The high school football semifinals for Classes 5 and 6 get underway tonight in the state of Missouri. In Class 6, the number one and number two teams in the state will square off, as Kansas City Rockhurst hosts Columbia Hickman for the second time this season. In week two of the season, Rockhurst traveled to Hickman and came away with a 14-7 win. That was the Kewpies only loss of the season. Both teams enter the game with just one loss on the season. Rockhurst is looking for its eighth state championship, while Hickman will try to win its first title since 1974. The winner will face the winner of Kirkwood vs. Hazelwood East. Kirkwood head coach Larry Frost is in his first year there after a successful run at Clayton High School. This is Kirkwood is making its fifth trip to the semifinals and will try to advance to their first championship game. Hazelwood east will play in the semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons…..In Class 5, top ranked and undefeated Raymore-Peculiar will take on Park Hill South. Ray-Pec returns to the playoffs after missing the post-season in 2003. In 2002, they advanced to the Class 5 title game, but lost to Webster Groves 23-22. Park Hill South, which has only been in existence since 1998, has just one trip to the playoffs and that was a run to the semifinals in 1999, when they were a Class 4 team. On the east side of the state Parkway Central will try to advance by beating McCluer North. Central is making its third straight trip to the playoffs and they’re coached by Mark Goldenberg, who is a Parkway Central graduate. They snuck into the 2003 Class 5 playoffs with a 3-7 record, but lost their quarterfinal game to Webster Groves 56-32. This year they’re 8-3. McCluer North is making its fourth trip to the playoffs in five years and like Parkway Central, their playoff run last year ended with Webster Groves. They lost 39-38 in double overtime. With a win, they’ll try to snap an 0-3 record in state championship games. In fact, they were shut out in all three losses.
