Seckman improves to 2-0 by riding offensive explosion to home win over North Point

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Seckman improves to 2-0 by riding offensive explosion to home win over North Point

From the High school football continues: Full coverage from ��Ӱ�ԭ��-area games series

By Joe Harris | Special to the Post-Dispatch
Sep 4, 2026
15 hrs ago
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Seckman vs North Point Football — Seckman's JJ Jablonski (3) dives for a touchdown during a football game on Friday, September 4, 2026, at Seckman High School in Imperial, Mo. Ben Loewnau, Special to the Post-Dispatch.

By Joe Harris | Special to the Post-Dispatch

IMPERIAL — Cohner Baer was the next man up.

After Seckman lost quarterback Brody Kube to a broken collarbone in last week’s season opener, Baer stepped in to lead the offense and it didn’t miss a beat with the junior at the helm.

Seckman scored on its first eight possessions and cruised to a 71-35 win over visiting North Point in a nonconference football game.

“I feel really bad for Brody, and I hope he comes back soon,” Baer said. “We've just got to get the thing done without him.”

Baer, the son of Seckman coach Nick Baer, went 9 for 11 passing for 207 yards and three touchdowns.

“With Brody going down last week, you know, I mean, we miss him,” Nick Baer said. “He's a three-year starter. He put in all the work, and it's hard. That's the hard part about this game is we've got to gear up and play another week, and it's the next guy up, and it just so happened to be my son, who you know has put in a lot of time and came out here tonight and led the offense.”

Cohner Baer had plenty of help.

JJ Jablonski ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns and Trey Conner rushed for 144 yards and another score for Seckman (2-0).

Jablonski said Cohner Baer has the faith of his teammates.

“We were all nervous,” Jablonski said. “We were like, dang, we lost our starting QB that's been starting for four years, but then he took the step up to actually take the time to study the plays and actually trust our team.”

Seckman totaled 587 yards, 360 of which came on the ground on 43 carries. The Jaguars averaged a whopping 8.37 yards a carry.

And they needed it against a plucky North Point team with an explosive air game. Alex Graham went 19 for 30 passing for 320 yards and five touchdown passes for the Grizzlies (0-2), while Jayden Flores and Jeremiah Mozee combined for 14 catches for 197 yards.

“Much respect to those guys,” Nick Baer said. “They continued to battle. They got us with the hurry-up offense that we weren't quite prepared for. They never quit.”

Jaguars pounce

Seckman drove 80 yards in just six plays on the game’s opening drive. Jablonski’s 23-yard run set up a Cohner Baer 27-yard touchdown pass to Logan Harris to give the Jaguars the early lead.

Seckman’s defense pushed North Point back to its own 4-yard line on its first drive, thanks to a sack by Matt Muessig and a tackle for loss by Chase Borawski.

The defensive stand set up the Jaguars on their 33. On the next play, Cohner Baer found Jablonski for a 67-yard touchdown pass to give Seckman a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

“After the first touchdown, the nerves were gone and we were ready to roll,” Cohner Baer said.

Seckman fireworks

Conner capped Seckman’s next drive with a 36-yard touchdown run, finishing a 5-play, 85-yard march.

The Jaguars weren’t as methodical on their next two possessions, finding the end zone both times with three total plays. Jablonski scored on a 10-yard run and Baer found Nick Weidler for a 37-yard touchdown pass to quickly make it 35-0 early in the second quarter.

“Big credit to the O-Line.” Jablonski said. “The O-Line did great. The O-Line did their job, and I just executed on their job.”

Grizzlies claw back

North Point upped its tempo to find an offensive rhythm. Graham connected with Flores for a 30-yard touchdown pass to get the Grizzlies on the board.

After recovering an onsides kick, Graham found Flores again for a 35-yard touchdown pass to quickly make it 35-14.

More offense

Jablonski quickly quelled any momentum for the Grizzlies, bolting free for a 61-yard touchdown run on Seckman’s next drive and Josef Chitwood scored on a 2-yard run to make it 50-14 Jaguars.

Graham wasn’t finished, finding Mozee for a 51-yard touchdown pass with 2.8 seconds left in the half to cut it to 50-21.

Statistically speaking

Seckman and North Point combined for 50 points and 343 yards in the second quarter alone.

The Jaguars outgained the Grizzlies 440-153 in the first half.

Trading touchdowns

Seckman found the end zone three times in the second half. Weidler scored on a 13-yard run, Chitwood scored on a 1-yard run and Elliot Burris capped the scoring with a 20-yard interception return.

North Point scored on a pair of touchdown passed from Graham to Flores for 25 and 50 yards.

Always a leader

Even though Kube wasn’t on the field, his presence was still felt by his teammates.

“He's been texting me,” Cohner Baer said. “He's been meeting me in class, telling me the plays, and in practice, he's just by my side, teaching me everything. I really appreciate him.”

Nick Baer isn’t surprised that Kube has become an extra coach.

“It’s a testament to his character and his leadership,” Nick Baer said. “He's really stepping up in that leadership role and, you know, hopefully maybe an eventual return in the playoffs.”