What is on the line in Week 9?

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We have reached the final week of the regular season and there is still plenty to be decided both in the conference and district standings. We break it all down below.

CONFERENCE RACES

CONFERENCE STANDINGS – CLICK HERE

Ozark Conference – Lebanon and West Plains each have one loss in conference play. If both win this week, the conference title will be shared between them. If one wins and one loses, the conference title would belong to the team that wins. If both lose, that brings Camdenton and Glendale back into the mix to share the title with each having two losses.

COC – Carthage would be the unbeaten COC champion with a win over Nixa. If Nixa beats Carthage and Joplin beats Neosho (1-7) then it would be a three-way split of the conference title.

Big 8 East – Aurora has clinched the title outright completing Big 8 East play with a 6-0 record.

Big 8 West – Lamar has clinched a share of the conference title. The Tigers would win it outright with an unbeaten record with a Week 9 win over East Newton

Mid-Lakes – Fair Grove has clinched the title outright by completing Mid-Lakes play with a 4-0 record.

SCA – Ava would clinch the outright SCA title with a 7-0 record with a Week 9 win over Willow Springs. Mountain Grove and Thayer both have one loss in conference and play each other in Week 9.

Southwest Conference – Marionville has clinched the outright Southwest Conference title. The Comets would complete an unbeaten conference run with a Week 9 win over Miller.

DISTRICT STANDINGS

The district standings are much more fluid on many levels than conference standings. The formula to figure out the point total for each team is complicated but boils down to essentially four things:

  1. Win or Loss
  2. Margin of victory
  3. Strength of schedule
  4. Playing up classes

The specifics can be found on MSHSAA’s website.

Below you will find the current district standings with each team’s district point total after Week 6, Week 7 and Week 8. This will give you an idea of the trends for each team and also what is possible for total point moves each week.

The final consideration to remember is the head-to-head factor. If Team A and Team B played head-to-head and Team A won the regular season matchup and is DIRECTLY below the Team B in the district standings, then Team A would leap over Team B in the seedings. Key factors here besides the teams having to be DIRECTLY next to each other in the standings are two fold:

  1. You start at the top of the standings and work your way down when considering head-to-head
  2. A team can only be off-set one seedline meaning nobody can move up or down more than one seedline

In this scenario Team A lost to Team B and Team C. Team B lost to Team C. They are ranked 1-2-3 in the district standings in the order of A-B-C. Team A would drop to No. 2 and Team B would move up to No. 1. Team C would be stuck at No. 3 because Team A can’t drop two seedlines and Team B gets first chance to jump since they are No. 2.

With all that in mind, here is a look at what is on the line in each area district going into Week 9.

Class 6 District 3
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Nixa 42 43.29 43.79
2 Lee’s Summit North 46 42.95 43.62
3 Joplin 44.67 40.81 40.41
4 Raymore-Peculiar 32.68 34.31 36.22
5 Lee’s Summit West 32.67 34.52 31.94
6 Kickapoo 30.33 29.24 31.26
7 Lee’s Summit 24.21 26.69 26.76
8 Ozark 20.5 23.86 22.55

Week 9 Schedule

1. Nixa (7-1) vs. Carthage (8-0 – C5)
2. Lee’s Summit North (7-1) vs. Lee’s Summit West (4-4 – C6)
3. Joplin (7-1) vs. Neosho (1-7 – C5)
4. Ray-Pec (6-2) vs. Park Hill (4-4 – C6)
5. Lee’s Summit West (4-4) vs. Lee’s Summit North (7-1 – C6)
6. Kickapoo (4-4) vs. Hillcrest (1-7 – C4)
7. Lee’s Summit (3-5) vs. Staley (3-4 – C5)
8. Ozark (2-6) vs. Carl Junction (3-5 – C4)

Head-to-Head

1. Nixa – Beat Ozark, Lost to Joplin
2. Lee’s Summit North – Beat Lee’s Summit & Ray-Pec. Plays Lee’s Summit West in Week 9
3. Joplin – Beat Nixa & Ozark
4. Ray-Pec – Beat Lee’s Summit West. Lost to Lee’s Summit North
5. Lee’s Summit West – Beat Lee’s Summit. Lost to Ray-Pec and Lee’s Summit North
6. Kickapoo – NONE
7. Lee’s Summit – Lost to Lee’s Summit North & Lee’s Summit West
8. Ozark – Lost to Joplin & Nixa

WHAT TO KNOW: There isn’t a bigger game in southwest Missouri than Carthage at Nixa. This is a straight up conference title game. Carthage needs to win to take the title outright. Nixa needs to win to claim a share of the COC.

