Missouri High School Football Preview: Raymore-Peculiar Panthers at Lee’s Summit West Titans
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
Missouri Class 6 is the highest level of football in the Show Me State. Among Class 6, teams in each league are fighting for the top spots as the 2020 season reaches the halfway point, and such is the case in the Suburban Gold league. This Friday night, two of the top three teams in the Suburban Gold League will battle when the Raymore-Peculiar Panthers travel to face the Lee’s Summit West Titans.
The Panthers have started the 2020 season 4-0 including blowing out Lee’s Summit North last Friday 27-7 while Lee’s Summit West has started 3-1 with their only loss coming on Sept. 18 against Liberty (38-20).
Raymore-Peculiar
The Panthers are led by one of the best quarterbacks in Missouri in three-star prospect Conrad Hawley. Hawley has already thrown for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first four games of 2020. Two of Hawley’s favorite targets are junior tight end Tucker Miller (6’5”, 230) and junior wide receiver Weston Ropp (6’4”, 205). Miller has 182 receiving yards and three touchdowns while Ropp has 246 receiving and two scores through the air.
The Panthers leading rusher is senior running back Philip Fager (6’0”, 185), who has 213 yards and seven touchdowns and 109 yards and one more score through the air. Another star to watch on the offensive side of the ball is sophomore wide receiver Jaidyn Doss (6’0”, 195). Doss has 384 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Raymore-Peculiar defense is led by senior defensive tackle Ethan George (6’3”, 250). The standout defender has 15 total tackles including six for a loss and four sacks. The linebackers are led by senior Parker Bowen (6’1”, 210) who has 27 total tackles including five for a loss and three sacks. One playmaker to watch in the Panthers secondary is senior defensive back Gunnar Griffin (5’9”, 170), who has 15 total tackles and has snagged three interceptions.
Lee’s Summit West
The Titans are led by senior quarterback Trysten Keeney (6’0”, 185). Keeney has picked apart defenses throwing for 754 yards and nine touchdowns through the first four weeks of the season. Two of his weapons are senior athletes Taylor Wilson (5’8”, 170) and Chase Taylor (6’2”, 185). Wilson has 363 rushing yards, 127 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns while Taylor has chipped in 261 rushing yards, 132 receiving and two rushing touchdowns.
One more offensive threat to watch is tight end Grant McAtee (6’4”, 210) who leads the team with 185 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. The Titans offensive line is led by senior offensive tackle Dylan Halterman (6’4”, 265).
Shane Fredrickson
On defense, Lee’s Summit West is led up front by senior linebacker Cam Careswell (6’2”, 210), who is committed to Missouri to play baseball. Careswell has 26 total tackles including 7.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks on the young season. Another linebacker to watch is senior Zachary Myers (6’2”, 205) who has racked up 34 total tackles including three for a loss so far in 2020. The Titans secondary is led by senior safety Shane Fredrickson (5’11”, 185) who has 33 total tackles, one forced fumble and two pass deflections in 2020.
Overview
A win by Raymore-Peculiar can put some distance between themselves and most of the league in the race for the top spot as Liberty is the only other undefeated team in Suburban Gold. A win by Lee’s Summit West will create chaos at the top of the standings. It will be an exciting matchup between two highly skilled teams Friday night in Lee’s Summit.
Photo credit: Twitter.com; Raymore-Peculiar QB Conrad Hawley
Photo credit: Twitter.com; Lee’s Summit West DB Shane Fredrickson