Inductees

Just a few blocks from the town square, where the clock tower still works atop the historic Cass County courthouse, sits another landmark.

Under the Friday night lights of the fall, the football stadium showcases the Harrisonville Wildcats. See the white flags flapping in the wind beyond the north end zone? Those honor that great run from 2003 to 2007.

And yet there is much more to the story. You see, on game nights, kids, emulating their high school heroes, play football with a wadded-up, wax Coke cup over on the practice field. And it’s where parents and grandparents whose kids graduated years ago – and others who once donned the blue and white — still file in, still eager to support their hometown team.

No, there aren’t many box-office draws like this. Which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Harrisonville High School Football Program with the Class of 2021.

The Wildcats have played in eight state championship games, winning five. They were state champions in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2016, and state runners-up in 1970, 1983 and 2004.

Their roots date to 1906 and, in September 2021, played its 1,000^th game. The record through Oct. 1? Try 632-329-40.

Said former coach Fred Bouchard (2002-2007), “We had unbelievable community support. But you need players to step up and make sure the attitude is there. And they did.”

Even Bouchard acknowledged that, at times, the Wildcats would win the moment they stepped off the bus, so to speak. And not just his teams but many others before. Tradition is the best intimidator.

Since 1968 Harrisonville has compiled a 422-149-2 record through seven head coaches: Hugh Cobb, Bob Barrett, Tim Dade, Bouchard, Chuck Lliteras, Brent Maxwell and Kyle Schenker.

Barrett’s teams had 113 wins from 1976 to 1989, while Bouchard’s teams were 75-6. Maxwelll led the 2016 team.

The program also counts nine undefeated seasons (1907, 1928, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1971, 2003, 2006 and 2007. A 41-game win streak (Sept. 9, 2005 to Nov. 24, 2007) remains fifth-best in state history. In the 1950s – from Oct. 20, 1950 to Oct. 29, 1954 – there was a 40-game win streak.

Despite two losses, the 1970 team beat Odessa in the regular-season finale to advance, and then beat Mountain Grove on the road in the semifinals.

“(Coaches) loved us, but they put the pads on with us if we did something wrong,” said linebacker Ray W. Carter III.

Barrett’s 1983 team featured sophomore quarterback Kelly Donohoe (MSHOF 2019), who later was QB at the University of Kansas.

“We had a bunch of athletes who were really special,” Barrett said.

In Bouchard’s era, Harrisonville nearly pulled a five-peat, falling 45-42 double overtime in the 2004 finals.

The 2003 team (14-0) scored 35-0 wins Richmond and St. Genevieve, respectively, in the semifinal and final, but that was after this: It beat Class 5 Belton by a point, edged Sedalia Smith-Cotton by a touchdown and lost quarterback Tyson Travis (collarbone) in Week 10.

They also beat Cassville 24-12 in a Wednesday night playoff game, and then had 100 percent attendance at school the next day, despite a late-night return.

In 2004, a late TD against Maryville in the semifinals sent Harrisonville to the championship game.

The 2005 team (13-1) beat MICDS 42-0 in the finals, yielding only 15 yards of total offense before Bouchard pulled starters.

The 2006 team (14-0) beat Owensville 56-21 in the championship game. A 2-point conversion beat Mount Vernon 29-28 in the quarterfinals, and beat St. Pius X in overtime, thanks to a fourth-and-goal stop at the 2-yard line.

The 2007 team blew out just about everybody, including MICDS 49-17 in the finals.

Lliteras kept up success, with the Wildcats’ conference win streak reaching 48 in September 2012, or 10 years after the streak began.

After three midseason losses, the 2016 team beat rival Pleasant Hill in Week 7 to touch off a nine-game win streak, capped by a 21-14 victory against Kearney in the Class 4 finals. That streak included a quarterfinal victory at powerhouse Webb City.

Along the way, Harrisonville has won 18 district titles and 34 conference championships. The program also counts 40 players who earned 54 All-State spots since 1975 through 2008, with a majority since the early 1980s.

“We knew we had a special group of kids,” Maxwell said of the 2016 team, although that could apply to Harrisonville overall. “We just needed to keep them focused, trust one another, and trust the process.”