Additionally, the top three seeds in this district are all still up for grabs. If Nixa and Lee’s Summit North win, there is likely nothing Joplin can do to get to the No. 1 or 2 spots. If either were to lose and Joplin wins, it would allow the Eagles to move up at least one if not two spots. Joplin owns the head-to-head win over Nixa, so Joplin is looking to get within a spot of Nixa to be able to jump over them on the head-to-head result.

Further down, Kickapoo stands a great chance of jumping over Lee’s Summit West for the No. 5 seed with a win over Hillcrest and a LSW loss to Lee’s Summit North.

Class 5 District 5
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Lebanon 47.85 48.28 44.44
2 Glendale 40 41.78 39.61
3 Camdenton 40.5 37.1 37.28
4 Rolla 31.96 34.19 35.98
5 Branson 25.5 28 28.88
6 Central 24.56 27.04 25.05
7 Waynesville 27.67 25.33 24.32

Week 9 Schedule

1. Lebanon (7-1) vs. Parkview (0-8 – C5)
2. Glendale (5-2) vs. Waynesville (2-6 – C5)
3. Camdenton (6-2) vs. Rolla (5-3 – C5)
4. Rolla (5-3) vs. Camdenton (6-2 – C5)
5. Branson (3-5) vs. Republic (3-5 – C5)
6. Central (3-5) vs. Forsyth (5-3 – C2)
7. Waynesville (2-6) vs. Glendale (5-2 – C5)

Head-to-Head

1. Lebanon – Beat Glendale, Camdenton & Waynesville. Lost to Rolla
2. Glendale – Beat Rolla. Lost to Lebanon & Camdenton. Plays Waynesville this week.
3. Camdenton – Beat Waynesville & Glendale. Lost to Lebanon. Plays Rolla this week.
4. Rolla – Beat Lebanon & Waynesville. Lost to Glendale. Plays Camdenton this week.
5. Branson – NONE
6. Central – NONE
7. Waynesville – Lost to Lebanon, Rolla & Camdenton. Plays Glendale this week

WHAT TO KNOW: The top spot in this district is pretty much settled. Lebanon won’t be caught even with a loss. After that, there is a lot up for grabs.

That brings us to the 2-3-4 seeds. Glendale has beaten Rolla but lost to Camdenton. Rolla and Camdenton play this week with a lot on the line. Assuming a Glendale win, if Camdenton beats Rolla then the Lakers would move over Glendale into the No. 2 spot on head-to-head. If Rolla beats Camdenton, Rolla would be the No. 3 team and Camdenton would be staring down a district semifinal re-match at Lebanon unable to use the head-to-head result to jump over Glendale due to them be separated a spot.

Class 5 District 6
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Carthage 48 50 49.84
2 Webb City 40.67 38.33 40.46
3 Republic 34.67 36.43 34.18
4 Neosho 14.33 15.1 17.71
5 Willard 18 17 16.32
6 Parkview 13.15 13.55 14.3

Week 9 Schedule

1. Carthage (8-0) vs. Nixa (7-1 – C6)
2. Webb City (5-3) vs. Willard (0-8 – C5)
3. Republic (4-4) vs. Branson (3-5 – C5)
4. Neosho (1-7) vs. Joplin (7-1 – C6)
5. Willard (0-8) vs. Webb City (5-3 – C5)
6. Parkview (0-8) vs. Lebanon (7-1 – C5)

Head-to-Head

1. Carthage – Beat Webb City, Republic, Neosho & Willard
2. Webb City – Beat Republic & Neosho. Lost to Carthage. Plays Willard this week.
3. Republic – Beat Neosho & Willard. Lost to Webb City & Carthage
4. Neosho – Beat Willard. Lost to Republic, Carthage & Webb City
5. Willard – Lost to Carthage, Republic & Neosho. Plays Webb City this week.
6. Parkview – NONE

WHAT TO KNOW: This district is pretty well locked in. A Parkview upset of Lebanon would be about the only way that the current standings don’t end up being the final seeds.

