The middle of the state is usually overshadowed by the overwhelming population and talent pools of Kansas City and St. Louis areas.
However, despite having smaller populations and a lot fewer teams, there is plenty of talent in the middle of Missouri, specifically up and down the Hwy 63 corridor that divides the state nearly equally in half.
Out of the schools mentioned in this article, every school has an opportunity to bring home some hardware at the end of their tournament.
At least one team in particular, Hickman, might even be able to bring home some team hardware as well.