Travis Kelce and Ex-Chiefs Champions Show Up at Kansas High School Playoff Thriller Supporting Former Teammate
There were no Taylor Swift sightings, but Travis Kelce showed up to a field in Kansas on Friday night with someone else at his side.
One of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, future Hall of Famer and star of the “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason, strolled into St. James Academy in Lenexa alongside former Kansas City Chiefs teammates Blake Bell and Gehrig Dieter to catch the KSHSAA Class 5A sectional playoff between St. James Academy and Mill Valley.
Travis Kelce was joined by former #Chiefs TE Blake Bell as they spent their Friday evening watching Kansas High School Football Playoffs between Mill Valley & St. James Academy.
Former teammate Anthony Sherman is an assistant coach for St. James. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/gFB3uDnA3j
— Matt Foster (@MattFosterTV) November 15, 2025
Bell, a former tight end and three-time Super Bowl champion, knows a thing or two about the KSHSAA playoffs. The son of former NFL defensive end Mark Bell and nephew of former NFL defensive end Mike Bell, Blake is a Wichita native who starred at Bishop Carroll High.
Kelce and crew left the game early and missed a strong finish, as St. James scored the game-winner with 14 seconds left to win the sectional in a 45-41 thriller.
The stars were there to support St. James senior running back Jake House and running backs coach Anthony Sherman.
Revered among Chiefs Kingdom as “The Shermanator,” Sherman is a former Chiefs fullback who played two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before joining Andy Reid and Kansas City from 2013 to 2020. He won Super Bowl LIV alongside Kelce, Bell and Dieter – a receiver and part-time player for the Chiefs from 2017 to 2021.
Jan 24, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates with fullback Anthony Sherman (42) after a play in the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
The Chiefs stars watched Sherman’s understudies amass 190 rushing yards on 30 carries in the win, helping the Thunder improve to 10-1 while advancing to the 5A final four.
Unquestionably fond of quarterbacks, Kelce and crew saw Thunder junior dual-threat quarterback John Hornback pass for 308 yards and a touchdown and rush for a team-high 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
House, the player they came to see, delivered four rushing touchdowns and caught a two-point conversion. He finished with 81 yards on 13 carries, including a 44-yard run.
House is the son of Kansas City Chiefs senior defensive assistant Matt House, who served as the Chiefs linebackers coach from 2019 to 2021 before taking over as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at LSU from 2022 to 2023. He joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as inside linebackers coach in 2024 before returning to Kansas City in 2025.
Kelce and company certainly picked an entertaining game to attend.
Trading blows from the start, the Thunder led 31-28 entering the fourth quarter. But a 15-yard pass from Blake Jay to Max Piva put Mill Valley back in front 34-31 less than a minute into the quarter.
Three minutes later, House gave the lead back to St. James Academy with a 6-yard run to make it 38-34. The Jaguars answered midway through the fourth on a 5-yard run by Jay to take a 41-38 lead.
How many high school players can say they scored a TD in front of #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, plus former Chiefs Blake Bell and Gehrig Dieter?
Some Mill Valley and St. James Academy guys can tonight! pic.twitter.com/m66fLvC3W7
— 810 Varsity (@810varsity) November 15, 2025
From the start, it felt like a game destined to come down to the final possession.
With their season on the line, the Thunder converted a fourth-and-3 with 55 seconds left, then Hornback scored on a 12-yard run with 14 seconds remaining to seal it.
House opened the scoring on the game’s first drive to give the Thunder a 6-0 lead before Mill Valley answered with rushing touchdowns from Jay in the first quarter and Piva early in the second to move ahead 14-6.
Hornback connected with senior receiver Alec Jett – who finished with five catches for 160 yards and a touchdown – on a 69-yard strike to trim the deficit to 14-13. House added a short touchdown run just before halftime to give St. James a 20-14 lead.
Found this video of Travis leaving the HS football game last night…the screaming though… 😬😳 pic.twitter.com/YPBSOHfrts
— LBrookieF (LifeofAShowgirl’s Version)❤️🔥 (@TTPDoftheNorth) November 15, 2025
The teams continued to trade haymakers in the second half. Jay led Mill Valley down the field to open the third and scored on a 7-yard run to make it 21-20. The Thunder countered with a field goal to regain the lead before Jay ripped off a 50-yard run to put Mill Valley up 28-23.
House responded with a 2-yard score and snagged the conversion pass from Hornback to push the Thunder ahead 31-28 entering the fourth quarter.
With the win, St. James Academy will travel to Basehor next week for a final four matchup against undefeated Basehor-Linwood (11-0). The winner advances to the 5A state final against either Great Bend or Salina Central.
