Missouri High School Football Semifinals: Matchups and Predictions for Every 2025 MSHSAA Final Four Showdown

All 24 semifinalists clash Saturday at 1 p.m. as unbeaten powers, surging contenders and long-distance travelers battle for spots in next week’s state championships

Nixa junior quarterback Adam McKnight looks to get his team back to the Class 6 state final after the Eagles took second in 2024. / David Smith

The MSHSAA state tournament reaches its final stretch Saturday with 24 teams still in the hunt for a championship across Classes 1 through 6. All semifinals kick off at 1 p.m., setting up a statewide window packed with unbeaten powers, red-hot underdogs and a few teams carrying the weight of recent heartbreak.

Several familiar contenders are back on the doorstep. Blair Oaks, Monroe City, Kearney, Platte County and Nixa all return to the semifinals with double-digit wins and explosive offenses. Others, like Pattonville and Lift for Life, have surged late and forced their way into the final four.

Travel will also be a storyline. Putnam County heads roughly 430 miles to Hayti in one of the longest semifinal trips in the state, while St. Clair travels more than three hours to Seneca. Programs like St. Pius X (Festus) and Festus will try to defend home turf against some of the most complete teams in the field.

With spots in next week’s state championships on the line, here are the matchups and predictions for every Class 1-6 semifinal.

2025 MSHSAA Semifinals Matchups, Predictions

Class 1

The Matchup

Putnam County (12-0) at Hayti (7-5), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Putnam County: def. Highland 60-7; def. South Shelby 56-0; def. Salisbury 18-0

Hayti: def. Saxony Lutheran 50-21; def. Portageville 38-13; def. Van-Far 38-14

Tidbits: With last week’s win Putnam County is guaranteed to claim only its second top four finish at state in program history. One of the most dominant teams in Class 1, the Midgets have outscored opponents 513-88 this season; good for an average of 42.8 points per game on offense while holding opponents to 7.3 per clip. … Hayti, meanwhile, has locked up its fourth top four finish at state and is chasing its first state title since 2018. The Indians have outscored opponents 386-318 while averaging 32.2 points on offense and allowing 26.5 on defense.

Predicted Winner: Putnam County

The Matchup

West Platte (9-3) at Tipton (10-1), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

West Platte: def. Penney 42-0; def. North Platte 40-30; def. Adrian 34-7

Tipton: def. Skyline 60-20; def. Russellville 53-18; def. Thayer 22-14

Tidbits: West Platte is guaranteed its fourth state trophy in program history with last week’s win against Adrian. The Blue Jays have outscored opponents 402-253 this season, good for an average of 33.5 points per game on offense while holding opponents to 21.1. … Tipton, meanwhile, is back in the state semis for the second year in a row. The Cardinals lost to Penney in this game last season, 20-7, but they’ve been more dominant this time around. Tipton has outscored opponents 548-118 while racking up 45.7 points on offense and allowing only 9.8 per outing.

Winner Prediction: Tipton

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Class 2

The Matchup

Monroe City (11-1) at St. Pius X (Festus) (8-5), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Monroe City: def. Palmyra 34-8; def. Brookfield 62-22; def. Mid-Buchanan 58-21

St. Pius X (Festus): def. East Prairie 64-0; def. St. Vincent 41-33; def. Caruthersville 28-14; def. Montgomery County 14-0

Tidbits: Monroe City lost its first game of the season to Valle Catholic and hasn’t lost since. The Panthers, who have three state championships and three runner-up finishes in program history, are chasing their first state title since 2017. They have outscored opponents 546-181 while averaging 45.5 points per game on offense and surrendering 15.1. … St. Pius X is hunting its first state title. The Lancers have enjoyed a big turnaround after last season’s 5-6 showing, as they’ve reverted to their 2023 averages when they went 7-4 and scored 33.5 points per game and allowed 16.1. This season they are averaging 33.6 offensively and allow 16.5. The teams last played each other on Aug. 27, 2021, a 42-14 win for Monroe City.

Predicted Winner: Monroe City

The Matchup

Blair Oaks (12-0) at Liberty (Mountain View) (10-2), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Blair Oaks: def. Father Tolton 49-0; def. Centralia 19-8; def. Summit Christian Academy 59-7

Liberty (Mountain View): def. Ava 55-14; def. Forsyth 55-7; def. Lamar 12-7

Tidbits: Two of the best defenses in Class 2 will square off, as Blair Oaks allows an average of 6.8 points per game while Liberty only surrenders 9. The Falcons dropped down to Class 2 after beating Seneca for the Class 3 championship last season and they will enter Saturday’s game averaging 52.9 points on offense. … Liberty’s offense isn’t as prolific, but the Eagles enter averaging 38.2 points and are riding the high of knocking off back-to-back Class 2 champion Lamar in a defensive battle last week.

Predicted Winner: Blair Oaks

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Class 3

The Matchup

Lift for Life Academy Charter (9-4) at St. Michael the Archangel (10-3), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Lift for Life: def. Lutheran South 62-10; def. Ste. Genevieve 48-41; def. Valle Catholic 48-34; def. Dexter 8-6

St. Michael the Archangel: def. University Academy Charter 38-0; def. Knob Noster 63-21; def. Boonville 46-35; def. Maryville 37-34

Tidbits: Battle tested, both teams eked their way into the semifinals this week with narrow victories in their respective state quarterfinal showdowns last week, as the Guardians and Hawks won their games by a combined five points. Expect another nail-biter this week, as both teams appear quite similar on paper. The Hawks have allowed 317 points on defense this year, while the Guardians have allowed 313. Likewise, the Guardians have scored 469 points to the Hawks’ 426. … St. Michael the Archangel has won eight straight games, while Lift for Life has won four consecutive.

