For the Ozark Tigers last year, defense was king.
The team allowed goals in only nine of its 24 games last year. They also scored 128 goals, the fifth best total in MSHSAA history. Unfortunately, the season ended shorter than they had planned. After going 20-3 through the regular season, including a spotless 8-0 record in Central Ozark Conference play, the Tigers fell in districts to eventual champion Nixa, ending their season.
Don’t look now, though, because this Ozark team may just be getting started.
Everybody returns for the Tigers, and expectations are high entering this season.
“Expectations are very high,” Ozark coach Tom Davidson said. “We feel like having everyone back from last year’s team is a huge advantage in chemistry.”
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The Tigers return some of the best players in the area – a list that includes Evangel signee Maya Davidson, who scored 30 goals and assisted on 17 others last year, and Jayden Easley, who had 35 goals and 14 assists last season and has verbaled to play at Mizzou.
SBU signee Mikayla Putt also returns after a junior season when she scored 17 goals and added 15 assists, as well as defender Lily Axtel (Evangel commit) and keeper Ally Barb (Missouri Western commit).
With everybody back, the Tigers won’t have to worry about meshing a new team together or moving too many players around. The team can hopefully pick up where it left off last year, which isn’t good news for those in its path.
Davidson has scheduled tough, wanting to challenge his team and help it improve in time for district play. Seven of the team’s first nine games are on the road – a list that includes road games at Joplin, Battle, Hickman, Harrison (Ark.), and Webb City. The team will also travel to Kickapoo and Nixa in late April – both of which should be marquee matchups.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, their district won’t be much easier than it was last year. Kickapoo, Lebanon, and Central join Ozark to make up the four-team district.
But if the Tigers continue to improve, there’s no reason why this won’t be the year that they make a run all the way to the state final four.
