By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Each Saturday we’ll recap the week that was and look ahead to the upcoming Friday of games, as well as name a Player of the Week. Please tweet (X) @ozarksozone to nominate athletes for POTW.
Player of the Week: Cade Yates, Mountain Home
It had been a decade-plus since Mountain Home had beaten rival Harrison, and it came on the big right arm of Yates. Last year he became the first QB in program history to pass for more than 350 yards and he topped that on Friday, finishing the night with a school-record 378 yards all while wearing the #15 jersey of his former coach and Arkansas legend Ryan Mallett.
Mountain Home (@MHHSFBall) airing it out in the first half against rival Harrison (AR).
First drive of the game QB Cade Yates lofts it to WR Jett Hannaford who makes an incredible one-handed catch before falling out of bounds. @OzarksOzone @ESPNAssignDesk #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/Nk2zNFYwIU
— Jacob Cersosimo (@JacobCersosimo) September 2, 2023
Other Notables
-
- Kellen Lair, Fair Grove – Lair had arguably the biggest performance of the week and also had the best play as he was putting in work on Friday night, finishing with six touchdowns in a win over Central. Lair also went DK Metcalf on the Bulldogs, chasing down what looked like a sure touchdown and forcing a fumble early to help flip the momentum of the game. Lair is special and he’s just a junior.
Fair Grove’s @KellenLair w/ the ultimately HUSTLE play tonight vs. Central! He chases down a returner who was going to score and rips the ball away for a turnover
Kellen has elite speed but it’s no good unless you put in this kind of effort to use it.What a play!🏈@OzarksOzone pic.twitter.com/jxExByVt1q
— Mark Spillane (@MarkSpillane_) September 2, 2023
- Trey Atkins, Cabool – What a night it was for the Atkins. Trey, who had his junior season cut short due to a torn meniscus, racked up 275 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in a win over Skyline. A pair of TD passes, two touchdown runs and a 65-yard pick-6 to cap it off. And, his little sister got in on the action as well, recording her first tackle of the season on defense. She’s just a freshman.
- Gavin Johnston, Mt. Vernon – Johnston made it look easy on Thursday, completing 14 of his 21 passes for 246 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Johnston is already one of the area’s top quarterbacks as a junior. Jake Leeper finished with 117 yards on five receptions.
- Toryn Jones, Joplin – Filling in for one of the best players in the state at your position is never easy, but Jones made it look that way by hitting Willard for 125 yards and three touchdowns on a short week of prep. Joplin has been churning out 4-year running backs like a machine and Jones proved he’s up next after Quin Renfro graduates.
- Sam Barton, McDonald County – It was a workman-like performance for Barton and the Mustangs, who grinded out a 34-14 win over Marshfield behind his 245 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries. Barton also got it done defensively, adding an interception to his already impressive statline.
- Jack Cheaney, Nevada – Nevada went on the road and picked up a win over state-ranked Reeds Spring behind a potent rushing attack led by Cheaney. Cheaney rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries. Teammate Brice Budd added in 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Rewriting History
Several teams across the Ozarks were able to get the monkey off of their back on Friday with rare wins…
To say Carthage has had Branson’s number would be putting it mildly. The Pirates had lost 15 straight to the Tigers. They’d been shutout as many times as they had managed more than 28 points. But, that changed on Friday with a 28-14 win. Senior Gage Depee continues to be one of the best two-way guys in the COC, finishing with a 32-yard touchdown run and leading Branson’s defense to one of its best performances in recent memory… East Newton had never beaten Hollister since the Tigers joined the Big 8, losing to the Tigers four times with a combined score of 109-30. It appeared we were headed for a replay of that same story until the Patriots rallied from a halftime deficit and got a crucial stop on a two-point conversion to secure a 20-18 win. River Enlow finished with a pair of touchdowns, snapping East Newton’s 17-game regular season losing streak.
