Ozarks Sports Zone ranks the top teams in Southwest Missouri based on dominance by class, essentially the pound-for-pound comparison of those teams compared to the best in the state. Rankings are sponsored by CoxHealth.
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1. Lamar (C2, 4-0, 1) – Not that they needed it, but the Tigers enjoyed a midseason breather last week. Coach Bailey got a rare chance to watch some football (potential QB foe Ava) rather than coach it. They return to action this Friday hosting 3-2 McDonald County.
2. Webb City (C4, 5-0, 2) – The Cardinals went west of the border for a bigger test than the score would indicate. Missouri’s top Class 4 team beat Kansas’ fourth ranked Class 5 team 34-13 to give Coach Roderique his 250th career win. The Cardinals trailed 13-6 early, but with the help of a strong defensive effort, turned it on to remain unbeaten. This week, Webb City hosts fellow unbeaten Nixa for the outright COC Large lead. Durand Henderson had his best game this season with 162 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
3. Carl Junction (C4, 4-1, 3) – The Bulldogs have quietly put together a tremendous start to the season. After a hard-fought 15-point loss to Webb City in the opener CJ has ripped off four straight wins by an average of four touchdowns per victory, including Friday’s 34-7 win over Branson. Junior runningback Rayquion Weston continues to build his resume with 209 yards and three scores, averaging a robust 11 yards per carry.
4. Ava (C2, 5-0, 4) – We knew Ava was going to be good and so far they’ve lived up to our expectations. As Coach Swofford will tell you, the Bears may not win in the prettiest ways, but getting the W is all that matters. Offensively, the Bears are averaging over 280 rushing yards per game with 13 different players receiving at least one carry. Defensively, they’re allowing just over 10 points per game and have harassed the opposing quarterback for 15 sacks. Last week they pitched their first shutout of the season with a 45-0 blanking of visiting Salem. They’ll look to carry that momentum into 1-4 Houston this Friday.
5. Seneca (C3, 5-0, 5) – Not sure how many people would’ve pegged Seneca to be leading the district standings, with the likes of Mt Vernon, Reeds Spring, Monett and Cassville, by a wide margin after week 5, but sure enough they are. Gavin Clouse and Max Roark have emerged as stars in the Big 8 with the duo hooking up yet again in Friday’s 36-6 win over winless East Newton. This week should provide a tougher test as they hit the road to face 3-2 Aurora, whose averaged 49 points per game the last two weeks.
6. Pierce City (C1, 5-0, 6) – The Eagles remained unbeaten with a 42-14 win over rival Miller Friday night, but at closer look that outcome was very much in doubt until the 2nd half. PC actually trailed 14-7 at the half before turning it on with five 2nd half touchdowns. They’ll need to be on-point this week with their biggest test to date, visiting fellow 5-0 Lockwood. That game will go a long way in determining the SRVC title with all due respect to 5-0 Sarcoxie, who has actually been even more dominant than Pierce City and Lockwood so far and is slightly ahead of the Eagles in the district standings.
7. Mtn Grove (C2, 4-1, 8) – The Panthers beat Cabool 42-8 Friday night, but the big story in that game was the loss of do-everything senior Carter Otwell, who left with a leg injury. According to Otwell, x-rays showed no breaks, which is great news, but it’s yet to be determined how that injury will affect him for this week against MV-BT/Liberty and moving forward. Few players mean more to their team than the all-state Otwell, who has passed for 670 yards, rushed for 350 yards and is third on the team with 34 tackles. Oh by the way, he’s even the punter. You can bet the Panthers will be ready to rally around their leader, on or off the field, this week against SCA rival Liberty.
8. Thayer (C1, 4-1, 9) – The Bobcats continue to roll since a season-opening loss to state-ranked Hayti. Thayer shutout Cabool 34-0 Friday night, racking up nearly 400 yards of offense. The defense was suffocating as always, but turnovers are an area Thayer will need to sure up in the coming weeks. Up next, Coach Webber’s cats go for win number five at winless Cabool.
9. Mt Vernon (C3, 4-1, 10) – A week after dropping their first game of the season to Seneca the Mountaineers bounced back to double up Mac County 43-21. Ty Boswell and Andrew Monemayor continue to be one of the best QB/WR duos in the area. The high-powered air attack is back at the friendly confines this week and will look to light up the scoreboard against winless East Newton.
10. Lincoln (C1, 5-0, 7) – After playing their closest regular season game in two seasons two weeks ago the Cardinals went a step further last Friday. Lincoln held off Marionville 14-12 to narrowly remain unbeaten. Jackson Beaman threw for both scores, going to Derek Stephens and Bo Kroenke. The defense certainly did its job led by Clayton Kreissler’s 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Many will tell you winning is the only stat that maters, and maybe playing a tight game now will help them in the playoffs, but I’m thinking that one was a little too close for comfort. Expect the Cardinals to get back to their dominating ways this Friday at 1-4 Tipton.
Knocking on the Door: Lockwood (C1, 5-0, NR), Catholic (C3, 4-1, NR), Sarcoxie (C1, 5-0, NR), Camdenton (C4, 4-1, NR), West Plains (C4, 4-1, NR), Greenfield (8-man, 4-1, NR), Nixa (C5, 5-0, NR), Carthage (C5, 3-2, NR), Glendale (C5, 3-2, NR)