Class 4 District 6
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 West Plains 51.83 51.62 52.27
2 McDonald County 41.67 42.81 42.88
3 Carl Junction 41.67 38.62 38.36
4 Rogersville 29 32.33 34.41
5 Marshfield 36.83 34 31.43
6 Hillcrest 21.89 20.24 22.59
7 Monett 20.67 20.05 22.46

Week 9 Schedule

1. West Plains (7-1) vs. Bolivar (3-5 – C4)
2. McDonald County (7-1) vs. Cassville (3-5 – C3)
3. Carl Junction (3-5) vs. Ozark (2-6 – C6)
4. Rogersville (5-3) vs. Reeds Spring (5-3 – C3)
5. Marshfield (4-4) vs. Mt. Vernon (0-8 – C2)
6. Hillcrest (1-7) vs. Kickapoo (4-4 – C6)
7. Monett (2-6) vs. Seneca (4-4 – C3)

Head-to-Head

1. West Plains – Beat Hillcrest
2. McDonald County – Beat Monett
3. Carl Junction – NONE
4. Rogersville – Beat Marshfield
5. Marshfield – Lost to Rogersville
6. Hillcrest – Lost to West Plains
7. Monett – Lost to McDonald County

WHAT TO KNOW: West Plains is No. 1

McDonald County is the likely No. 2 seed, but if Cassville upset the one-loss Mustangs and Carl Junction beats Class 6 Ozark, it might be enough for the Bulldogs to jump McDonald County.

Rogersville and Marshfield are pretty well locked in at Nos. 4 and 5 based off Rogersville taking the head-to-head. They will run it back in the district quarterfinals next week.

Hillcrest and Monett are very tight. If one wins and one loses, the winning team should move to No. 6. If both have the same result, Hillcrest playing up two classes against Kickapoo will keep the Hornets in sixth place.

Class 4 District 7
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Lincoln College Prep 45.96 44.23 44.33
2 Nevada 43 43.1 40.89
3 Bolivar 34.18 35.35 34.8
4 Grandview 36.98 37.29 34.22
5 Warrensburg 36.98 34.02 32.93
6 Harrisonville 31.03 30.32 31.49
7 East (Kansas City) 11.58 11 11.38

WHAT TO KNOW: There are only two local teams in this district. Nevada seems fairly locked into the No. 2 seed. Bolivar has a narrow lead over Grandview and a tough matchup against West Plains in Week 9. Grandview sits at No. 4 with a much more manageable game against Oak Park (3-5). A Bolivar loss and Grandview win likely means Bolivar slips to the No. 4 seed and faces the Warrensburg team that ended its season last year in the first round of district play.

Class 3 District 6
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Aurora 46 47.81 47.98
2 Hollister 41 38.1 38.5
3 Mountain Grove 36.33 36.98 36.86
4 Buffalo 33.67 31.67 36.05
5 Seneca 36.33 37.57 35
6 Reeds Spring 31.83 30.81 28.96
7 Cassville 28.67 26.29 28.46

Week 9 Schedule

1. Aurora (7-1) vs. Nevada (7-1 – C4)
2. Hollister (5-3) vs. Catholic (1-7 – C2)
3. Mountain Grove (5-2) vs. Thayer (6-2 – C1)
4. Buffalo (5-3) vs. Warsaw (7-1 – C2)
5. Seneca (4-4) vs. Monett (2-6 – C4)
6. Reeds Spring (3-5) vs. Rogersville (5-3 – C4)
7. Cassville (3-5) vs. McDonald County (7-1 – C4)

Head-to-Head

1. Aurora – Beat Hollister & Reeds Spring
2. Hollister – Beat Seneca & Reeds Spring. Lost to Aurora.
3. Mountain Grove – NONE
4. Buffalo – NONE
5. Seneca – Beat Cassville. Lost to Hollister
6. Reeds Spring – Lost to Hollister & Aurora
7. Cassville – Lost to Seneca

WHAT TO KNOW: Aurora is the No. 1 team regardless of Friday’s result.

