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: Kade Durnin, Camdenton

His future is on the diamond but that hasn’t stopped Durnin from making a case as Ozark Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Through four games he’s thrown for 1,378 yards and 15 touchdowns, with another five scores on the ground. On Friday, Durnin threw for 367 yards and five TDs. He’s on track to give Camdenton’s single-season yardage and touchdown record a run for its money, both are held by current SEMO starting quarterback Paxton Delaurent.

Other Notables

• Hunter Adams, Ava – It’s nice to see #3 back on the field and healthy. After missing his entire sophomore season with an injury, Adams has rushed for 100-plus yards in three of his first four games, hitting rival Liberty up for 142 yards and four touchdowns on Friday. For the season he’s over 600 yards with 11 touchdowns on the ground, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry.
• Kellen Lair, Fair Grove – Kellen Lair continues to do Kellen Lair things. In a battle of unbeatens, Lair totaled five touchdowns in Fair Grove’s lopsided win. The junior athlete has 15 touchdowns on the ground with another two scores through the air this season.
• Nik Thieman, Lockwood – Lockwood vs. Greenfield is similar to the Hatfields and McCoys; there’s no love lost between the two rivals. The junior was the star of the night on Friday, rushing for more than 200 yards and finding paydirt five times. The Tigers continue to trend upward in the 8-man landscape.
• Briggs Hughston, West Plains – The future Northern Iowa tight end was on our watchlist as one of the top returning pass catchers and on Friday he proved why, finishing with 150 yards on five receptions with three scores.
• Jax Prater, Aurora – Prater and Aurora opened the season with Seneca, Cassville and Mount Vernon; three of the best defenses in the Big 8. On Friday, Prater and the Dawgs were able to get back on track against Catholic with Prater rushing for 180 yards and his first score of the season.
• Gabe Johnson, Webb City – The sophomore continued his torrid start with 91 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards, 32 passing yards and a 97 yard kickoff return score against Class 6 Joplin. We’ve said he’s the future of the COC but his time might be now.

Joplin-Area Showdowns

Seneca handed Lamar its first home loss since 2019 and the last team to beat the Tigers in Lamar during the regular season were these same Seneca Indians. The scary part is Seneca is physical and Jackson Marrs is capable of rushing for 2K. But, if Gavyn Hoover can continue to torch opposing defenses there’s no way to contain Seneca for a full game. Lamar gave up nearly as many points to three Class 4 teams (35) as it did to Seneca on Friday night. But also, Seneca’s defense was about as elite as it gets, holding Lamar to just 157 yards from scrimmage… In the other big-time Southwest Missouri showdown, Webb City ended Joplin’s undefeated start with a 38-21 win. Now, keep in mind that Joplin has been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball and Friday night didn’t help with more guys going down. But Webb City was also short-handed with two senior running backs out of commission. Andrew Elwell (20-124-1) and Noah Durman (11-57) ran like maniacs. Mizzou commit Whit Hafer (5-111-1) showed why he’s a Power 5 prospect but Webb City’s defense kept everything else locked up. The Cards are for real…

4 and a Donut (Unbeaten Teams)

Five teams fell from the ranks of the unbeatens on Friday night, dropping our local total to just nine. While many fell on Friday to other undefeated teams. We have another meeting of unbeatens on Friday with Mt. Vernon vs. Nevada.

Class 6
Nixa

Class 5
Lebanon

Class 4
Nevada

Class 3
Ava
Mt. Vernon
Seneca

Class 2
Fair Grove
Sarcoxie

Class 1
Marionville

Swing and a Miss on the Picks

The O-Zone crew had been a perfect 17-0 on unanimous picks this season, but the streak ended in a big way this week. Houston upset Cabool, stopping the Bulldogs’ two-point conversion attempt to secure a 14-13 win and Sarcoxie rallying to top Stockton 24-22. Those four points are the only thing keeping us from an undefeated record when a consensus is reached (39-2).

I blew it on the upset pick of McDonald County beating Nevada and need to stop sleeping on the Tigers. It’s Nevada’s best start in more than a decade. The program’s 34 PPG point margin is on track to be one of the best in program history and Nevada is looking for its first district title in decades.

