DeSoto 34, North County 27
It’s the breakthrough moment of a generation for Joachim Junction. The ‘26 DeSoto Dragons have hit the watershed, cracked the six-win barrier, and guaranteed DeSoto’s first overall winning campaign on the gridiron since 2010 … all while claiming that elusive first postseason victory in the modern era, not counting 2020’s COVID forfeit over Cape.
How was history made in Bonne Terre, especially when it wasn’t the Buccaneers making it? DeSoto’s electrifying junior QB Cannon Kisner landed the 11th-round haymaker, taking a zig-zagging 64-yard carry to the house to extend the Dragons’ lead to 34-20 with about 4:00 left to play. North County didn’t go down easily, fighting back on QB Braydee McClure’s third TD pass. But when the Raiders had a mishap on the onside kick that ensued, suffering a hideously bad bounce that stopped the bean after three yards, the Dragons (or at least their alumni who had made the trip) began to celebrate the dream-come-true.
Kisner was a man and a half behind center, leading the Varsity Dragons via a stupendous effort on the road. DeSoto’s offense pounced immediately when North County’s offense stalled at midfield in Friday’s opening moments, Kisner and his senior RB Nathan Slamp (who was late-credited for an early touchdown by MyMoInfo) built the Dragons a 13-0 lead with goal-to-go carries. North County finally responded when McClure hit his dangerous junior WR Jaden Cook for a 45-yard touchdown to draw the score to 13-7.
DeSoto’s Caleb Barton forced a critical fumble from opposing RB Noah Lashley on North County’s next drive deep into Dragons territory, recovered by Joachim Junction’s other defensive star Levi Huck. Given that reprieve, the #5 seeded visitors began a series of smart, effective possessions that “made the clock into their buddy,” in the words of Mississippi Magazine’s scout Doug Anderson.
The Dragons knew they could build on their midgame lead without going for the gusto with a long pass. Kisner, like lightning over Flat River, flashed again by breaking several tackles on a spellbinding home-run carry that nearly gave DeSoto a 20-7 lead at the break. DeSoto’s No. 1 didn’t skip a beat after halftime, In fact, he added a clever cymbal-fill by fooling North County’s defense so bad on an option play, the radio guys thought Slamp had scored again from 17 yards out. Nope – it was Cannon’s second touchdown. Bonne Terre quickly closed the scoreboard to 21-13, signaling that the game would be a slugfest.
Then a real surprise occurred. Wyatt Compton, North County’s cool-headed, stick-to-the-plan-style CEO from the proud NFL bloodline, began to get impatient, and try to force good things to happen, just like a riverboat gamblin’ Varsity coach from St. Clair or Poplar Bluff. Those aren’t bad tactics in a vacuum – DeSoto’s HC Russ Schmidt can recollect when former Hillsboro skipper Lee Freeman demolished the Mississippi by going for every 4th-and-10 – but it hasn’t been the vibe at NCHS under Compton.
North County’s punishment for trying to rush its comeback was swift and severe. Bonne Terre, after failing to convert its XP, tried its first of two unsuccessful Onside Kick attempts in the contest, giving Kisner and DeSoto yet another short-field opportunity. To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, that was a Big Mistake.
Kisner had the score 27-13 before you could say “Bobby Thompson.” While it remained hard for DeSoto to keep North County’s lively offense off the board, the Dragons began to Tackle Up fiercely, forcing NCHS to use up timeouts and the Game Clock. Damian “The Omen” Pogue and Peyson Casey make up an All-Star combination in DeSoto’s defensive backfield, adding to two insane Iron Man performances in 2026. Pogue could finish 2026 as the county’s top overall tackler who isn’t a run-stuffing linebacker by trade, depending on how many more games DeSoto plays. NCHS finally spent so much Game Clock to drive into position for McClure to complete a last TD pass that the Raiders’ next Onside Kick gamble was utterly predictable. Meanwhile, the Raiders’ impatience also showed in the chippy roughing flags Bonne Terre was getting.
Kisner made a chef’s kiss at the end of his massive night, breaking away for what could have been one last TD carry with about 1:00 remaining. Cannon got to the North County 10-yard line and slid down, refusing to score, giving DeSoto a chance to win in Victory Formation. Kisner might be a “Lamar Jackson”-style QB, but that’s a play designed by Peyton Manning – “First Down, Fall Down.”
Cannon could fall down often and still contend with the STL Metro’s stat leaders. No. 1 finished Week 10’s seminal win with 302 rush yards and nearly 400 combined yards, breaking a litany of official and unofficial program records in the process. Cannon’ 16 rushing TDs in 10 weeks surpasses any DeSoto rusher with a documented stat line, per DHS’s coaching staff in postgame. He has produced nearly 2500 combined rushing and passing yards so far – you might have to go back many, many decades to find any DeSoto quarterback performances to compare that with. The Geek also believes Cannon just had the most prolific playoff performance of any Dragon at any position on the gridiron IN THIS CENTURY. We’re going to need a list of No. 1’s new records!