Hollister just needs to win to stay at No. 2.

Buffalo and Mountain Grove are in an interesting place. They are separated by just .81 points. If one wins and one loses then the winner gets the No. 3 seed. If both have the same result, it would come down to margin of victory and strength of schedule with Buffalo facing one-loss Class 2 Warsaw and Mountain Grove facing two-loss Class 1 Thayer.

Seneca is also lurking at No. 5. The Indians are less than two points back of the No. 3 seed. They are also playing up a class this week against Monett. If Buffalo and Mountain Grove lose, Seneca might have enough to move all the way to No. 3 with a win over a school from a larger class. Again, margin of victory will be big here.

Class 2 District 3
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Ava 54.07 53.54 52.71
2 Forsyth 31.5 34.26 35.24
3 Liberty 27.91 30.69 33.73
4 Strafford 32.35 29.29 32.15
5 Catholic 27 27.57 29.05
6 Houston 29.2 25.63 25.38
7 Willow Springs 21.96 25.62 24.21

Week 9 Schedule

1. Ava (8-0) vs. Willow Springs (2-6 – C2)
2. Forsyth (5-3) vs. Central (3-5 – C5)
3. Liberty (4-4) vs. Houston (2-5 – C2)
4. Strafford (4-3) vs. Skyline (5-3 – C1)
5. Catholic (1-7) vs. Hollister (5-3 – C3)
6. Houston (2-5) vs. Liberty (4-4 – C2)
7. Willow Springs (2-6) vs. Ava (8-0 – C2)

Head-to-Head

1. Ava – Beat Liberty & Houston. Plays Willow Springs this week.
2. Forsyth – Beat Strafford
3. Liberty – Beat Willow Springs. Lost to Ava. Plays Houston this week.
4. Strafford – Lost to Liberty & Forsyth.
5. Catholic – NONE
6. Houston – Lost to Willow Springs. Plays Liberty this week.
7. Willow Springs – Beat Houston. Lost to Liberty. Plays Ava this week.

WHAT TO KNOW: This district is pretty much set. Ava is locked in at No. 1. Forsyth should stay at No. 2 regardless of result with a 2.5-point cushion and a game against a Class 5 school this week to provide a huge bump for playing up.

Further down, Liberty has the head-to-head win over Strafford, so the Eagles would move back to No. 3 even if Strafford jumped this week.

Catholic has a tough matchup with Hollister this week. Willow Springs owns the head-to-head over Houston, so Willow will jump over the Tigers in the final seeding.

Class 2 District 4
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Lamar 58 58.95 58.98
2 Fair Grove 48.87 50.73 49.74
3 East Newton 29 29.86 28.43
4 Stockton 26.5 29.57 27.49
5 El Dorado Springs 24 26.48 25.77
6 Mt. Vernon 21 20.76 21.3
7 Clever 9.5 11.13 11.72

Week 9 Schedule

1. Lamar (8-0) vs. East Newton (1-7 – C2)
2. Fair Grove (8-0) vs. El Dorado Springs (2-6 – C2)
3. East Newton (1-7) vs. Lamar (8-0 – C2)
4. Stockton (3-5) vs. Pierce City (3-5 – C1)
5. El Dorado Springs (2-6) vs. Fair Grove (8-0 – C2)
6. Mt. Vernon (0-8) vs. Marshfield (4-4 – C4)
7. Clever (0-8) vs. Agape

Head-to-Head

1. Lamar – Beat Mt. Vernon. Plays East Newton this week.
2. Fair Grove – Beat Stockton & Clever. Plays El Dorado Springs this week.
3. East Newton – Beat Nt. Vernon. Plays Lamar this week.
4. Stockton – Lost to Fair Grove
5. El Dorado Springs – Beat Clever. Plays Fair Grove this week.
6. Mt. Vernon – Lost to East Newton & Lamar.
7. Clever – Lost to El Dorado Springs & Fair Grove.

