By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
What were some of the biggest stories from Week 5 of the football season? Jordan Burton takes a look back at last night’s action with the things that stood out the most to him. He also looks ahead at the big games of Week 6.
WEEK 5 FOOTBALL ROUNDUP – CLICK HERE
TOP 100 PHOTOS OF WEEK 5 – CLICK HERE
PHOTOS: BEST FANS OF WEEK 5 – CLICK HERE
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The Big News
Lebanon and Glendale played in the Game of the Night, with the Jackets pulling out a 31-28 walk-off victory as Quinton Doughty – who scored a goal on the pitch Friday against NCA – capping off a monster night with a 33-yard game-winning field goal. The win keeps alive Lebanon’s Ozark Conference championship aspirations and puts them in the driver’s seat for the district’s top seed. Glendale’s performance legitimized the Falcons as a threat to make a run in Class 5. The rematch between the two should be epic come November… Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the Ozarks, West Plains handled Kickapoo 40-10 to remain unbeaten and continue to make like miserable for everyone else in the OC. We say it every week, but the Zizzers are the most talented team in the league and so far have proven it week after week, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Senior Connor Lair had a pick-6 and nearly started the game off with a scoop and score on a fumble he forced. Kid is built different… McDonald County and Republic continue to be two of the best stories in the Ozarks. The Mustangs under Kellen Hoover have been building the foundation for a program that lived in the cellar for years. Now Mac is sitting at 4-1 with a legitimate shot to play for a district title. Winning out would make them a lock for the 2-seed in District 6 and they even have some wiggle room for a loss to Nevada in Week 8. That game will be the next true barometer for where the Stangs are at. Republic is 3-2 with their two losses coming to Webb City and Nixa. Outside of those games, they’ve put up 47-45-48. Coach Cornelsen is no stranger to building programs and he’s put together a team that forces you to defend every blade of grass on the field. With home games against Joplin and Carl Junction followed by a trip to Carthage, we’ll get a chance to see just how for real the Tigers are…
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And a donut…
Class 6
Joplin (5-0) – 3 straight games of at least 42 points
Week 6: at Republic
Week 7: vs. Carthage
Week 8: at Branson
Week 9: vs. Neosho
Class 5
Carthage (5-0) – Haven’t allowed more than 14 points in a game this season. Area’s toughest remaining schedule with just one team currently below .500.
Week 6: vs. Willard
Week 7: at Joplin
Week 8: vs. Republic
Week 9: at Nixa
Lebanon (5-0) – First 5-0 start since 2015.
Week 6: vs. West Plains
Week 7: vs. Camdenton
Week 8: at Rolla
Week 9: vs. Parkview
Class 4
West Plains (5-0) – Total margin of victory is 191 points this season.
Week 6: at Lebanon
Week 7: vs. Parkview
Week 8: at Waynesville
Week 9: at Bolivar
Class 2
Lamar (5-0) – Tigers have allowed just 45 points in five games
Week 6: vs. Mount Vernon
Week 7: vs. Monett
Week 8: vs. Seneca
Week 9: vs. East Newton
Fair Grove (5-0) – Averaging 47 PPG this season
Week 6: vs. Strafford
Week 7: at Buffao
Week 8: vs. Clever
Week 9: vs. El Dorado Springs
Ava (5-0) – Three games of at least 45 points this season. Highest-scoring team in the SCA.
Week 6: at Houston
Week 7: vs. Thayer
Week 8: vs. Cabool
Week 9: at Willow Springs
Warsaw (5-0) – Has won every game by at least 24 points.
Week 6: at El Dorado Springs
Week 7: vs. Butler
Week 8: at Skyline
Week 9: vs. Buffalo
Class 1
Marionville (5-0) – Four consecutive shutouts. Haven’t allowed a touchdown since the first half of Week 1.
Week 6: at Pierce City
Week 7: at Sarcoxie
Week 8: vs. Ash Grove
Week 9: vs. Miller
Big Man on Campus
Lebanon’s Cade Muscia had a big game on a big stage, rushing for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries in a 31-28 win over Glendale. The junior 3-sport standout is having a monster year… Fair Grove continues to pump out productive quarterbacks, but senior Kody Stacye might just go down as one of the best ever after breaking Fair Grove’s career passing TD record on Friday night. The Eagles topped Stockton 56-28… Webb City was down its starting quarterback and leading rusher, so naturally someone else stepped up and this time it was Cade Wilson, who finished with a 14-147-4 line. Wilson’s junior season came to an end with a gruesome leg injury and he’s regained the form that made him a touchdown threat with every carry prior to the injury… Gavin Reese made the most of his first start under center for Liberty, completing 12 of his 14 attempts for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Here’s the kicker, he’s just a freshman; he’d get carded to buy chocolate milk. Injuries have pushed him into a major role and so far he hasn’t flinched. Senior Drew Ripko also saw time at QB, going 8-for-8 for 120 yards and adding 100 yards from scrimmage with a pair of scores. The Acklin’s keep coming at Liberty and Kal – just a junior – is making his name at receiver. He finished Friday night with a 4-97-2 line… Always Wright continues to make things look easy every Friday night. This time he gave Willard fits on the ground and through the air, going 11-for-14 with 182 yards and adding 75 yards on just four carries. Four total touchdowns. He is slightly out of the area, but Butler junior RB Brendin Patrick put up a line that you’ll likely never see again, finishing a 41-16 win with 445 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 44 carries. He’s no stranger to crazy numbers, he hit Adrian for 288 earlier in the season. He’s rapidly approaching the 1,500 yard mark which has him on pace for nearly 3,000 this season…
Week 6 Games to Watch
West Plains (5-0) at Lebanon (5-0)
The Story: West Plains has won three straight and six of the last seven. Lebanon won the previous five.