From the look of DeSoto’s growing front-seven, led by a hulked-up sophomore in Barton, we shouldn’t say that the Dragons’ stat lines are necessarily going to end at only 11 games. The #1 seeded Festus Tigers have a semifinal battle on their hands, a matchup against a school that just stifled North County more effectively with its defense than Festus or St. Clair was able to late this season. North County was threatening to get hot on its home field. DeSoto’s Dragons spat out ice water, not fire, this time.
But you know what? If DeSoto’s whole starting lineup twists its ankles in a Chinese Fire Drill on Thursday, and Festus R-6 wins 18-2 in the most boring District Semifinal ever produced, it still couldn’t erase the glory of the Dragons in Bonne Terre on Friday. Coach Schmidt has done it – he has turned DeSoto football around! Schmidt would also be quick to tell The Geek, “No, it’s our kids who turned this around.”
Hillsboro 54. Windsor 16
WOO! The Hillsboro Hawks returned to form with a rehabbed lineup and tons of offense against unlucky Windsor in the first half of Friday’s quarterfinal. Not that the Hawks needed a big cast of characters to put a hurting on the Owls, and easily survive the Hawks’ first elimination-game. It was the Ross brothers’ night from the start, Preston and Auston combining for five of the Hawks’ first six touchdowns. Preston’s circus grab that scored Leon Hall’s 40th point was announced as the “Catch of the Year” on Live Stream STL.
(MSHSAA TV pay-per-view footage is probably a no-no for a free site’s reuse, however we will try to add Preston’s outstanding grab from his Week 10 highlight reel, if and when available.)
Aiden Fleming is back at QB. Jadyn Rice’s yards and touchdowns remain a steady-humming engine for the #3 seeded Varsity Hawks. Hillsboro got the get-well win that it needed, and the defense looks as improved as it did last weekend, without sacrificing the offense this time. Windsor’s Kendrick Newborn scared the Hawks with a sterling kick-return TD to briefly close the gap to 20-8, however the scoreboard read an eye-popping 47-8 at halftime. Hillsboro vs Sikeston looks like a total barnburner waiting to happen. Although – the best games do seem to pop up out of nowhere, like Desoto at NCHS.
Veritas 49, Grandview 14
Grandview senior Brock Poole made it interesting, at least for a while. Poole retaliated when Veritas got its first TD to go up 7-0, running the ensuing kickoff back 47 yards into plus-territory. Grandview drove inside Veritas’ 10-yard line but couldn’t convert. Veritas drove down the field and converted for another TD. A rejuvenated Grandview backfield drove into the Red Zone again, but couldn’t make use of the drive.
Notice a pattern? Grandview was just missing while Veritas scored points, and once Veritas Christian’s talented Alex “Summertime” Kramper added a big play with an 86-yard touchdown carry, the Eagles’ careful offense wasn’t going to be able to catch up on a 20-point deficit. When the Birds of Prey finally went for the gusto on a 4th-down Wildcat, a Veritas lineman hit a scrambling Poole’s arm, and the resulting worm-burner nearly got intercepted in the pile. Poole then broke up a Veritas throw toward paydirt on VCA’s final possession of the first half, setting the tone for a gritty third quarter in which the Varsity Eagles’ understaffed defense had a “net -4,” allowing six points and scoring two points on a safety. The effort was that of a brave “Senior Night II” from an All-Star who went down swinging.
Grandview High goes down at a hard-nosed 0-10. The Varsity Eagles were not dominated in any of their last three losses, despite going up against St. Vincent in one of those contests. The underclass was struck by injuries as badly as the Class of 2027, and yet the Eagles’ rookies still managed to shine at times. Quarterback and utility-man Christian Volner will move to his senior year with a hefty, numerous Class of 2028 for support.
You do have to question Grandview’s pattern of getting devastated by injury cases every so often. It feels like even in the Eagles’ best years, a spate of injury woes holds a potential 9-3 team down to a relatively modest record. GHS coaches, led by 2025’s COTY candidate Cory Hanger, must take a forensic look at each student-athlete’s regimen of sports, weights, practice, and activity from now until the next training camp. It may be that the players are too driven to take on very challenging summer-game scenarios, when they should be running and slowly getting into shape.
Herculaneum 49, Lutheran South 7
There’s little but sunny news from a mostly-cloudy night by the smokestack. QB Conor Hedrick ran 43 yards and nearly scored from midfield on Herky’s first possession, leading to a 7-0 lead that became 21-0 just 15:00 in. RB Chase Luebbert manufactured three touchdowns. Herky’s not only making a habit of winning first-round playoff games, but it’s hardly ever getting threatened in the quarterfinals at all.
Herculaneum’s game plan, and its ongoing focus on running, forgoes any pretense of trying to upset the St. Clair Bulldogs with a balanced offense in Round 2. HC Blane Boss’ outfit is going to try to win the trenches against the #2 seeds. St. Clair was outmuscled by Union’s tough team on Senior Night.
Photo Credit: Purchased from Rivals, Herculaneum High School Facebook