Week 1 Football Rewind

6508e7d4-385f-4aca-9e18-c1a0cb16b6bb_1_201_a-2

By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

What were some of the biggest stories from Week 1 of the football season? Jordan Burton takes a look back at last night’s action with the things that stood out the most to him.

Week 1 Rewind

Week 1 came and went and didn’t come without some statements and surprises. Nixa got its first-ever win at Webb City in dominating fashion, making a statement in what could be a wide-open COC race. Much like a couple years ago, I’d be shocked if the conference champion ran the table unscathed. You have to be impressed by Nixa’s physicality and resilience to go punch for punch and leave Webb with a win. But, keep in mind that Webb is notorious for early season losses that ultimately don’t mean much. Webb has lost within the first two weeks of the season in each of the last three years. That didn’t stop the Red Birds from winning state championships in 2019 and 2021. The Cards were sloppy and turned it over, which can happen with option teams. It’s a great win for Nixa but not a bad loss for Webb City. The rest of the COC was trying to burn out the bulbs on scoreboards across the area. Willard and Neosho played a 79-72 basketball game, Joplin’s Hobbs Gooch sprayed the ball around to several different weapons in what may be the most balanced offense in the league down in Joplin. Carl Junction looked like a more typical Doug Buckmaster team than in recent years. Also, don’t be fooled by Republic’s lopsided score with Carthage. RepMo is going to be fine… The Ozark Conference proved there is a clear dividing line in the league; Camdenton, Glendale, Kickapoo, Lebanon and West Plains are the class of the league. Four of those five play each other next week giving the conference even more separation early… The Big 8 was the toughest league to pick in Week 1 and what to make of it all is anyone’s guess. Lamar and Nevada were dominant and seem to be on a collision course. Seneca was incredible against an Aurora team that will be a threat by season’s end. Cassville shocked a really good Hollister team on the road. Reeds Spring may have the best defensive line in the league and blanked Monett. Rogersville looked the part against East Newton, who showed a ton of resilience in battling back late. Mount Vernon took care of Mac County in what may have been one of the biggest surprises on Friday night. The parity in the Big 8 is unreal… MV-BT/Liberty spotted Strafford a 7-0 advantage for the first half before outsourcing them 42-0 in the second half. The Eagles might be the most talented team in Class 2 aside from Lamar…

Big Man on Campus: Nixa Senior Ramone Green

Ramone Green missed the majority of his junior season due to injury and his performance against Webb City in Week 1 will forever have Eagles fans wondering what last year would’ve looked like had he stayed healthy. Green’s frame has clearly filled out, but he is still as explosive as ever. All of the wiggle, straight-line speed and vision he had before coupled with a noticeably bigger frame is scary.  His 231 yards on Friday night exceeded his 225 yards that he rushed for last season. Nixa is dynamic offensively and Green is the lynchpin. John Perry has said on the record that Green might be the best football player in the Ozarks. Torching Webb City on Friday night puts him squarely back in that conversation.

District Assignment Reaction… The Lucky and the Unlucky

The Ozarks has more teams in Class 2 than maybe ever, which is great news for usual suspects like Ava, Strafford and MV-BT/Liberty. They all move to District 3 where they’ll avoid perennial champ Lamar. Mountain Grove and Seneca both drop down from Class 3 to Class 2 and both have loaded rosters, but they also join the loaded District 3. The unlucky program in Class 2 is Skyline. The Tigers make the jump to Class 2 and land squarely in District 5… with Lamar… In Class 4 Carl Junction joins Nevada in going north to District 7, giving the area two legitimate options at making deep postseason runs. Carl Junction looked the part on Friday night in a rout of Class 6 Ozark. Playing in the COC will allow the Bulldogs to maybe jump a couple of seeding lines due to the multiplier… The area has just a handful of teams in Class 3 and they’re all in District 6. Aurora, Buffalo, Cassville or Reeds Spring is going to have a great opportunity to make it to the Quarters…

Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year… Luke Gall?

