Nearly half of the teams in the Ozarks were eliminated following the first week of districts. Jordan Burton recaps week 10 here.
Big Man on Campus
Alex Huston, Glendale – Well, this is hardly a surprise. Huston has put together the most prolific passing season in state history and Saturday was the culmination of his season. The sophomore went 33-for-40 for 472 yards and nine touchdowns, tying his own state record that he set the week before against Camdenton. Huston now owns single-season state records in completions (399), yards (5,110) passing touchdowns (65) and total offense (5,534). Huston has thrown for 1,495 yards and 24 touchdowns in his last three games, all Glendale wins. *HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S WIN OVER CENTRAL*
VIDEO: Top Plays of the District Quarterfinals
Helmet Stickers
Warren Atkins, Parkview – Anthony Hays keeps a shutdown corner and Atkins could be the next in line. The sophomore gave Ozark the blues on Friday night, jumping a screen pass and going 75 yards for the touchdown, his first pick-6 of the season. Atkins also flashed his playmaking ability on a kick returning, looking like a mini (he’s only 140lbs) version of De’Anthony Thomas. Don’t believe me? See for yourself here.
Sean Bochmann, Marionville – He's not the biggest cat, but he has a relentless motor and he just makes plays. He plays that hybrid DE/OLB spot and Friday Bochmann racked up a pair of sacks, forced a fumble that resulted in a scoop and score and had a quarterback hurry that led to a pick-6. He finished with seven tackles in limited action.
Skylar Cahill, Aurora – I promise you, this is a kid that will be extremely productive as a receiver in college; great hands and great routes are lethal in today’s football. Cahill showed both on Friday night, hauling in nine balls for 161 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which was just a ridiculous catch. See all three touchdowns from Friday here.
Jacob Eden & Sam Morton, Strafford – The Indians have won three straight and it’s these two seniors leading the win. In Friday’s district win over Houston, something that seemed unlikely early in the season, Eden rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns, also return a kickoff for a score; it was his fourth 200-yard game of the season. Morton racked up 21 tackles, giving him 216 for the season ( a Strafford record) and 553 for his career; a new state record.
Caleb Manning, Cabool – Manning is catching fire late and it’s helping to salvage Cabool’s season. It’s no secret that the Bulldogs play up in a loaded SCA, but Manning’s 37 carries for 219 yards and four touchdowns performance helped Cabool upset Pierce City in the 4/5 matchup on Friday. It was Manning’s third straight 100-yard game.
Mason Pack, Kickapoo – His Twitter handle isn’t @PackinHeat15 for no reason; the kid makes plays. Kickapoo nearly became the first 1-seed to get bounced in the first round since the playoff expansion, but thanks to Pack the Chiefs survived Lee’s Summit upset bid. He finished with a receiving touchdown (8th of the season) and an interception (12th of his career) but it was this late 32-yard reception that earned him the sticker.
Aaron Samek, Bolivar – Give him the ball and watch him eat. There are a ton of good backs in the Ozarks, but if I’m starting a football team I’m taking Samek; he reminds me of Stanford’s Christian McCaffery. On Friday he rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns helping Bolivar slide past Hillcrest, but just watch these two touchdown runs and tell me this kid isn’t special with the rock.
Triston Shepherd, Diamond – It’s funny to see a 6-foot-2 running back, but Shepherd is that new hybrid athlete. On Friday he rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown, but he really gashed Ash Grove in the passing game with five receptions for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. And, just to show the full repertoire, he also had a 35-yard completions. *CLICK HERE FOR HIGHLIGHTS*
Trystan Short, Mountain Grove – Snap. Pitch. Seal. He gone… That is what Short’s life has become at Mountain Grove. On Friday he turned 10 carries in 302 yards and four touchdowns; his seventh 100-yard game of the season. He hits top end speed quick, real quick and he’s probably going to outrun your angle just like he did against Warsaw.
District Semifinal Preview
The first round of districts went about the way you’d expect it to go with several blow outs. Top seeds remain unbeaten in the Ozarks with Kickapoo surviving a scare from Lee’s Summit. Joplin was the only No. 2 seed to fall and several 3-seeds were held on for wins, while 4-seeds went 8-4. Basically talent and homefield won out, but I’m not sure that will continue this week. There are several districts that will see top seeds fall. Here are some of the games to keep an eye on.
Class 6 – District 4
Well, it’s just Kickapoo. The Chiefs got a taste for the level of Kansas City football on Friday night and that was against a team that had lost six of seven entering district play. Having Lee’s Summit West at home will help, but Kickapoo will have its hands full; all four of LSW losses have come by a touchdown or less. Hopefully Friday night was a wakeup call for a Chiefs team that hadn’t been tested.
