KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The race to the start of the high school football is on. We're counting down the 10 best teams in the metro area. Of course, with high school football, it's all subject to change.
It was storybook. It was a fairy tale. It was, well, sweet for Staley.
Our countdown of the 10 best in the area takes us to Park Hill where the Trojans are building from last year's 10-3 season.
The Falcons won the Missouri Class 5 state championship game 36-35 against Pattonville last season on a last-second touchdown followed by a bold two-point conversion.
"We've been talking about destiny for weeks," said Staley head coach Phil Lite back in November. "I had to back up my words."
Now, fast forward nine months, and the story is in the books.
"Every coach wants to avoid complacency," said Lite this week, the second week of high school football practice in Missouri. "Last year is last year. We try to put it on the back burner. And this is a new start."
Oh, but last year was so great for Staley. Not only was it a state championship, but it was an undefeated, 14-0 season.
Alas, it's a new season in 2018.
"We've got some kids that will be first-time starters in our program; however, they've gotten a lot of playing time in the last few years," said Lite.
And a lot of hardware.