Excelsior Springs’ 56-6 Sept. 26 road loss to Smithville might not be the Tigers’ last meeting with Smithville in varsity 11-man football.In 2026, the Excelsior Springs School District will move from the Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference-Blue Division – whose other current members include Smithville – to the Midland Empire Conference, as The Standard has reported. Nevertheless, Tigers coach Jake Danneman said he requested to keep playing the Warriors because of the caliber of program they have.“They make you do stuff right,” Danneman said Monday. “You want to play teams that are going to make you do things right.”Playing top-level teams like Smithville provides more benefits than playing lesser teams, according to Danneman.“You might get your butt whupped,” he said. “But you’re still going to get more out of it, especially when you’re playing against a team that’s going to force you to do your concepts ri...