By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
A 2025 football season full of disappointments, challenges and triumphs for Highland Park came to a close Friday.
The Scots fought from start to finish, but were ultimately defeated by De Soto 49-16 at Hummer Sports Park in the opening round of the Class 5A East playoffs.
Junior G'Honi Montgomery returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and also rushed for 76 yards in Highland Park's 49-16 Class 5A playoff loss to De Soto. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots’ only two losses in the regular season were contests forfeited as the fallout of a fight in the third game of the year. But they bounced back to vanquish rival Atchison, then to knock off undefeated Kansas City-Washington to claim the Meadowlark Conference title.
For a program on the rise, there was plenty to be proud of. The lopsided defeat to De Soto didn’t define the Scots’ season, coach Jermaine Monroe said.
“When you plan a whole summer, you don’t expect or plan for those things to happen. But that adversity, I think it just made us stronger,” Monroe said. “We became a stronger team during that break. We put way more focus on our sportsmanship. And we knew that, together, we were going to stand together as a family throughout any situation.”
Highland Park was the higher seed, but faced a team with an identical 6-2 record and which features a no-frills, straightforward attack. The Wildcats bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first period before the Scots could get their offense in gear. The home team began moving the ball late in the first period, but failed to reach the end zone and fell into a 28-0 hole.
Junior G’Honi Montgomery electrified the crowd when he took a pitch on a reverse on a kickoff and raced 90 yards for the Scots’ first score. Highland Park trailed 28-8 at halftime, but showed it was still in the fight by stopping De Soto on back-to-back possessions.
Late in the fourth period, Rayshon Pollard produced another Highland Park highlight on a 78-yard scoop-and-score.
But in the end, the Wildcats pounded out 316 yards on the ground to just 45 in the air.
“We haven’t faced a lot of opponents who run a smashmouth offense like that,” Monroe said. “They stay true to like six plays. We knew exactly everything they were going to run. Our boys knew it, but just to be able to stay on the field with a team that could sustain that for the whole game, it’s just a different grind that we’ve got to get used to.”
Montgomery led the Scots with 76 yards on 14 rugged carries. The Scots mustered just 45 yards passing and 88 yards rushing. But Monroe was pleased with the effort.
“Our boys fought to the end,” Monroe said. “The playmakers who we expect to make plays made plays. Our line did a great job, opened up some holes for our running backs. And our defense, the heart they left on the field, they gave everything they had. The boys never gave up. And the sportsmanship of both teams … that’s the type of stuff that I’m going to remember.”
DE SOTO 49, HIGHLAND PARK 16
De Soto (7-2) 14 14 14 7 -- 49
Highland Park (6-3) 0 8 0 8 -- 16
De Soto – Parks 35 run (Boyer kick)
De Soto – Morton 11 run (Boyer kick)
De Soto – Rogers 1 run (Boyer kick)
De Soto – Krier 58 interception return (Boyer kick)
Highland Park – Montgomery 90 kickoff return (Kingcannon run)
De Soto – Morton 17 run (Boyer kick)
De Soto – Whiddon 16 pass from Parks (Boyer kick)
De Soto – Neville 3 run (Boyer kick)
Highland Park – Pollard 78 fumble return (Montgomery run)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – De Soto: Parks 8-27, Rogers 14-60, Morton 9-110, DeArmond 1-1, Dickinson 2-22, Neville 8-60, Jones 1-(minus) 1, Drown 5-37, Brandmeyer 1-1. Highland Park: Montgomery 14-76, Cooper 1-(minus) 1, Fox 4-4, Kingcannon 5-9.
Passing – De Soto: Parks 4-9-0 45 yards. Highland Park: Fox 5-16-1 45 yards.
Receiving – De Soto: DeArmond 1-14, Hughes 1-8, Morton 1-7, Whiddon 1-16. Highland Park: Montgomery 2-10, Cooper 1-3, Kingcannon 1-30, Drew 1-2.
Punting – De Soto: Hughes 1-33.0. Highland Park: Fox 4-32.0.
