The season is winding down, so Monday Rewind will now turn into a Monday look ahead.
Great games are everywhere this week.
By Chris Parker (cparker@ky3.com)
CLASS 6 – DISTRICT 4 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAME: No. 4 Rockhurst at No. 1 Kickapoo
Kickapoo and Joplin were the lone area teams in this district.
Joplin fell 42-7 to Lee’s Summit West to end its season, but Kickapoo is moving on after beating No. 8 Lee’s Summit North 45-13.
Now things get much more difficult for the Chiefs with Rockhurst coming to town on Friday. The Hawklets are 7-2 on the year. Their two losses came to Class 6 No. 1 CBC by a 10-3 margin and Class 6 No. 3 Blue Springs. CBC played without star Kamryn Babb (No. 78 in 2018 according to Rivals) in their game.
Last week, Rockhurst needed overtime to advance past No. 5 Park Hill, which is in its first year of Class 6 football.
Everything begins and ends with Chris Lawson on the offense. I have said before and will say again, he is the single most indispensable player for a team in the area right now. Since Maverick McGee went down with a foot injury, Lawson has rushed for 475 yards and 11 touchdowns in four games. Prior to that, Lawson had rushed for 275 yards and three touchdowns in six contests.
CLASS 5 – DISTRICT 4 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Branson at No. 1 Glendale and No. 3 Lebanon at No. 2 Ozark.
Lebanon traveling to Ozark is one of the best games of the week. Each year we wonder whether the Ozark Conference or Central Ozark Conference is stronger. This is one of the games that helps give us that answer.
John Berry is back for Lebanon. And he is back in a big way. After missing two games in Mid-September, Berry has rolled up 807 yards on 93 carries for an 8.6 yards per carry average. He had two carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns in a district-opening win over Central.
On the flip side, Ozark’s renaissance has been well documented. What the Tigers do well is stop the run. In a win over Webb City, Ozark held the Cardinals to 136 rushing yards. The Cardinals average 267.5. Ozark held Nixa to 132 total yards rushing. They held Bolivar to 139 yards rushing as a team when Lane Loomer averages 170 a game on his own.
This is classic strength on strength. The only time it has gone the way of the rushing offense against Ozark was the loss to Republic in Week 5 when the Tigers gave up 227 yards on the ground. That game appears to be an aberration at this point.
Lebanon has the ability to stretch the field with quarterback Cole Breeden and receiver Jack Ehrhardt, but this game will be decided on the ground.
Who is better? John Berry and the Lebanon line or Ozark’s rush defense? The answer will be your winner.
The other side of this bracket is undefeated Glendale hosting 3-7 Branson. Glendale is the heavy favorite here as the offense continues to roll.
Last year, Glendale scored 48.7 points per game while allowing 53.6 points per game. This year, Glendale is scoring 53.5 points per game and giving up 22.7. The Glendale defense is almost four touchdowns better this year, and that has been the difference.
Alex Huston continues to lead the nation with 4,521 passing yards and 56 touchdowns against 8 interceptions. Luke Montgomery is lighting it up again with 70 catches for 1,505 yards and 23 touchdowns, though he is short of last year’s record-setting pace.
Look for Glendale to advance in this one.
CLASS 5 – DISTRCIT 5 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Willard at No. 1 Carthage and No. 3 Neosho at No. 2 Nixa
Carthage was on a bye, while Willard took down a depleted Parkview team in the opening week of district play. Willard has been on a roll lately, winning three in a row after a frustrating start that saw the Tigers lose four of six games by one possession.
Willard has figured out its identity as a running team as the Tigers rolled up 291 yards rushing against 43 passing versus Parkview.
Carthage beat Willard 41-30 the first time around. Willard did manage 272 yards rushing in that game, but the difference was in turnovers. Willard threw three picks and fumbled once to give Carthage two extra possessions in the game.
Keith Guest has morphed into one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in Southwest Missouri with 1,281 yards passing and 717 yards rushing to lead the team. He has 26 total touchdowns.
Carthage is plus-16 in turnover ratio this year. The only game in which the Blue Tigers didn’t win the turnover battle was a Week 1 loss to Ozark, where they were even. Willard’s chances of winning this game hinge on eliminating turnovers.
The bye couldn’t have come at a better time for Nixa. After staring 5-0, the Eagles stumbled to the finish line by losing four straight.
Week 5 was the last time Nixa won, which was incidentally the week the Eagles hosted Neosho.
