hilburn’s squad. DE Hagen Ginger had 7 tackles — 5 TFLs — and 3 sacks in a win over East Newton. 

16. Seckman (8-0)

Previous ranking: 16

Ben Lewis ran for a touchdown and returned the second-half kickoff in a 41-7 win over Hazelwood West. The Jaguars' defense hasn’t given up more than two touchdowns in any game this year. 

17. Troy Buchanan (8-0)

Previous ranking: 17

QB Hunter Humphrey didn’t pass much but he was effective when he did, throwing for a pair of touchdowns with 3 completions on 5 attempts in a 55-0 win over Francis Howell North.

18. Lafayette Wildwood (7-1)

Previous ranking: 18

After a loss in Week 7, the Lancer pulled away from Lindbergh, 42-28, though the Flyers once had the game tied at 21. Terance Bills had a pair of second-half touchdown catches to help secure the win. 

19. St. Pius X Kansas City (7-1)

Previous ranking: 19

The Warriors had no problem dispatching St. Joseph Lafayette, winning 74-0. Pius ran for 338 yards and RB Cannon Cruse had 175 and a pair of scores on 14 carries. 

20. Lee’s Summit (7-1)

Previous ranking: 21

Preston Hatfield ran for a school-record 278 yards as the Tigers rolled up 311 yards on the ground in a win against Staley.

21. Liberty North (5-3)

Previous ranking: 22

Liberty North won a rematch of last year’s semifinal game — which needed overtime. This time, K Bleu Renfrow kicked the winning field goal with 2 seconds left.

22. Jackson (6-2)

Previous ranking: 23

Jackson has won five in a row and has scored 40 or more in all of the wins. The defense gave up only 233 yards of total offense in a 55-14 win over Miller Career Academy. 

23. Blue Springs South (6-2)

Previous ranking: 24

The Jaguars have now won 3 in a row against crosstown rival Blue Springs — after losing 8 in a row. Blue Springs South pulled away in the fourth on a touchdown pass from Ayden Wilhelm to Gary Hill to secure a 30-20 win.

24. Rockhurst (5-3)

Previous ranking: 20

After a hot start, the Hawklets have been on the tough end of two close games — an OT loss and losing on a walk-off field goal.

25. Branson (8-0)

Previous ranking: NR

The last the Pirates have won 8 games in a season was in 2008 — and that is also the most wins in the past two decades. A win at 1-win Hillcrest locks up the inaugural Ozark Mountain Conference title.

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivemo