Most Hornet fans will tell you this is the biggest matchup of the year- playoffs aside. The storied rivalry with our bitter district enemies from up north, the Staley Falcons.
 
The Falcon's early season has been tumultuous at best. They sit at 1-2 after a game cancellation last week, against Liberty North due to COVID regulations.
 
To open their season, they looked strong. Making the drive to Rock Bridge and taking over in an offense showcase of Head Coach Steve Rampy's ability. However, next week would show Staley's weakness, as Fort Osage picked up over 400 all-purpose yards as well as a big win.
 
To parallel this, NKC football did the opposite. They came out slower in week one, losing to a solid Raytown team, that is still undefeated. They then picked it up, blanking St. Joe Central on the road, 38-0 to even their record going into week 3.
 
In week 3, Staley took on Blue Springs, in an undoubtedly offensive centered matchup. Staley's running defense and spotty offense proved to be the deciding factor, and they fell to 1-2 by a score of 39-7.
 
In a game that felt the exact opposite, the Hornet offense fired on all cylinders in week 3, as well as racking up 12 sacks as a unit. In addition, they decimated Fort Osage- a team Staley fell 36-21 to in week 2.
 
To this point, that is the full extent of the Falcon season so far. As forementioned, their week 4 game against metro #1 Liberty North was canceled due to COVID precaution. At the same time, the Hornets were playing Platte County in a rivalry game that was, to oversimplify, a warning sign.
 
The Hornets offensive momentum was stifled, and the Pirates picked apart the blitz-heavy defense with short pass concepts and play-action.
 
Both teams are hungry for separate reasons. Staley is hungry to get back on the field and pick up their first win in a month, and the Hornets are more than hungry to prove the naysayers wrong, once again!
 
We hope to see you tonight, just up the road, at Staley High School. The game is set to begin at 7 pm, and streaming information can be found at nkchornets.org/coverage.