COC and OC down to 3…
The area’s two biggest conferences have had very similar starts with an unusual amount of parity. The COC is in a rare position with Carthage and Webb City both sitting at 1-1. The Ozark Conference is in a similar spot with Camdenton and West Plains sitting even. While none of those four teams are out, there is some new blood in each league jockeying for a title… Joplin and Nixa are undefeated and state-ranked, but Republic and Wyatt Woods have emerged as a legitimate threat to win the league. They’re not as big as some teams in the league, but they’re one of the most physical in the trenches, have a big-time D1 receiving threat in James Rexroat and Woods is one of the best athletes in the league… Lebanon and Bolivar have been two of the top program’s in the Ozarks for some time, but Kickapoo is now squarely back in the mix after an impressive 38-21 road win over Camdenton that saw the Chiefs score three times in the final few minutes of the first half to blow the game wide open. Poo has been over .500 just once in the previous six seasons and hasn’t won a district title since 2015. This group is talented enough to change both.
Swing and a Miss
It was another stellar week for O-Zone picks, with the exception of Chris Neyenhouse, who continues to dig a mine. We had 15 unanimous picks and all hit with the exception of Branson.
I’m not sure anyone besides the Pirates saw the Branson upset coming. With a winnable game at Willard coming up, Branson could enter Week 4’s tilt with Nixa at 2-1…
Week 3 Games to Watch
Lebanon (2-0) at Kickapoo (2-0)
Kickapoo has gotten used to the Camdenton-Lebanon back-to-back game in recent years. It’s both a blessing and a curse. Win both and you grab control of the league one week into September. Drop both and you’re playing an impossible game of catch-up. Kickapoo has lost five of its last six vs. Lebanon and – aside from the COVID year – hasn’t beaten both programs in the same season since 2016. Lebanon has been nothing short of dominant through two weeks and the Jackets were the OC favorites and that hasn’t changed, but Kickapoo made a strong case on Friday night with a win over Camdenton.
Webb City (1-1) at Republic (2-0)
To be the best you have to beat the best and Republic did just that last year, ending the John Roderique era prematurely. Now, Republic comes in undefeated and with expectations. The biggest difference now is they’re the hunted and not the hunter. They’ll get a really hungry Webb City group looking for revenge. And while Wyatt Woods is maybe the most dynamic/versatile weapon in the league, Gabe Johnson is quickly closing the gap. The sophomore had three touchdowns on Friday with a pair of runs and a KOR. These two teams mirror each other a surprising amount and it’ll be a physical, run-heavy game. Over-under 12 total pass attempts and that might be way too high.
Cassville (2-0) at Seneca (2-0)
This has long been one of the best Big 8 meetings of the season and this will be no different. Seneca was expected to be the class of the Big 8 with Gavyn Hoover and Jackson Marrs back. The Indians fully expect to compete for Big 8 and district championships. To do that they’ll have to beat Cassville twice. The Cats have increased their win total each of the last two seasons, but haven’t beaten Seneca in Seneca during the regular season since 2015.
Marionville (2-0) vs. Lighthouse Christian (1-1)
This is a surprisingly intriguing game. Marionville is the best Class 1 team in the Ozarks and I’m not sure it’s close right now. But Ash Grove is also talented and just came off of a narrow win over a good Lighthouse Christian team. How the Comets handle LC will give us a better picture of Class 1 locally.
Ash Grove (2-0) at Stockton (1-1)
Speaking of Ash Grove, we will get a really good feel for the Pirates as well, as they get a Stockton team that is quickly emerging as one of the early small-school surprises. The Tigers nearly upset Marionville in Week 1 and were dominant in Week 2. This is a chance for a statement win. This is also a game featuring two of the best weapons in the Ozarks with Stockton junior Easton Hubbard (2,000 yards from scrimmage and 22 touchdowns in 2022) and Ash Grove senior – and Drury Basketball commit – Brady Nicholson.
