By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
What were some of the biggest stories from Week 2 of the football season? Which games are the biggest of Week 2? Jordan Burton takes a look back at last night’s action with the things that stood out the most to him and looks forward to next week.
PHOTOS: FANS OF WEEK 2 FOOTBALL – CLICK HERE
TOP 100 PHOTOS OF WEEK 2 FOOTBALL – CLICK HERE
Big Man on Campus: Cole Feuerbacher, Glendale
We’ve become so desensitized to Glendale quarterbacks putting him numbers, but throwing for 346 and adding another 178 on the ground is ridiculous. Feuerbacher would put up numbers in any system, he just happens to be in one of the most QB-friendly offenses in the country. But, his IQ and athleticism make him that much more effective in it. We expected him to throw for 3,000 yards this year, but he could realistically add another 1K on the ground, especially if Glendale makes a run.
Ozark Conference race clears up
Friday gave us some clarity in the OC and it didn’t come without drama. West Plains held on to knock off Glendale and Camdenton rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Kickapoo 24-21, both of whom trailed late… Camdenton was down 21-3 trailed with under five minutes to play before a Bear Shore touchdown gave them a go-ahead score. We knew the Lakers offense would be explosive coming into the year but the defense and keeping a dynamic and balanced Kickapoo offense scoreless in the fourth quarter is huge. Also Bear Shore’s 136 rushing yards and two scored prove he’s much more than a pocket passer. Camdenton can win ugly which is bad news for everyone else in the OC… For West Plains to go on the road and shock a really good Glendale team despite a monster effort from Cole Feuerbacher says a lot about the Zizzers. Heston Miller is arguably the best athlete in the Ozarks and getting him more carries is clearly a recipe for success (111 yards, 2 TD). Defenses will to continue to account for where he lines up. Speaking of defenses, West Plains held Glendale to just 28 points at home. That’s a championship effort. Feuerbacher did finish with nearly 350 passing yards and another 178 rushing yards. We knew he was a dual-threat but to put up those number in a game like that is big-time. Also, senior Wyatt Andrews did finish with 20 receptions for 227 yards. He’s going to make a run at the state receptions record. He’s sitting at 31 after two games, averaging 15.5 per game. The record is 153 set by Patrick Cowley in 2019. It took him 12 games to do so. The school record is 123 set by Luke Montgomery back in 2015… Along with Lebanon, West Plains and Camdenton are sitting at 2-0 in the league. I’d be shocked if anyone ran the gauntlet unblemished in the league, but those three definitely have separated themselves early. It’ll also be interesting to see which 1-1 teams are able to rebound, specifically with Kickapoo, Glendale and Rolla all showing signs these first two weeks of the season.
Parity in the Big 8
Lamar shutout Rogersville and Nevada made quick work of state-ranked Reeds Spring with Brayden Koenig getting things started with a pick-6 and a scoop and score… but the rest of the Big 8 has so many unanswered questions still. Seneca was impressive with yet another lopsided win with and Jax Marrs is without question one of the best two-way guys in the league. Cassville was again impressive with Coach Weldy moving to 2-0 after a win against Aurora. They appear to be in that second echelon with Reeds Spring. But Friday produced some interesting scores too… McDonald County bounced back with a 35-13 win over Marshfield, who most expected to take a major step forward this fall. The Mustangs will figure it out with Dowd at quarterback… Hollister bounced back from a Week 1 loss with a 14-7 win over East Newton but the story may be the Patriots. They’re 0-2 but they’ve been in both games late. They’re going to get over the hump sooner rather than later and may be a thorn in the side of a few contenders…
Other Surprises
Chris Parker called it; we should’ve paid more attention to Cabool battling with Harrisburg in Week 1. The Bulldogs Week 2 shutout of Skyline isn’t as much of a surprise as it seems on paper. Tyler Fleetwood is picking up right where Braxton Davis left off in terms of rushing production and Tyler Splitter continues to do big things at Cabool. The Dogs are going to be a real threat to win Class 1 – District 3… Strafford surprised one of the best teams in the SCA on Friday night, pulling out a 21-14 win over Ava. The biggest element in the win was the emergence of sophomore quarterback Jourdyn Edelstein and the raw physical gifts of AK Rael. Edelstein is a star in the making and he has a weapon in Rael that could have a similar impact that Zaide Lowery and Kael Combs made in their inaugural seasons last year. He’s a huge, athletic target and has a coach and quarterback that aren’t afraid to call his number. Strafford has a ton of athleticism and some pieces in the trenches as well. Being in an SCA-heavy district that was going to see teams like Liberty, Mountain Grove and Ava stack up signature wins, the Indians needed an answer as district seeding starts to evolve and this win was exactly that… it shouldn’t be a surprise, but this is the least balanced I’ve ever seen the COC. Carthage, Nixa and Joplin are undefeated, Willard, Ozark and Branson are winless, Webb City, Carl Junction, Republic and Neosho are sitting at 1-1 due to scheduling. It’ll be interesting to see how the 1-1 teams progress. We obviously assume Webb City will still compete for conference and district titles, but what about Republic and Neosho? Are they closer to the upper echelon or to the field?
