William Jewell College Athletics

PATTERSON DIVISION

NELSON DIVISION 

HOLLEY DIVISION

Happy Holidays! We are looking forward to hosting the the 46th annual High School Holiday Classic in the Mabee Center on the campus of William Jewell College, December 27-30. It is a privilege for us to host this outstanding event each year and showcase some of the best boys basketball in the area. 

The 2025 High School Holiday Classic will once again feature 24 teams, playing 33 scheduled games over the course of four days. In addition to fan attendance at the Mabee Center, we are pleased to once again offer those who cannot make the game a chance to watch live via MSHAA.tv. 

Fans, media and scouts will be able to purchase a single game access pass or a tournament pass on MSHAA.tv. A single game pass will be available for $10 while a tournament pass may be purchased for $50 and will give access to all 33 games. 

While we hope the pandemic is behind us, during this winter season will still make adjustments as needed. As in years past, should a team have to resign from the Classic for an unforeseen circumstance beyond their control, the game will be deemed a no-contest and the opponent will move on in the bracket. If multiple teams in a bracket must resign, the Classic Director will do everything possible to allow the remaining teams to pursue competition, which could result in schedule changes and reseeding.

All tickets will be sold through HomeTown Ticketing. Tickets will be available for purchase on site at the gate, but fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance via the HomeTown Fan App or by visiting jewellcardinals.com/holidayclassictickets to expedite admission upon arrival. 

NELSON DIVISION 
Summit Christian 62, Kansas City Central 29
Liberty 48, Raytown 45
Blue Springs 66, Park Hill South 62
Rock Bridge 64, Barstow 46
Raytown 73, Kansas City Central 31
Park Hill South 64, Barstow 42
Blue Springs 68, Rock Bridge 53
Liberty 61, Summit Christian 51
Fifth Place: Park Hill South 64, Raytown 54
Third Place: Rock Bridge 58, Summit Christian 39
CHAMPIONSHIP: Liberty 65, Blue Springs 59

PATTERSON DIVISION
Center 67, Belton 66 (OT)
Liberty North 72, Lincoln Prep 54
Oak Park 84, Fort Osage 24
Grandview 52, St. Michael the Archangel 47
Lincoln Prep 60, Belton 53
St. Michael the Archangel 90, Fort Osage 34
Liberty North 57, Center 47
Oak Park 68, Grandview 36
Fifth Place: St. Michael the Archangel 55, Lincoln Prep 52 (OT)
Third Place: Grandview 62, Center 48 (OT)
CHAMPIONSHIP: Oak Park 59, Liberty North 37

HOLLEY DIVISION
Park Hill 56, Van Horn 42
Battle 75, Raytown South 73
Blue Springs South 73, Winnetonka 54
Pembroke Hill 52, Grain Valley 40
Raytown South 79, Van Horn 71
Grain Valley 69, Winnetonka 49
Battle 66, Park Hill 46
Blue Springs South 84, Pembroke Hill 53
Fifth Place: Grain Valley 68, Raytown South 47
Third Place: Park Hill 64, Pembroke Hill 57
CHAMPIONSHIP: Blue Springs South 55, Battle 53

Radio broadcasts are welcome, although space is very limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis and may be done from the top of the arena. No live video broadcasting/streaming will be permitted. Guest wifi connection is available but a phone line and ethernet is not available in the Mabee Center.

Media credentials are available for those with legitimate working function as part of a news outlet or publication. 

MEDIA CREDENTIAL REQUEST FORM 

Interviews and other contact with student-athletes will be up to the discretion of each high school's administration. Contact with William Jewell staff or student-athletes during the Classic should be scheduled through Senior Associate Athletics Director, JaeLynn Ellison.

Single game passes are available for $11. For troubleshooting, please contact Hudl Support.