Class 5 – District 4
It’ll be out of area tests for Waynesville and Lebanon, who draw Battle and Washington respectively. The Ozark Conference rivals will hit the road this week and neither test will be easy, but also isn’t impossible. The Tigers had Battle on the ropes last year before a late touchdown ended Waynesville’s season and Rick Vernon’s coaching career. But, Battle has nearly everyone back including D-1 prospects Javon McQuitty and freak of nature defensive end Jerrion Nelson… Lebanon has the easier task with a trip to Washington. To be honest, the Jays are product of having a soft schedule. It looked like the Jackets woke up again last week and if that run game travels well they should be competitive at worst.
Class 5 – District 5
Well, I picked Ozark, Nixa and Central in my picks last week and two of them lost in routs; shows how much I know, right? This district remains wide open and you can make a strong case for all four teams winning. Glendale at Republic offers contrasting styles and a battle of wills; the Falcons pass-happy attack against Republic ground game. The Tigers rocked Glendale last year in districts, it’ll be interesting to see if Wes Beachler still has the blueprint for beating Mike Mauk… Nixa vs. Parkview is a rematch of last year’s district championship. Both teams play the exact same brand of football featuring a run-first attack and Anthony Riley (Parkview) and Nicos Oropeza (Nixa) are two of the best you’ll see. Last year Nixa won the battle of the trenches, but this year it might come down to quarterback play and which signal caller can get a big play or two.
Class 5 – District 6
Apparently Belton was much better than I thought, wiping out my prediction of an all COC Large district championship. So, that leaves Carthage and Neosho carrying the flag. Both teams are white-hot. Carthage has won eight straight since losing to Webb City and Neosho has won three of four. The Tigers also won the first one, getting a stop on Neosho’s game-winning 2-point conversion try. The winner of this game becomes the favorite to make it to the quarterfinals. A healthy Alex Derryberry playing quarterback for Carthage should make a huge difference.
Class 4 – District 5
Finally, the time we’ve waited for. Carl Junction gets its shot at Webb City and West Plains will host Bolivar for the right to play the winner. The four teams have a total of three losses between them and haven’t been tested much. Can the high-octane offenses of Carl Junction and Bolivar lead to upsets?
Class 3 – District 3
HIGHLIGHT GAME: Aurora vs. Monett – This one was an instant classic during the regular season with the Cubs stealing one, 13-7, leaving Aurora and its fans feeling like they had just gotten jobbed because of a few controversial calls down the stretch. Both sides are eager to get back to this game and prove itself. Monett’s defense has been unreal for years, but Aurora and leading tackler Tanner Schnelle matched them nearly stop-for-stop. I’m curious to see which junior quarterback steps up. Monett struggled with Skylar Cahill in stretches in the first meeting. The winner of this is the district favorite… Cassville at Reeds Spring is the other semifinal and has the potential to get interesting. Cassville has righted the ship as of late, winning three straight to close the season. What makes this one fun is how physical Cassville is up front and how Reeds Spring’s veer responds to it. The Wolves are good and this could be their best shot at a district championship. But to get there they’ll have to be two really physical Big 8 defenses, easier said than done.
Class 3 – District 4
Still not quite sure what to make of this one; at this point all four teams alive could win and I wouldn’t be shocked. This will be the most telling week. If Mountain Grove beats Osage at home I think they’ll win the district. But, Osage upset them last year and has been solid against a good schedule. Ava and Salem will be an absolute SCA war. Two teams that love being physical and running the football. All four have been inconsistent, so get your popcorn ready for how this one ends.
Class 2 – District 3
At this point there isn’t much to say; Liberty is just better than everyone else. With the Eagles hosting Strafford yet again in the postseason, especially with how Jacob Eden has been playing, it’ll be interesting to see how Liberty responds to the challenge of a very different Strafford team than the Eagles typically see… Fair Grove and Diamond is a complete tossup at this point, but I’m not expecting a ton of points and whoever has the ball last is probably your winner.
Class 2 – District 4
Lamar. Lamar Tigers. The Lamar Tigers. The Brotherhood. Scott Bailey. Loud noises (Anchorman reference).
Class 1 – District 2
HIGHLIGHT GAME: Marionville at Lockwood – It’s a shame that one of these teams will see its season end on Friday because you’re talking about two of the top seven teams in Class 1. They are both getting healthier which makes the matchup more fun, but the Comets are still without key starters. This game puts some of the best weapons in the Ozarks on the same field; neither defensive coordinator should sleep much this week. They’ve played once since 2009, it was a 61-20 Marionville win in 2013. Marionville can do so many different things offensively that I don’t think they’ll have a problem scoring, the question is can they slow down Ethan Bates and Kyle Bouldin without gassing several two-way starters.
Class 1 – District 3
Still nothing to talk about. Jasper had a week off and the WEMO beat up on itself some more. The Eagles play Drexel this week but shouldn’t have any problems.
Class 1 – District 4
We are one more week of blowouts away from seeing this Skyline-Lincoln showdown which should produce a state finalist assuming that seeds and rankings hold.