Isaiah Davis Update

The Joplin alum continues to climb the South Dakota State leaderboard in rushing yards and touchdowns. He enters Saturday with 33 career rushing touchdowns, which is sixth all-time in program history. His 3,055 rushing yards ranks seventh at SDSU. He could rise as high as third on both lists, trailing program legends Josh Ranek and Zach Zenner, both of whom made it to the NFL. Speaking of, Davis – the former Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year – is projected to be on several NFL Draft boards. South Dakota State is currently ranked No. 1 in FCS and has won 16 straight games.

Week 4 Games to Watch

Nixa (4-0) at Joplin (3-1)

The bad news is we are getting this with Joplin being short-handed at several key positions. The good news is these two share a district and will likely meet in the playoffs. Their last four meetings have come down to the wire, two of which were decided by three points or less.

West Plains (3-1) at Camdenton (3-1)

There is no love lost between Camdenton and West Plains and even with coaches still easing their way into things, it’s no secret just how big this game is. They’ve split their last 16 meetings and five of those since 2014 have been one possession games. Both teams are trying to keep pace with Kickapoo and Bolivar and both will see conference leader Lebanon in October, meaning they are still very much in play for the OC title. Oddly enough, Camdenton has lost three of its last 4 at home to West Plains. The Zizzers will try to slow Kade Durnin, who has passed for nearly 800 yards and 11 touchdowns in his last two games.

Willard (3-1) at Republic (3-1)

The Battle of the Tigers is a rivalry that hasn’t had much luster on the gridiron in recent years but both programs are sitting at 3-1 and looking to force a likely tie with Webb City for second place in the COC. Willard went 2-20 from 2021-22 and hasn’t been over .500 since 2017 and their 3-1 start is the program’s best since 2015. These two have both been solid offensively and opportunistic defensively and they’ll see two very different quarterbacks than their own on Friday. Republic QB Wyatt Woods is one of the most dynamic in the area with his legs while Willard senior Russell Roweton has been shredding defenses from the pocket and is one of the most experienced signal callers in the Ozarks,but can also make plays in the run game.

Mt. Vernon (4-0) at Nevada (4-0)

Nevada and Mt. Vernon are intriguing to say the least. Two of the best defenses in the area and two teams that have established themselves among the favorites in Class 4 and Class 3 respectively. Also, they are two teams that operate very differently with Nevada being pure power football on both sides of the ball and MV being one of the most balanced offenses in the Big 8. The ‘Neers have won three of four since Nevada joined the Big 8 and that win came last year. Tom Cox has been one of the area’s best defensive minds recently and he and his staff will have their hands full preparing for this one.

Diamond (3-1) at Marionville (4-0)

On paper, this is a big game. Marionville is the only unbeaten Class 1 team locally and Diamond is off to a fantastic start. But Marionville is a different kind of monster. The last team to beat Marionville at home was Miller in October 2019.

FULL WEEK 5 SCHEDULE

THURSDAY
Parkview at Kickapoo

FRIDAY
Glendale at Bolivar
West Plains at Camdenton
Hillcrest at Rolla
Lebanon at Waynesville
Central at Strafford
Branson at Carl Junction
Nixa at Joplin
Carthage at Neosho
Willard at Republic
Ozark at Webb City
Aurora at Hollister
Mt. Vernon at Nevada
Rogersville at Catholic
Reeds Spring at Marshfield
Lamar at East Newton
Cassville at McDonald County
Monett at Seneca
Clever at Pierce City
Forsyth at Skyline
Fair Grove at Stockton
Salem at Ava
Cabool at Mountain Grove
Willow Springs at Liberty
Houston at Thayer
Diamond at Marionville
Lafayette (St. Joseph) at Sarcoxie
Miller at Ash Grove
Sherwood at Buffalo
Butler at El Dorado Springs
Versailles at Cole Camp
Lincoln at Adrian
College Heights at Appleton City
Osceola at Lockwood
Liberal at Jasper

SATURDAY
Warsaw at Hogan Prep