WHAT TO KNOW: About the only spots in question are East Newton and Stockton at Nos. 3 and 4. East Newton has unbeaten Lamar this week while Stockton faces Class 1 Pierce City (3-5). An East Newton loss and a Stockton win would probably be enough for Stockton to move into the No. 3 spot, but Lamar adds significantly to East Newton’s strength of schedule, so this one could be tight.

Class 1 District 3
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Marionville 57.14 56.69 55.5
2 Thayer 52.19 48.36 49.19
3 Sarcoxie 48.31 44.42 40.22
4 Ash Grove 37.25 39.62 36.9
5 Diamond 30.9 29.56 32.13
6 Cabool 32.33 30.69 30.4
7 Pierce City 22.8 25.92 23.06
8 Miller 15.33 14.37 18.17

Week 9 Schedule

1. Marionville (8-0) vs. Miller (1-7 – C1)
2. Thayer (6-2) vs. Mountain Grove (5-2 – C3)
3. Sarcoxie (5-3) vs. Ash Grove (5-3 – C1)
4. Ash Grove (5-3) vs. Sarcoxie (5-3 – C1)
5. Diamond (4-4) vs. Slater (0-7 – C1)
6. Cabool (3-5) vs. Salem (1-6 – C3)
7. Pierce City (3-5) vs. Stockton (3-5 – C2)
8. Miller (1-7) vs. Marionville (8-0 – C1)

Head-to-Head

1. Marionville – Beat Sarcoxie, Ash Grove, Diamond & Pierce City. Plays Miller this week.
2. Thayer – Beat Cabool
3. Sarcoxie – Beat Pierce City & Miller. Lost to Diamond & Marionville
4. Ash Grove – Beat Cabool, Pierce City & Miller. Lost to Diamond & Marionville. Plays Sarcoxie this week.
5. Diamond – Beat Ash Grove, Pierce City, Miller & Sarcoxie. Lost to Marionville.
6. Cabool – Lost to Thayer & Ash Grove
7. Pierce City – Lost to Diamond, Sarcoxie, Ash Grove, Marionville & Miller
8. Miller – Beat Pierce City. Lost to Cabool, Diamond, Ash Grove & Sarcoxie. Plays Miller this week.

WHAT TO KNOW: Marionville is the No. 1 and Thayer is the No. 2. Miller will be the No. 7 and Pierce City the No. 8 based off head-to-head results.

Spots 3-6 are where it gets VERY interesting. Sarcoxie and Ash Grove are side-by-side and play this week. Winner will get the No. 3 seed. The loser will drop below Diamond, as Diamond has head-to-head wins over both Ash Grove and Sarcoxie.

But there is more, Diamond is on a bye this week, so the points the Wildcats won’t change too much. Cabool is playing up two classes against Salem (1-6). Would a win of 13 or more points over a team two classes bigger be enough for Cabool to close the 1.73-point gap? I don’t know, but it will be one of the more interesting things to watch.

Nothing is settled for the 3-6 seeds in this district.

UPDATE: Diamond added a game at the last minute with Slater. That really throws the 3-6 seeds into even more of a questionmark. I won’t speculate anymore. Anything is possible for 3-6 in this district.

Class 1 District 4
Rank School Points After Wk 6 Points After Wk 7 Points After Wk 8
1 Skyline 53.17 51.38 49.63
2 Windsor 48.52 48.75 48.49
3 Adrian 41.72 43.19 43.74
4 Cole Camp 40.02 36.71 37.63
5 Lincoln 37.71 37.88 37.5
6 Midway 31.5 28.5 26.88
7 Sherwood 24.04 23.04 26.34
8 Crest Ridge 18.4 18.9 23.58

WHAT TO KNOW: Skyline has maintained a lead over unbeaten defending state champion Windsor in the district standings most of the year thanks to a strong strength of schedule. The Tigers would lock in the No. 1 seed and home field advantage with a win over Class 2 Strafford this week.

Cole Camp and Lincoln play head-to-head this week and will run it back next week in the district quarterfinals with Week 9’s winner playing host for the opening round of the playoffs.

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