The Kirkwood Pioneers defeated the Fort Zumwalt East Lions 47-27 to advance to the quarterfinals of the state championship.

In the third round, Kirkwood will take on the Camdenton Lakers Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m. in its first road game of the playoffs.

After Zumwalt scored an early touchdown, Ramon Alton, sophomore, scored on a 19-yard run to make the score 7-6.  The score went back and forth until the end of the first half, when quarterback B.J. Buckner, junior, threw a touchdown pass to make the score 27-20.

Kirkwood took control of the game in the second half. With just over 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, B.J. Buckner hit Mike McHugh, junior, with a 73-yard pass to make the score 34-20. Soon after, the Pioneers added seven more points with their sixth touchdown of the game to make the score 41-20.

Kirkwood dominated for nearly the entire second half and won the game 47-27, giving the Lions their first loss of the season.

The Lakers have a record of 9-3, while the Pioneers are 8-3. Camdenton has beaten Parkway West 35-0 and Waynesville 28-25 during its playoff run.

If Kirkwood beats Camdenton and Webster beats Hazelwood East, Kirkwood will play Webster at home in the state semifinals Nov. 19. The winner of the game will play in the state championship.