Boone County high school football roundup: Harrisburg, Tolton and Centralia win thrillers
In the return of Friday night lights across Missouri, Hallsville and Harrisburg continued their winning ways.
In Boone County, four of the eight teams — Hallsville, Harrisburg, Father Tolton and Centralia — took home wins in the first weekend of games.
Three of the teams won their games by one score.
Here's a look at what happened in Week 1:
Hallsville 58, Palmyra 20: The Indians (1-0) continued their identity as an offensive powerhouse with a 24-point second quarter against Palmyra, beating the Panthers soundly. Starting quarterback Colton Nichols rushed for 241 yards and scored seven total touchdowns. Hallsville possessed the football for only about 15 minutes of game time in the rout.
More: Here are the 52 most talked-about Boone County high school football players
North KC 28, Hickman 0: The Kewpies (0-1) showed some bright spots with quarterback Carter Holliday, all-purpose player Tionne Mile and a staunch defense. But Hickman couldn't overcome its mistakes. As a team, the Kewpies committed over a dozen penalties for over 100 penalty yards on the night. On defense, A'Sean Gaddie grabbed an interception.
Harrisburg 22, Cabool 14: Tied with less than four minutes to play, Anthony Alicea found Brayden Wyatt for a 26-yard touchdown to upend Cabool. Harrisburg (1-0) led 8-0 at halftime. Senior Austin Darwent scored a touchdown and grabbed three interceptions for good measure in the win.
Park Hill 68, Battle 38: Justin Goolsby was responsible for three total touchdowns, as the Battle (0-1) offense found its way into the end zone. The Spartans' special teams had their hands full as Park Hill returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the first quarter. Park Hill led 45-22 at halftime.
Father Tolton 27, Salisbury 26: The Trailblazers' defense held firm in the final minute, forcing a turnover on downs to seal the win. James Lee scored a rushing touchdown and grabbed an interception. Quarterback Jake Ryan added a rushing touchdown to give Tolton (1-0) a 21-12 lead at halftime.
Odessa 45, Southern Boone 42: First-year coach Mark Ross had a thriller of a first game. After Southern Boone (0-1) led 42-32, Odessa scored 13 unanswered to upend the Eagles. This came after Southern Boone scored 21 unanswered of its own. Austin Evans connected with Chase Morris for touchdowns of 63 and 77 yards in the loss.
Centralia 26, Mexico 21: A key fourth-quarter interception by Ethan Adams helped the Panthers (1-0) take precious time off the clock in the fourth quarter, as Centralia avenged last year's blowout loss to Mexico. Kyden Wilkerson rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Cullen Bennett threw for two more touchdowns.
Park Hill South 34, Rock Bridge 17: The Bruins (0-1) led 10-0 in the first quarter of Matt Perkins' debut, but the Panthers roared ahead with turnovers and their running game. In the second quarter, Park Hill South recovered a muffed punt and returned an interception for a touchdown. A Panthers touchdown with 6:13 left sealed the win.
Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Boone County high school football week one roundup, scores
