Missouri high school football player dies in car wreck following championship game

Archie's Miles Humbird died Saturday night following his team's win in 8-man game

St. Joseph hosted the Missouri 8-man Show Me Bowl on Saturday at Missouri Western. / St. Joseph Sports Commission

Hours after helping Archie win the Missouri 8-man football championship game, Miles Humbird died in a car accident.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that it responded to an accident on Route B, five miles east of Archie at 9:29 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.

A 2015 Kia K900 driven by a 17-year-old male crossed the center line, went off the roadway and overturned. 

Both the driver and the passenger — Humbird — were ejected in the accident. The MSHP reported that the 18-year-old Humbird was pronounced dead at 10:42 p.m. at Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville by Dr. Jeff Girkin.

The MSHP does not list names of accident victims, but a family friend confirmed on Facebook that Humbird was the person who died. He was the 77th fatality in Troop A this year.

The Archie School District posted about the accident Sunday on Facebook:

“We are saddened to share the news of a tragedy that occurred last night. Three students were in a terrible car accident late last night.  All three were transported to local hospitals. One student passed away, one is in critical care, and one is home recovering. Counselors will be available throughout the week. More detailed information to follow. “

The driver was life-flighted to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City with serious injuries. A third person in the car, also 18 years old, had minor injuries and was taken to Belton Regional Hospital. 

None of the three people in the vehicle were wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP's online report.

A GoFundMe page listed that all three players in the car were part of the Archie football program.

Archie beat North Shelby, 48-20, earlier on Saturday at Spratt Stadium in St. Joseph.

Humbird, a senior, played a big role in Archie winning the state championship. From his defensive end spot, No. 47 had 10 tackles and one tackle for loss — which netted in a 44-yard loss.

That tackle for loss was a big one late in the first quarter. The Raiders were at the 16-yard line but by the time Humbird sacked the quarterback the ball was back at the North Shelby 20-yard line. 

He was second on his team in tackles in the title game.

Humbird scored two touchdowns running the ball and finished with 230 yards rushing in 2024.

Last year, Humbird had a tackle in what was another 8-man title for Archie, a small town located along Interstate 49 in western Missouri. 

The school canceled its junior high basketball game. 

NBC Sports was at the state championship game Saturday and recorded highlights that were to be broadcast during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers Sunday night game.

North Shelby posted on social media that the television network bypassed showing the highlights out of respect for the Archie community. 

***UPDATE: Out of respect for Archie and their school district, NBC will not show the highlights tonight. MSHSAA may still receive the highlights that we could possibly share later.***

— North Shelby High School (@NorthShelbyHS) December 8, 2024