WATCH

SUPPORT

Nelson Division
MVP: Ethan Anderson, Liberty
Carson Bjorn, Park Hill South
Mason Fleming, Liberty
Jacob Shlutow, Blue Springs
Mike Thomas III, Summit Christian
Nick Timbrook, Rock Bridge
Hustle Award: Luke Maher, Liberty
Sportsmanship: Blue Springs High School

Holley Division
MVP: Blayne Marshall, Blue Springs South
Donovan Fonville, Park Hill
Eli Herbert, Grain Valley
Maksim Hymiller, Blue Springs South
Caden Lewis, Battle
Brandon Rooks II, Battle 
Hustle Award: Chris Ellis, Blue Springs South
Sportsmanship: Battle High School

Patterson Division
MVP: Adam Tanner, Oak Park
Jakaya Duff, Oak Park
Brandon Hill, Liberty North
Josh Kori, Oak Park
Eli Strother, Grandview
Landon Vanpelt, Oak Park
Hustle Award: Landon Herrig, Liberty North
Sportsmanship: Fort Osage High School

• The Barstow School
• Battle High School
• Belton High School
• Blue Springs High School
• Blue Springs South High School
• Center High School
• Fort Osage High School
• Grain Valley High School
• Grandview High School
• Kansas City Central High School
• Liberty High School
• Liberty North High School
• Lincoln College Prep
• Oak Park High School
• Park Hill High School
• Park Hill South High School
• The Pembroke Hill School
• Raytown High School
• Raytown South High School
• Rock Bridge High School
• St. Michael of the Archangel High School
• Summit Christian Academy
• Van Horn High School
• Winnetonka High School

The Patterson Division is named for Dr. Norris A. Patterson who came to William Jewell in the fall of 1950 as a head football coach, baseball coach, athletic director, and Chair of the Department of Education. His phenomenal success led to his induction into the NAIA Football Coaches Hall of Fame, NACDA Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame, and the William Jewell Athletic Hall of Fame. Dr. Patterson, who passed away in May 2000, later received one of the highest honors in the state as he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on February 12, 2006.

The Nelson Division is named James A. Nelson who came to the William Jewell campus alongside Dr. Patterson in 1950 and initially served as the assistant football coach, and head basketball and track and field coach. He later became the head coach of the Cardinal football, women’s basketball, and tennis teams. His success led to his induction into the Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame, the NAIA Coaches Hall of Fame, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the William Jewell Athletics Hall of Fame. Coach Nelson passed away in July 2008.

The Cardinal Division was added in 1996 and following the 2019 Holiday Classic was renamed the Holley Division after legendary Jewell men's basketball coach and tournament founder, Larry Holley. Owner of 918 career wins, Holley retired in February of 2019 as the No. 9 all-time winningest men's college basketball coach at any level. Throughout his career he  received 15 Coach of the Year Awards, most recently the 2018 Kansas City Sports Commission Coach of the Year. In 1996 he became the first NAIA coach to receive the prestigious  Sears/NABC NAIA National Coach of the Year Award. He was also selected to five Halls of Fame: the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association , the William Jewell College Athletic, the NAIA and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011 he was honored by the Kansas City Sports Commission with the Earl Smith Award inducting Holley into the Greater Kansas City Amateur Sports Hall of Champions and is also a recipient of the Gary Filbert Legacy Award (2014) for lifetime achievement in basketball in the state of Missouri. Holley  coached 24 NAIA All-Americans including six first team selections and one who was named NAIA-II National Player of the Year (Brook Russell, 1996). Twenty-six of his players have also been named NAIA Academic All-Americans. In addition, 149 out of 155 of his fourth year players at William Jewell graduated. In addition to his coaching career, Holley is also a Jewell graduate from the class of 1967 and lettered four times in each of three sports (cross country, basketball & track). He was captain of each sport and capped his career by being named Jewell’s Athlete of the Year as a senior. He scored 1,122 points in his basketball career at Jewell and was an All-Conference and All-District selection as a senior. Holley passed away on May 12, 2022.

The previous division name represented the mascot of William Jewell College. After being referred to as the ‘Jewells’ for the first 32 years of athletics on campus, teams were officially designated the ‘Cardinals’ in 1915.