Instant replay has come to Missouri prep sports – in a strictly limited way.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association, at its board of directors meeting in June, approved the use of instant replay review for the state football championship games across Classes 1-6 and the eight-man game.
“The addition of replay review originated with a proposal submitted by a member school to the football advisory committee in December 2023,” said Andrew Kauffman, MSHSAA communications director. “The committee subsequently recommended that the MSHSAA staff explore and develop protocols for implementing a replay review process specific to the Show-Me Bowl.”
MSHSAA has an agreement from 2025 to 2028 to play the Show-Me Bowl state title games at Spratt Stadium, on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. Hillsboro and Festus each made it to the state final at Faurot Field in Columbia in recent seasons and the University of Missouri has hosted the championship games for many years. Kauffman said the games were moved to avoid schedule conflicts with the Mizzou Tigers. The Show-Me Bowl requires a collegiate venue because it would already have the instant replay facilities in place.
“(Missouri Western) has indicated a willingness to allow MSHSAA to utilize its existing equipment and will provide the necessary technical support during the event,” Kauffman said.
“Moving forward, we anticipate annual expenses related to compensating the replay crew, who will be registered officials and paid accordingly. In addition, we will need to make a one-time investment in a communication system to facilitate booth-to-field communication.”
Unlike collegiate or professional football, in the new state system coaches won’t be able to challenge officials’ calls on the field. All replays will be conducted by the designated replay officials. There will be no limit on how many calls can be reviewed in a game.
Kauffman said MSHSAA collaborated with registered officials, reviewed replay procedures from other state associations and consulted with collegiate replay experts to craft replay protocols.
The new system was tested during the eight-man Show-Me Bowl last December. Following that trial run, minor adjustments were made, and the final version of the protocols was submitted to the MSHSAA board. A full-membership vote was not required and the board unanimously approved the new system.
In the 2023 Class 4 state championship game at Columbia, on the second play from scrimmage, Hillsboro running back Payton Brown carried the ball close to the Kearney goal line. Hawk head coach Bill Sucharski thought Brown, who’s now playing at Southeast Missouri State University, had scored a touchdown. With no replay rule in place, the Bulldogs stopped Hillsboro there and drove 98 yards the other direction for a touchdown, eventually winning by 40 points.
“There are calls that get missed in every game,” Sucharski said.
Sucharski said he favors instant replay not only for the championship game but for the semifinals, which could be held at a neutral site with replay facilities.
Jefferson City Helias beat Lafayette 14-13 in last year’s Class 5 state semifinals. The Lancers moved into position to kick a late field goal and reclaim the lead, but the Crusaders blocked it and won the game, eventually losing in the final to Platte County.
“Helias was clearly offsides and blocked Lafayette’s field goal and it was allowed to stand,” Sucharski said. “They (Helias) probably lose if that doesn’t happen.”
There are no plans to add instant replay to regular-season or district playoff games. Coaches use iPads or other devices on the sidelines to provide real-time reviews of close plays. But there’s nothing they can do other than tell an official.
“I don’t know how practical it is for every game,” Sucharski said. “We have high school officials who (officiate) college games. If you add instant replay to every game, are coaches going to be harder on officials to be in the right spot at all times? You can’t say the game’s too fast for officials. They don’t want to overrule each other. There’s the human element. They won’t get to see everything, but you want to get the big stuff right.”
After posting a record of 20-2 the last two years, Seckman is closer than it’s ever been to playing in a state final and had 175 athletes participate in summer camp last month.
“I like the idea of instant replay as far as wanting to get the call right, especially in the state final,” Jaguar head coach Nick Baer said. “College and the pros have set a good example of what the procedure is and I think MSHSAA should follow that closer. The coaches should have the right to have a play reviewed. (But) we don’t want the game to last four hours, either. You don’t want them reviewing every two minutes.”
Frank Ray is entering his third season as head coach at St. Pius X. The Lancers played their first season as an independent in 2024, traveled to Mississippi and Tennessee for games and finished 5-6. Ray agreed with Baer that coaches should get to challenge calls. In college and the NFL, the coach can ask for a replay challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field. If the official’s call is upheld, the challenging team loses a timeout.
Ray said he likes the new MSHSAA rule. “If there is a time to take a minute and get a call correct, it’s in the finals,” he said. “I would have definitely liked them to give the coach a challenge to use. However, if it’s in the official’s hands, I assume that they can do it on any play that they have questions on. If it was in the coach’s hands, we would have to have a limited number of challenges.”
Herculaneum head coach Blane Boss said instant replay in the state final is a step in the right direction.
“It might be at all games in the future, but it was definitely needed,” Boss said. “Coaches, players, everyone just wants to have the correct calls made. In my first year of coaching, I said it would be nice to see instant replay in high school. There are always crucial plays in games that hinge on calls. We use iPads. It’s not perfect, but it’s a feasible option.”