On Friday, the Hornets welcomed the Cardinals of Raytown South to town, fresh off their first victory in 34 games.
 
And the Cardinal momentum showed early, as 4 Hornet 3-and-outs eventually led to a Raytown South touchdown early in the second quarter. Manny Burnett found time in the pocket, and delivered a strike down the left-side to Chris Lemons, and Lemons did the rest. Racking up a total of 64 yards, and taking a 6-0 lead.
 
The big play woke the Hornets offense up, and a strong drive by sophomore running back Mahki Staten led to a big throw from Garin Walton, to former quarterback Terell Gicinto to even the game, and later take the lead on the extra point.
 
The Hornets held the lead from 5:30 left in the second to the final snap of the game, as a dominant defensive stretch continued.
 
The Hornets defensive unit blocked a punt to begin the third, and all momentum seemed to be with the home unit. Nonetheless, the Cardinals persisted, taking a Mahki Staten fumble 50 yards, before Terell Gicinto made a DK Metcalf-esque tackle to stop a score.
 
The Hornet defense forced a fumble right back, and a trench battle of defenses persisted, until a Kaden Torres interception allowed Staten to break the stalemate with just 1:14 to play. Williams was unable to convert the extra-point, and Raytown South had a chance.
 
However, Raytown South's BJ Davis  misplayed the kickoff, and Raytown South need 95 yards to force overtime. After 2 incompletions, the third down pass rush got to Manny Burnett, and a tandem of Gerald Lewis and PJ Adebawore brought the QB down for a safety.
 
The Hornets would move into victory formation, and take the scary win, 15-6. The win broke them into the metro's top-25 poll (22), and next, they head to perennial powerhouse Platte County, in one of the metro's biggest rivalries.