The Ozarks has its first super conference.
Reeds Spring’s school board approved a move from the soon-to-be-defunct Central Ozark Conference Small to the BIG 8 Wednesday. The Wolves join Catholic, Hollister, Logan-Rogersville, and Marshfield as former COC-Small teams to make the jump. Nevada will also join the league.
“The BIG 8 is a good fit for us,“ Reeds Spring Superintendent Michael Mason said in a release provided by the school system. “The conference has many schools that are geographically close to us and similar in size.”
Buffalo and Bolivar are the only two schools from the COC-Small that aren’t joining the now 14-team BIG 8 Conference. Buffalo will join a northern league feauring schools like Warsaw and Cole Camp, while Bolivar hasn’t announced plans for a new conference yet.
The BIG 8 won’t change its name, but will split into two seven-team divisions.
The West Division includes: McDonald County, Monett, Nevada, Cassville, East Newton, Seneca, and Lamar.
The East Division includes: Marshfield, Logan-Rogersville, Aurora, Reeds Spring, Springfield Catholic, Hollister, and Mt. Vernon.
The six new schools join a loaded conference, and the west division will be particularly daunting as it’s home to six-time defending Class 2 champion Lamar and current Class 3 champion Monett.
“This conference has a well-deserved reputation for outstanding athletic and academic achievements,” Mason said. “We expect the competition to be challenging and the character of our students to grow stronger as a result.”
This all starts in the 2018-19 school year. You can read more about the formation of the league by clicking here.