Week 3 Games to Watch
Nixa (2-0) at Carthage (2-0)
This is the one, maybe the biggest regular season game of the year. Big-time players, big-time coaches and big-time programs with a conference championship on the line. This one also has individual award implications at stake with Ramone Green being Luke Gall’s biggest threat to back-to-back COC Player of the Year honors offensively. Nixa hasn’t beaten Carthage since 2014 and really none of the contests have even been close. Both come in averaging 50+ PPG and both have the makeup of a state champion. So many factors go into a game like this but seeing which defense can make the opponent one dimensional will be interesting, particularly with the difference in experience under center.
Don’t be shocked if this one looks like the Joplin-Carthage game from 2019.
Kickapoo (1-1) at Lebanon (2-0)
Lebanon has been nothing but dominant through two weeks and the Jackets have won four of five against Kickapoo. But this one is more about the Chiefs, who are one possession away from being 2-0 and played Camdenton with their backup quarterback. The Chiefs are extremely talented, the biggest difference right now between the two programs is Lebanon has won games like this consistently and Kickapoo hasn’t as of late. A loss for Poo and they’re likely out of the conference title hunt. It’s early but this is a must-win for Kickapoo.
Rolla (1-1) at Glendale (1-1)
This is the first of what I assume will be two meetings with Rolla sliding into Class 5 – District 5. Neither team can afford a 1-2 start for conference title or district seeding purposes. What I love about this one is the obvious offensive vs. defense battle, specifically the defensive line of Rolla against Glendale and senior QB Cole Feuerbacher. This is one of the best D-line units in the Ozarks and they won’t have to blitz to create pressure. If Brock Horton-Owens, Gabe Sutton and Hayden Crider can keep the pressure up all night they’ll make life easier on Broc Lyle, who will be tasked with having to keep everything in front of him, especially Wyatt Andrews.
Republic (1-1) at Webb City (1-1)
On paper these are the best two 1-loss teams in the league. Their losses came in Week 1 to Carthage and Nixa respectively. On paper, these two also feel similar. They may not combine to throw more than 12 passes but both are really good at what they do. For Republic this is about the mental hurdle. RepMo has never beaten Webb City and Bill Clinton was the president last time the two teams were truly competitive. Ryan Cornelsen changed the expectation of Republic Football. Stealing a game like this or even scaring a team like this deep into the fourth quarter is the next accession for the program.
Seneca (2-0) at Cassville (2-0)
Not many expected both programs to be sitting at 2-0 but here we are. On paper, Big 8 games like this are tough because you’re likely going to get a rematch in districts. However, with Seneca dropping down that isn’t a concern this year so neither team has to worry about keeping it vanilla. Cassville has won three of the last five meetings with three of those being decided by 10 points or less. It’ll be another physical showdown between the two and a great barometer game as both prepare for upcoming tilts with Lamar and Nevada.
Mountain Grove (2-0) at Ava (1-1)
Ava has owned the SCA and popular opinion seems to lean towards Liberty or Grove ending the Bears SCA dominance this year. But, for that to happen, someone is going to have to go take it. Mountain Grove has the talent to do so and they’ve put scores opponents 50-28 this year. But this is their first road game of the season and it’s an Ava team that has lost one home SCA game since 2017. Ava has won seven of the last eight meetings. The Bears host Grove and Liberty back-to-back. That will go a long way in deciding the SCA crown.
Thayer (1-1) at Liberty (2-0)
For the Eagles, this is the first stop in their revenge tour. We aren’t too far removed from a time when every SCA title in nearly any sport stopped through Liberty. The Eagles are looking to get that back and beating Thayer for the first time since 2016 would go a long way towards reclaiming that legacy.
