[wpbvideo id=’302428′]
OZARK, Mo. — The one-win season that defined the 2015 Ozark Tigers is in the past, but Chad Depee will not shy away from it. He owns that it will forever be a part of their program and a factor in where his players are today.
That would be a 5-2 team that has wins over Webb City, Carl Junction, and conference-leading Carthage. Virtually no moment havs been too big for the Tigers this year.
“The game is just icing not the cake,” Depee said. “We put in the work throughout the week and now it’s just: hey, let’s go play.”
Ozark will try to keep their COC-Large Championship hopes alive on Friday when they welcome Nixa for the annual Backyard Brawl. The Eagles come to town with an identical record, suffering back-to-back losses to Webb City and Carthage after a 5-0 start.
Deep knows that sporting the same records are fitting. There is always a microscope under this rivalry, so why not raise the stakes?
“It’s the closest you’re going to get to a big-time playoff game.”
Nixa won last season’s ugly affair by a 19-7 decision. In fact, Ozark has captured just a single meeting since 2010, but has no plans of coming down from their emotional high following their first-ever win over Webb City last week.
To fuel up before Friday, the Tigers took in Rosie Jo’s Cafe, which has served the finest in fried chicken, steak, potatoes, and any other comfort food a heart could desire in Ozark since 2001. Even after moving locations in June, business is still booming.
The laundry list of regular customers that frequent the restaurant turned out to help the business pack up shop.
“We had trailers lined up all the way down the row,” owner Rosie Jo Griffin said. “They were all customers who brought their trailers and helped us move. It was pretty special.”
The cafe is famous for its chicken, and it emphasizes that fact the moment you walk in the door as you’re greeted by hundred of chicken statues and murals.
“I probably still have five more boxes with several hundred that I’m going to work in eventually.”
The staff hopes to eventually expand the restaurant to provide more room for those chickens, patrons, and a bigger kitchen, which has been a challenge to master through the first few months of this learning curve.
“We’re all learning as we go on how to make this kitchen more efficient.”
The Ozark Tigers are learning every week as well, and the emotion that Nixa brings provide as big of a test as they will face in the regular season.
Catch a live report from the KSPR Game of the Week Friday at 10:20 and later at 11:30 on the Ozarks CW.