In the first meeting, Nixa didn’t lead until midway through the fourth quarter and then needed a short touchdown plunge by quarterback Andrew Rivera with 35 seconds left to ice the game.
CLASS 4 – DISTRICT 5Â – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 5 Bolivar at No. 1 Carl Junction and No. 6 West Plains at No. 3 Webb City
I love this district. Normally the most predictable district in Southwest Missouri, our local Class 4 district is intriguing for the first time in years.
Let’s start with Bolivar at Carl Junction.
The Liberators stumbled out of the gate with three consecutive losses, including their first ever COC Small loss in Week 3 against Reeds Spring.
Bolivar statistically has some of the best players in Southwest Missouri. Lane Loomer is the area’s third leading rusher with 1,719 yards and 20 touchdowns. They also have a the program’s all-time leading passer in Connor Sechler. The senior has 2,039 yards and 25 touchdowns this season.
Brandon Emmert offers a big target and is a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries.
Zach Howard helps key things up front for the Liberators.
On the other side, Carl Junction’s defense has really carried the day in many weeks. The Bulldogs are giving up 16.2 points per game.
It has been an opportunistic defense with 14 fumble recoveries and 16 picks through the first nine games of the year.
Sechler will have to contend with that ballhawking secondary led by Zayshawn Weston (six picks) and Michael Elbert (five picks). Emmert is a tough matchup at 6’6″, 230 pounds, so that will be a match up I am excited to see.
The other match-up I want to see is Zeke Wall versus Zach Howard. In the preseason, Coach Buckmaster indicated a willingness to move Wall around on the defensive line. If Loomer can’t find running room and Bolivar gets stuck in obvious passing situations, the Liberators will be in trouble as the CJ pass rush can pin their ears back and let the secondary make plays.
The other side of this involves the area’s leading rusher in Keegan Hoopes of West Plains. The Zizzers upset No. 3 Camdenton to earn the right to play at Webb City in the district semifinals.
Hoopes has 288 carries for 2,135 yards and 35 touchdowns this year to lead the area. The Zizzers have been starting freshman Connor Rackley at quarterback in three consecutive wins. Rackley has done what he has needed to do, completing 25 of 33 passes for 381 yards and a touchdown.
Webb City has had a strong two weeks in which the Cardinals haven’t lost any fumbles and have rushed for 770 yards in two games that were 55-14 and 49-14 wins.
The Cardinals will be able to move the ball against the Zizzers as West Plains has allowed 39 points per game in the last nine contests while scoring 34.8.
If seeds hold, there won’t be a bigger game in Southwest Missouri next week than Webb City vs. Carl Junction, Part III. Webb ended CJ’s season a year ago by the smallest of margins in the district semifinals, and Carl Junction got the better of them in the Bulldogs’ first COC-Large game this year.
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CLASS 3 – DISTRICT 4 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Mount Vernon at No. 1 Reeds Spring and No. 3 Cassville at No. 2 Monett
I don’t know what to think about this district at all. Any of these four teams could win this week and it wouldn’t surprise me.
The first edition of Reeds Spring and Mount Vernon was a statistical explosion. Reeds Spring beat the Mountaineers thanks to 54 carries for 647 yards led by Korey Robinette’s 281-yard night.
Jarrett Massie caught 11 balls for 238 yards and two touchdowns for Mount Vernon.
Nine of the game’s 12 touchdowns were scored from 35 yards out or more.
Reeds Spring has had the No. 1 seed in this district four seasons in a row. The previous three seasons ended with a loss to a Big 8 team. The Wolves are trying to get over that hump this year, but have struggled a bit to the finish, losing to Catholic in the final week of the season and only beating a two-loss Aurora team by 10 last week.
Monett and Cassville was a classic game the first time around with the Cubs narrowly beating their Barry County rival, 21-20.
In this rivalry, throw out the records. It is going to be a classic game once again.
This game features two of the best backs in the Big 8. Cassville senior River Phelps has rolled up 1,632 yards on the ground on 190 carries for an 8.6 yards per carry average with 27 touchdowns. Michael Branch had 146 carries for 1,183 yards and 14 touchdowns through nine games, which is good for 8.1 yards per carry.
Class 2 – District 3 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Diamond at No. 1 MV-BT/Liberty and No. 3 Ava at No. 2 Mountain Grove
This one appears destined for a Liberty-Grove rematch.
Triston Shepherd has had a great season and it continued in the semifinals with 13 carries for 166 yards and 3 TD and 5 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in a dominating quarterfinal win over Willow Springs. When Liberty played Willow Springs, that score was 55-6.