Predicted Winner: Lift for Life Academy

The Matchup

St. Clair (10-3) at Seneca (11-1), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

St. Clair: def. Owensville 46-7; def. St. Charles West 49-28; def. St. Francis Borgia 26-19; def. Osage 42-28

Seneca: def. East Newton 56-21; def. Cassville 47-14; def. Mountain Grove 47-14

Tidbits: Chasing its first state championship, St. Clair has a tall task ahead against Seneca. The Bulldogs not only must travel 3 hours, 33 minutes to the Oklahoma line to reach Seneca, but the St. Louis-area program will have to then find a way to knock off an Indians squad that has finished second in Class 3 each of the past two seasons. … Seneca enters the showdown having outscored opponents 565-234 and is averaging 47.1 points per game while holding opponents to 19.5. St. Clair has scored 452 and allowed 323, good for an average of 34.8 per game offensively while surrendering 24.8.

Predicted Winner: Seneca

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Class 4

The Matchup

Kearney (12-0) at Festus (10-2), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Kearney: def. Van Horn 67-20; def. Savannah 24-0; def. Warrensburg 49-7

Festus: def. Hillsboro 41-0; def. North County 42-24; def. Sullivan 42-7

Tidbits: Kearney saw its season end last season in Class 4 semifinals to state champion Lutheran North, who went on to beat Festus in the Class 4 finals. … Kearney, which averages 42.2 points per game, has one of the top defenses in Class 4 this season and has not allowed more than 20 points in any game while holding opposing offenses to an average of 9.7 points per game. Festus scores 37.9 offensively and has held opponents to 21.3.

Predicted Winner: Kearney

The Matchup

Hannibal (10-2) at St. Mary’s South Side (9-3), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Hannibal: def. Mexico 48-0; def. Odessa 27-13; def. West Plains 41-12

St. Mary’s South Side: def. Jennings 40-24; def. Lutheran North 35-12; def. Parkway North 20-14

Tidbits: Both of Hannibal’s losses are to Class 6 programs (Helias Catholic and Ft. Zumwalt West) by a combined six points, while St. Mary’s dropped games to Illinois programs Elmhurst-IC Catholic (33-7) and Bradley-Bourbonnias (35-22) and Missouri Class 6 power Christian Brothers College (56-9). … The Pirates have outscored opponents 489-131 while the Dragons have outscored teams 340-239.

Predicted Winner: Hannibal

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Class 5

The Matchup

Platte County (12-0) at Kirkwood (10-1), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Platte County: def. St. Pius X (Kansas City) 42-0; def. Rockhurst 29-22; def. Grain Valley 46-33

Kirkwood: def. Rolla 35-0; def. Eureka 21-10; def. Farmington 70-56

Tidbits: Ranked No. 1 in the state all season, the Pirates have outscored opponents 626-154 with 55 of those 154 coming in the last two games against Rockhurst and Grain Valley. … Pirates four-star dual-threat quarterback Rocco Marriott, who recently flipped his commitment from James Madison to UCF, steers the ship for Platte County. … Kirkwood, meanwhile, has outscored opponents 432-161 and is riding an eight-game winning streak.

Predicted Winner: Platte County

The Matchup

Cardinal Ritter College Prep (9-3) at Carthage (11-1), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Cardinal Ritter: McCluer 78-0; Chaminade College Prep 44-7; Ladue Horton Watkins 36-3; Ft. Zumwalt North 38-13

Carthage: def. Neosho 42-7; def. Republic 31-14; def. Capital City 36-17

Tidbits: The Lions, winners of seven in a row, have outscored opponents 196-23 so far in the playoffs. They began the season 0-2 with losses to Jackson and CBC and fell to 2-3 with a loss to Washington (Ohio) in Week 5 before picking up a forfeit win and then defeating De Smet Jesuit and Lutheran North to close out the regular season. … Carthage has outscored opponents 109-38 in three playoff games. Cardinal Ritter is hunting for its first state championship since winning two straight in 2022 and 2023. Carthage has reached the state finals once in program history and won it all in 2019.

Predicted Winner: Cardinal Ritter

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Class 6

The Matchup

Jackson (12-0) at Lee’s Summit (8-4), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Jackson: def. Oakville 49-7; def. Northwest (Cedar Hill) 70-7; def. Christian Brothers College 45-42

Lee’s Summit: def. Lee’s Summit North 35-33; def. North Kansas City 42-21; def. Liberty 24-14

Tidbits: One of the most prolific offenses in Class 6, Jackson averages 53.4 points per game and only surrenders 15.5. The Indians are coming off a thrilling 45-42 victory against No. 3 CBC. … Lee’s Summit averages 27.2 points and allows 21.7. Lee’s Summit has won eight straight after beginning the season 0-4.

Predicted Winner: Jackson

The Matchup

Nixa (12-0) at Pattonville (7-5), 1 p.m. Saturday

How They Got Here

Nixa: def. Ozark 42-6; def. Joplin 42-28; def. Helias Catholic 45-28

Pattonville: def. Hazelwood West 56-0; def. Ritenour 27-20; def. Ft. Zumwalt West 56-42

Tidbits: Ranked No. 2 in the state since the preseason, Nixa, the defending Class 6 runner-up, is chasing its first ever state championship. The Eagles possess one of the best offensive lines in the entire state, anchored by five-star senior Jackson Cantwell, a Miami Hurricanes commit. … Pattonville, meanwhile, is the Cinderella of Class 6. The Pirates entered the playoffs with a 4-5 record and were seemingly an afterthought before ripping off three consecutive wins. A win against Nixa will put them in their first state title game since 2017.

Predicted Winner: Nixa

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