The O-Zone Football Power rankings will be released on every week throughout the football season. Rankings are a measurement of dominance within class and not a strictly head-to-head comparison. Coaches are encouraged to send any information, including stats, milestones and records to Chris Parker (cparker@ky3.com). See the top plays of the week in the video above.
1. Lamar (4-0 – LW: 1)
Make it 53 consecutive wins for the Lamar Tigers after beating Monett 42-7 on Friday. The Tigers broke a tie with Platte County (2000-03) for the second-most consecutive wins in Missouri history. Jefferson City holds the longest mark at 71 consecutive wins from 1958-66. The Tigers would have to finish out this season undefeated and win their first seven games of next season to equal the long-standing record of the Jays. Lamar travels to Seneca this week.
2. Webb City (4-0 – LW: 2)
Webb City escaped Branson with a 22-20 win on Friday. The Cardinals succeeded in moving the ball on the ground with 301 yards rushing. Devrin Weathers led the rushing charge with 22 carries for 175 yards and a touchdown. Duran Henderson got most of the rest of those yards with 18 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. Branson found big play success through the air as Gabe Sylvester completed 11 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown. Friday also marked the 200th consecutive game that the Webb City Cardinals have not been shut out. The last time Webb City was shut out was in the 2003 state semifinals. Since then Webb City has scored in every game and gone 190-10. The Cardinals face Carthage this week in a game that could very well decide the Central Ozark Conference championship.
3. Carthage (4-0 – LW: 3)
Carthage was again dominant in the run game and defensively in a 49-7 win over Neosho on Friday. The Tigers rushed for 293 yards against just 37 passing yards in the win. They held Neosho to 103 total yards. Carthage has rushed for 1,518 yards as a team so far this season against just 180 total through the air. That is a 379.5 yards per game on the ground. That is a flip from last year where Zeke Sappington averaged 163 yards per game through the air while the offense averaged 226.4 yard per game rushing. This week the Tigers travel to face Class 4 No. 1 Webb City with a controlling stake of the Central Ozark Conference on the line. It will be interesting to see how the game plan develops for both teams and whether Sappington has to get things done with his arm. Last week, Branson almost upset the Cardinals by with big plays through the air by throwing for 326 yards on just 11 completions for an average of 29.6 yards per completion. On the other side, Branson rushed for just 77 yards on 30 carries for 2.6 yards per rush.
4. West Plains (4-0 – LW: 4)
West Plains set the tone quickly in their 42-0 win over Kickapoo last week, as Brayden Lidgard took the first offensive snap for the Zizzers and went 95 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. That is all West Plains and its defense would need, but not all the West Plains offense would offer. Lidgard would rush for three total touchdowns to finish with 189 yards. Connor Rackley was efficient through the air completing 69% of his passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns. The Zizzer defense has now allowed seven points in four games. This week Lebanon comes to town to face West Plains in a battle of the final two unbeaten teams in the conference. It is worth noting that Camdenton and Rolla each sit at 3-1 with both losses coming to West Plains. Those two teams are 6-0 with a 46.7-17 margin against teams not named West Plains and 0-2 with a 45-3.5 margin against the Zizzers. Lebanon has its work cut out with a tough road trip this week.
5. Cassville (4-0 – LW: 6)
Cassville continued to impress with a 62-27 win over Seneca in Week 4. The Wildcats accumulated 543 total yards off offense with 341 on the ground and 202 through the air. They are now averaging 46.8 points per game through four weeks. This week Cassville travels to face East Newton before a home date with McDonald County.
6. Reeds Spring (4-0 – LW: 7)
Reeds Spring avenged last year’s district championship loss to Mt. Vernon with a 27-26 win over the Class 4 No. 4 Mountaineers on Friday. The Wolves defense came up big by stopping a Mt. Vernon two-point conversion that would have won the game. Blake Gronvold completed four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He also rushed for 67 yards on 17 carries. Reeds Spring has to turn around quickly for a home game against Catholic this week.
7. Lebanon (4-0 – LW: 8)
Lebanon ran wild in a 51-40 win over Glendale on Friday with 592 total yards on the ground. Senior Joey Boshe had 14 carries for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Jaden Ivey added in 189 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Quameire Wright had two more of Lebanon’s touchdowns with 71 yards on 13 carries. Lebanon gets its biggest test of the season with a road trip to face an undefeated West Plains that has allowed just seven total points this season.
8. Strafford/Fair Grove (4-0/4-0 – LW: 9/NR)
I said last week that I the margin between these two teams was extremely thin. In Week 4 Strafford beat Stockton 70-0 while Fair Grove beat Forsyth 67-0. Through four games Strafford is averaging 51 points per game while Fair Grove is averaging 44.3 points per game. Defensively, Strafford is yielding 3.3 points per game against Fair Grove’s 1.5 per game. As long as they both win this week, the argument about who is should be ranked in these power rankings will be settled on the field in Week 6 when Strafford travels to Fair Grove.
9. Mt. Vernon (3-1 – LW: 5)
Mt. Vernon suffered its first loss of the year by a single point to Reeds Spring last Friday. The Mountaineers came up short with a two-point conversion attempt that would have won the game late. They will look to bounce back with a road trip to traditiona; Big 8 rival Aurora this week.
10. Joplin (2-2 – LW: 10)
Joplin bounced back from back-to-back losses with a 49-13 win over Republic. Sophomore Nathan Glades was the star for the Eagles with 6 carries for 267 yards (a 44.5 yards per carry average) and three touchdowns. As a team, Joplin rushed for 395 yards and six touchdowns while Blake Tash threw for 76 yards and another touchdown through the air. Joplin travels to face Branson this week.
Knocking on the door: Pierce City, Camdenton, Ava, Thayer, Catholic, Jasper