Josh Pruett continues to stuff the stat sheet with 2,153 yards passing 717 yards rushing for 43 total touchdowns. His top target, Brenton Bush, set the single season reception record for the school and now has 71 catches for 1,211 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Liberty should advance.
On the other side, Ava has shown the ability to hang with the upper echelon of the SCA in an eight-point loss to Liberty in a muddy Week 4. The Bears lost to Mountain Grove 26-0 in Week 3, but those are the only two blemishes.
Those were also the only two times the Bears were held below 200 yards rushing in a game.
The problem for Ava is that since the Liberty loss, Grove has rebounded in a big way and is playing some of the best football in the area.
The Panthers are 4-0 and have outscored opponents 229-36 since the Liberty loss for an average margin of victory of 57.25 to 9. Mountain Grove has rushed for 423.5 yards per game in that span and averaged 11.5 yards per carry.
That peaked last week against Cuba with 26 carries for 550 yards and nine touchdowns for an average of 21.2 yards per game.
Chance Barbe had a stat line of 7 carries for 210 yards and five touchdowns. That is 30 yards per carry. Trystan Short ONLY managed 202 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries for 25.3 yards per carry.
Grove has two 1,000-yard rushers (Barbe and Short) and another about to break through that barrier in Carter Otwell.
Class 2 – District 4 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Stockton at No. 1 Lamar and No. 6 El Dorado Springs at No. 2 Fair Grove
El Dorado Springs has come on strong here at the end of the season, but Fair Grove is going to be too much.
Brayden Lumley, Austin Fodge, Dalton Cloyd and Co. are an extremely dynamic group and have been on a collision course with Lamar for most of the season.
Stockton took down Versailles in the opening round, but Lamar is Lamar.
Class 1 – District 2 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Sarcoxie at No. 1 Ash Grove and No. 3 Pierce City at No. 2 Thayer.
Spencer Eagleburger rushed for nearly 400 yards (399) and four touchdowns in a win over Miller to open district play for Ash Grove. Sarcoxie needed a furious rally to sneak by winless Cabool 31-24. Ash Grove has had a strong 7-3 season to this point, and I like them to defend their home field.
On the other side, Thayer rolled to a 53-8 win to open the district tournament, while Pierce City jumped out to a 26-0 lead on Pierce City at the half against Marionville to eventually win 33-0.
Thayer typically rises to the occasion in the postseason thanks to that rigorous SCA schedule.
Class 1 – District 3 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 3 Adrian at No. 2 Lockwood and No. 4 Drexel at No. 1 Midway
Lockwood continues to get it done behind Will Beerly at quarterback and Jobe Edwards/Ethan Bates in the backfield. Beerly had 105 yards passing and 101 rushing with five total touchdowns in the 48-28 quarterfinal win over Liberal. Edwards had 138 yards rushing in the game.
Adrian is 6-4 on the season and beat Jasper 21-13 last week. The Blackhawks have had 17 players log at least 1 carry this year. They are led by junior quarterback Hunter Steen who has 155 carries for 500 yards and 9 touchdowns and has thrown for 471 yards and 4 TD’s. He is only completing 38 percent of passes with 7 interceptions though.
Class 1 – District 4 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 4 Appleton City at Lincoln and No. 3 Crest Ridge at No. 2 Skyline
This is another one of those districts where I think the top two teams win and can’t wait for the district title game.
Lincoln is undefeated and rolling. The Cardinals are scoring 52.4 points per game and giving up 5.1 points per game. Appleton City has had a strong offense this year with 2,539 yards rushing and 1,047 passing as a team.
Skyline is 7-3. Those three losses? Class 2 teams Fair Grove (10-0), Lexington (9-1) and Summit Christian (9-1). The latter two are No. 1 seeds in their districts. Fair Grove only isn’t No. 1 because Lamar exists.
The Tigers are tested and I expect them to get by Crest Ridge. Shawn Bryan has been the area’s No. 2 running back in terms of yards production with 2,075 yards and 34 touchdowns.
He has a chance to pass Keegan Hoopes for No. 1 in yards depending on which team makes it further in the playoffs.
8-Man – District 4 – CLICK HERE FOR THE BRACKET
THIS WEEK’S GAMES: No. 5 Northwest (Hughesville) at No. 1 Greenfield
Greenfield gets a team it beat 88-20 on Sept. 30 in a road game, so I like the Wildcats’ chances of advancing in this one. They are ranked No. 5 in the final 8-Man statewide poll.