What’s at Stake: This is for everything and nothing. A win for Lebanon just makes the Camdenton game the following week even bigger. West Plains still has a trip to Bolivar waiting in Week 9. However, the winner of this game will likely win the OC title outright. West Plains is the heavy favorite in C4-D6, but Lebanon will have its hands full with Camdenton and Glendale also in its district. A win would add even more separation to the lead in the district.
What to Know: Lebanon has run wild throughout Will Christian’s career and last night Caleb Muscia went for 200-plus against a solid Glendale defense. Lebanon will see one of the state’s top defenses in West Plains, led by Connor Lair. It may be the most physical defense in the Ozarks going against one of the area’s most physical rushing attacks. Lebanon will continue to be who they are, which is a hammer smashing nails. If you can’t line up and match their physicality you won’t beat them. West Plains is one of the only teams physically equipped to do that. The last time Lebanon was 5-0 was 2015 – that streak was ended by West Plains (34-10).
Joplin (5-0) at Republic (3-2)
The Story: Joplin has won three straight and there’s no evidence that Republic has ever beaten Joplin. All three meetings have been wide (27, 48, 36).
What’s at Stake: This is one of the final games that could trip up Joplin on its way to an unblemished COC title, which will hinge on a Week 7 showdown with Carthage. If the Eagles are looking ahead, Republic is good enough to give them a run for their money. It’ll also be interesting to see how much RepMo has narrowed the gap between themselves and the elite of the league. Webb City turbo clocked them, but they led Nixa at half. With three big games left, this is a great measuring stick moment.
What to Know: I get it, Joplin is really good and their defense has been extremely underrated because of how explosive Always Wright and company have been. But, this Republic team will be a unique challenge. This week the Tigers basically had three guys (Sandridge 119, Krol 101 and Moody 97) hit the century mark. RepMo has had one of the league’s top rushing attacks, this will be an interesting test for a Joplin team on the road that may be looking ahead to Carthage.
Aurora (3-1) at Hollister (4-1)
The Story: These two have split their last four meetings going back to 2015. Their last three have been close, decided by a combined average of one possession.
What’s at Stake: Aurora comes in with a 4-game winning streak and their lone loss – at McDonald County – continues to look better each week. Hollister lost to Class 4 Nevada in Week 2 but has earned road wins against Seneca and Reeds Spring since then. They’re the final two unbeaten teams in the Big 8 East. A win for Aurora means the Dawgs only need to split with Marshfield and Reeds Spring to earn the conference title. A win for Hollister and the Tigers should walk to an 8-1 record and conference title. Right now they’re neck-and-neck for the top spot in C3-D6. The winner will likely earn home field throughout a district playoff that should feature several rematches.
What to Know: Blake Russell has been the Reggie Bush of the Ozarks for Hollister and Reeds Spring couldn’t figure out what to do with him on Friday. He finished with 250 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards in Hollister’s first-ever win against the Wolves. He’s over 1,000 yards from scrimmage already. He will now see an Aurora defense that – led by Aaron Fisher, Ian Jackson and company – has allowed fewer and fewer points every Friday. Catholic managed just six. Mt. Vernon had seven the week before that. Russell’s success will dictate how this game goes.
Strafford (3-2) at Fair Grove (5-0)
The Story: Fair Grove has won five straight and nine of the last 13. Strafford hasn’t won in Grove since 2014.
What’s at Stake: This is the Mid-Lakes Conference championship at this point. Fair Grove has already beaten Skyline, so there’s no one else that can actually challenge the Eagles. They really don’t have much else at stake. They have a massive lead and the tie breaker over Stockton for the 2-seed in C2-D4 and neither of them is catching Lamar. Strafford opened the season with a loss, but since then the Indians have solved their offensive woes from Week 1, averaging 55 PPG in wins over Miller, Clever and North Callaway. The Indians are currently sitting behind only Ava in C2-D3, but there’s an issue. Liberty owns the head-to-head tiebreaker and the Eagles are hitting the soft part of their schedule. If they can pass Forsyth and Houston, they’ll then jump Strafford, meaning the Indians would have to make a trip to Mountain View. A win over Fair Grove would be huge for Strafford and create a scenario where Week 9’s showdown with Skyline would be for an outright conference championship.
What to Know: It needs to be a shootout for Strafford to win. The Indians have struggled to manufacture points against Grove recently, with the Eagles’ size and physicality in the trenches making it hard to maintain any kind of balance. The Strafford groups that had success were able to use spread and vertical attacks to do so. If Strafford can hit a few big plays, this game will tighten up. If not, the bigger Eagles will lock up another Mid-Lake title.
Buffalo (4-1) at Butler (5-0)
The Story: Buffalo has won two of the last three meetings, but Butler won last year, 46-20. The Bears have won 14 straight regular season games.
What’s at Stake: Both teams have a brutal schedule remaining, but the winner of this remains in the hunt for the Ozark Highlands title and home field in the district. Buffalo has four games left, three of which (Butler, Fair Grove, Warsaw) are currently 5-0. The Bison’s lone loss came to unbeaten Ava, on the road, by just 14 points. There is parity in Class 3 in the Ozarks and the Bison are right in the thick of things. Winning out would give them a shot at hosting throughout districts. Big 8 foes Hollister, Aurora and Seneca are the top three currently in the district. Butler continues to make good on a three-year span that saw them go just 4-26. They’re 15-1 since the start of the 2020 season and the lone loss came to St. Pius X, 14-6. Right now they’re just a few hundredths of a point behind Warsaw for the top seed in C2-D5. Those two will meet on Oct. 8 in Warsaw.