Carthage senior Luke Gall is the reigning COC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year and on Friday the Air Force commit showed zero signs of slowing down. Gall had six touchdowns in the first half against a Republic team that is much better than that score indicates, that’s just how good Gall and Carthage is. He’s truly elite on both sides of the ball and he’ll again put up staggering numbers on a team that will compete for a state championship. He’s going to make a push for Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year… …

Righting the Ship

The Ozarks saw 13 coaches take over at new programs entering the 2022 season. On Friday night five of them got wins. Clay Weldy may have been the most impressive of any new coach, with his Cassville team beating a really good Hollister team on the road, 35-26. Hollister returns one of the best weapons in the Big 8 in Blake Russell and Cassville went winless on the road last year, being outscored 138-10. Weldy and the Cats are back… Joel Wyatt proved that West Plains will be the same physical program we’re used to with an elite defense to boot. The Zizzers blanked Bolivar in the first half on their way to a 16-7 win… Nick Griffin (Skyline), Casey Merrifield (Ava) and Briar Hancock (Thayer) all took over for legends and passed the first test with lopsided wins. Griffin (the former Kickapoo DC) and Skyline scored 72 points vs. Agape, Merrifield’s Bears looked like Swofford’s Bears in a win over Buffalo and Thayer welcomed Linn to Friday night with a 55-0 thrashing. All three will be chasing district titles in Year One… Brandon Taute earned a reputation as an offensive genius in his time as the offensive coordinator at Joplin. Now in his second season at Neosho, you can see his fingerprints all over his Wildcats, who scored 79 points in a win over Willard. He returns a three-headed monster in junior QB Quenton Hughes, senior RB Jared Siler and senior receiver Isaiah Green.

Guidie Gets 200th Win

Not many have done it better than Guidie over the last two decades. He picked up his 200th career win on Friday against Republic and continues to check every box. He’s averaged 10 wins per season over the last eight years, including six district titles. He’s produced players at every level and delivered Carthage a state championship. Carthage will again be right in the thick of things this fall and if Friday night was any indication, Guide has developed yet another stud quarterback in Cooper Jadwin.

Week 2 Games to Watch

Neosho (1-0) at Nixa (1-0)

Neosho is clearly heading in the right direction and their offense will give COC foes fits; they have tons of weapons and speed. But this one is all about Nixa. The Eagles are sandwiching the Neosho game between trips to Webb City and Carthage. Having knocked off Webb already, Nixa is riding high. It’s impossible to not look forward a little to the colossal challenge that a trip to Carthage represents. Nixa has won three straight against Neosho and 11 of the last 13 meetings. This one could be an absolute shootout as well. Nixa hung 40-plus against a Webb City team that has multiple All-COC defensive players back. The Eagles number of weapons aside from Green are staggering.

West Plains (1-0) at Glendale (1-0)

Wyatt will get his first crack at Glendale which is never an easy task. The Falcons tempo is impossible to simulate and game planning for it has proven tricky, especially for new programs. Glendale put up 48 points on a very athletic Waynesville secondary. West Plains has been one of the OC’s top defensive teams for years and the leadership on that side of the ball hasn’t changed much; Greg Dixon is no stranger to matching up with Glendale. The Zizzers have won seven of their last nine meetings with Glendale. But both of those losses came on the road.

Camdenton (1-0) at Kickapoo (1-0)

This game will have Ozark Conference championship implications. Both teams return heavy hitters from last year’s team. Senior Bear Shore is one of the top quarterbacks in the league and was All-OC last year. Kickapoo junior QB Kylan Mabins went 13-18 for 260 yards and three touchdowns on Friday, further proving that he’s ready to take the next step among the area’s elite. Camdenton has won four of the last five meetings. Last year it was a one-possession game and while both defenses pitched Week 1 shutouts, both also have highly explosive offenses. This is an early Game of the Week candidate.

Reeds Spring (1-0) at Nevada (1-0)

This will be sink or swim week early on for Reeds Spring. Nevada is the real deal without question. The Tigers might be one of the most talented teams in the Ozarks pound-for-pound, with great size, elite athletes and a wealth of experience. Reeds Spring wants to make a run in Class 3 and competing against teams the caliber of Nevada would go a long way towards proving that. This is also an elite 1v1 matchup on both sides of the ball for Missouri State commit Caden Wiest. He’s unlikely to see an offensive lineman more talented than Nevada junior Talan Chandler. And Nevada defensive end Case Sanderson is as big and athletic as it gets.

Related Posts

Loading...