For the first time since 2012, the KHS football team won the MSHSAA Football State Championship. KHS students traveled to Mizzou’s Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Nov. 18 to watch the Pioneers play against the Blue Springs Wildcats in the Class 6 11-Man Championship game.

Sixty-five players loaded on two buses at noon and arrived in Columbia roughly two hours later to explore Faurot Field. Kirkwood also had two pep buses going to the game. Once all of the buses arrived in Columbia, the game began at 7 p.m.

Joseph Jordan, senior, made the first touchdown in the first quarter. Kirkwood then made another touchdown later in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Kirkwood lead 14-0. Kirkwood scored another touchdown with 10:02 left in the first half and lead 21-0. Blue Springs came back with their own touchdown and left the score 21-7 at halftime.

After a halftime performance from the KHS band and varsity dance team, the third quarter began. Pioneers lead in the end of the third quarter with a score of 28-14. In fourth quarter Kirkwood made a field goal with 4:30 left in the game. The game ended with a score of 31-14.

“When the buzzer rang at the end we had nothing else to prove,” Tyreese Norris, senior, said, “We were just doing what we [had to] do, and we won.  There are no words to describe how I felt [when we won].”