Warrensburg football blows past Center, clinches MRVC West title

Published 5:57 am Saturday, October 17, 2026

KANSAS CITY — The storyline of Warrensburg football’s game against Center seemed to be going in the direction of a defensive slugfest late in the first half.

A one-minute, 34-second stretch between the second and third quarters changed that.

The Tigers scored three touchdowns in the span, pulling away with a 43-18 win over the Yellowjackets on Friday, Oct. 16, at Center High School.

The win, combined with a Pleasant Hill loss to Odessa, gives the Tigers an outright MRVC West title.

“We kind of had the ball bounce our way at the end of the first half,” Warrensburg head coach Chris Cavanah said. “[It] kind of broke the game open. It was pretty close to that point, and at that point our guys took off.”

Warrensburg (7-1, 5-0 MRVC West) spent most of the first half leading the Yellowjackets 8-0, following a 44-yard touchdown from junior Hunter Michel with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter.

It remained there for just over 17 minutes, where junior quarterback Cam Mannering connected with junior Dominik Maham for an 8-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, junior Micah Davis recovered a Yellowjackets fumble at their 25-yard line.

The Tigers aired it out for a one-play touchdown, making it 24-0 with 14 seconds left in the half.

“We had a couple of chances there at the end of the first half and the game went from 8-0 to 24-0 and guys just took advantage of a couple of opportunities,” Cavanah said.

Center (5-3, 2-3 MRVC West) fumbled it away again on the opening kickoff of the second half, with junior Jalen Ruble recovering the ball at the Yellowjackets 26.

‘Burg translated the recovery into an eventual 7-yard touchdown run from Michel, making it 30-0 with 10:46 left in the third quarter.

“The turnover was right before half, and then we opened the second half with another recovery on a mishandled ball,” Cavanah said. “It just broke the game wide open.”

Michel ran for 239 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries, marking the second time he’s run for over 200 yards this season.

In addition to his first two scores, he ran it in from two and 10 yards out. He averaged 7.24 yards per carry,

Cavanah credited the run game to the offensive line – anchored by Zach Kannenberg, senior Cannen Seever, senior Tyler Fox, sophomore Cameron Nunley and junior Sean Fair.

“He’s a good running back,” Cavanah said. “You gotta give credit to the offensive line for opening up running lanes for him to run through.”

Mannering completed 8-of-23 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior Dorian Maham had four catches for 42 yards. Dominik Maham had two catches for 33 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Theo McCracken had one catch for 23 yards. Michel had one for 14.

Center scored all three of its touchdowns in the second half – one of which arrived at the buzzer against the Tigers’ backups.

The Tigers will look to complete conference play with a perfect record as it hosts Clinton on Friday. Oct. 23.

“We’re excited about the chance that is in front of us,” Cavanah said.

Warrensburg is poised to host Knob Noster to open districts Oct. 30.

OTHER JOHNSON COUNTY SCORES

Richmond (6-2, 4-0 MRVC East) 81, Knob Noster (1-7, 1-3 MRVC East) 0

Carrollton (7-1, 3-1 MRVC East) 54, Holden (2-6, 1-3 MRVC East) 46

Salisbury (8-0) 45, Crest Ridge (3-5, 1-1 WCMO) 7

AROUND THE MRVC WEST

Odessa (6-2, 4-2 MRVC West) 28, Pleasant Hill (4-4, 3-2 MRVC West) 18

Harrisonville (3-5, 3-2 MRVC West) 33, Clinton (3-5, 0-5 MRVC West) 28

Oak Grove (3-5, 1-4 MRVC West) 41, Lincoln College Prep (3-5) 6

AROUND THE MRVC EAST

Lafayette County (4-4, 3-1 MRVC East) 47, Lexington (0-8, 0-4 MRVC East) 6

AROUND THE WCMO

Lone Jack (2-6, 0-3 WCMO) 24, Pleasant Hope (0-8) 6

Cole Camp (5-3, 3-0 WCMO) 23, Windsor (4-4, 1-1 WCMO) 14

Joe Andrews can be reached at 660-747-8123.