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.
TOP 100 PHOTOS OF WEEK 5 FOOTBALL – CLICK HERE
PHOTOS: BEST FANS OF WEEK 5 – CLICK HERE
Player of the Week: Republic Offensive Line
Joplin’s defense had been one of the best in the COC to this point, but Republic’s hogs gave them a run for their money, paving the way for the Tigers to rush for 384 yards. Senior quarterback Wyatt Woods rushed for 200 yards and a pair of scores and classmate Kannon Krol rushed for 132 and a hat trick. Republic is averaging nearly 40 PPG over its last three, all of which have been wins.
Other Notables
- Jack Cheaney, Nevada – Cheaney continues to stack good games behind an impressive offensive line led by Talan Chandler. Cheaney hit Cassville for 199 yards and a pair of scores in a lopsided Nevada win. He continues to make a strong case for Big 8 West Offensive POY.
- Kellen Lair, Fair Grove – At this point we should just permanently reserve a spot for Lair on the list. It was another day at the office for the standout junior, rushing for 196 yards and three scores. Including receiving yards, he went over 200 yards from scrimmage and continues to have a record-setting season.
- Jackson Marrs, Seneca – With all the attention being paid to Seneca’s stifling defense and passing, Marrs hasn’t received the same attention as the last few years, but he’s still one of the best backs in Missouri. On Friday, he rushed for 115 yards and four touchdowns on just 15 carries, reminding everyone of just who he is.
Conference Championship Races
With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, it’s time to start looking at conference title races. Some are pretty much decided but many will come down to titanic matchups over the next few weeks.
The Ozark Conference is Lebanon’s to lose and to say they’ve been dominant is an understatement. The Jackets are 6-0 with two shutouts and two other one-score defensive gems. The only thing standing in Lebanon’s way are visits from West Plains and Camdenton over the next two weeks… Kickapoo and Camdenton are the only two with a realistic chance of catching Lebanon. Kickapoo lost to the Jackets head-to-head but could benefit from the OC not having a tie-breaker policy should someone knock off Lebanon. Camdenton is a dark horse despite losing to Kickapoo because they still have the head-to-head date with Lebanon looming. The Lakers have won four straight, flashing one of the most explosive offenses in the league.
Nixa is running away with the COC and the Eagles have already knocked off seemingly the two biggest threats to the crown in Webb City and Joplin. However, rival Republic’s dominant win over Joplin has reintroduced the Tigers to the conversation. RepMo has won three straight games since losing to Webb City. Republic at its best is good enough to beat anyone and physical enough to give Nixa’s dominant line problems.
Key Game(s): Nixa at Republic (10/13)
Big 8 East is down to Mount Vernon and Reeds Spring and at this point Mount Vernon is the favorite. The ‘Neers are sitting at 5-1 and have been dominant against the East. Reeds Spring is the darkhorse with everything pushing towards the Reeds-MV meeting. The Wolves won the league last year and haven’t lost to an opponent in the East yet either.
Key Game(s): Mount Vernon at Reeds Spring (10/20)
Big 8 West is Seneca vs. The World. The Indians have already beaten Lamar and shutout four other Big 8 teams. They’ve been the most impressive team in the Ozarks to this point and are the favorite to represent the area in Class 3.
Fair Grove has already beaten Strafford and Forsyth, essentially ending the conversation in the MLC. They can go ahead and order the 2023 Mid-Lakes Championship banner and Kellen Lair has locked up league MVP honors.
Ava is on another Ava run and it’s seemingly going to land them a fourth SCA championship in the last six seasons. The Bears have already knocked off Liberty and Mountain Grove, with a visit from Thayer being the last major challenge standing between them and a conference title.
Key Game(s): Thayer at Ava (10/6)
The Southwest Conference championship will come down to Marionville vs. Sarcoxie. With how dominant Marionville has been, Sarcoxie will have its work cut out for them. Both are unbeaten so this is nearly a winner-take-all game.
Key Game: Marionville at Sarcoxie (10/6)
6 and a Donut (Unbeaten Teams)
We entered with eight perfect teams and all survived. Several are on the verge of huge matchups with Marionville at Sarcoxie coming up this week.
Class 6
Nixa
Class 5
Lebanon
Class 4
Nevada
Class 3
Ava
Seneca
Class 2
Fair Grove
Sarcoxie
Class 1
Marionville
Swing and a Miss on the Picks
Welllllllllll… we struggled on the picks this week. We dropped a unanimous game with Republic making us eat crow by hammering Joplin. Kai saved us with his pick of East Newton over Monett. We are collectively 62-4 in games we’ve selected unanimously.
Week 6 Games to Watch
Marionville (6-0) at Sarcoxie (6-0)
Sarcoxie has done it with a big offense and Marionville has done it with a stingy defense, but both are playing perfect football. The question is, can Sarcoxie get over the hump against Marionville? The Bears have lost 8 of 10 against the Comets, including losing four straight. They haven’t beaten Marionville at home since October 2019.
Lamar (5-1) at Nevada (6-0)
The Silver Tiger is one of the biggest rivalries in the Ozarks but the issue is it’s not a rivalry until both teams have a win and Nevada has dropped five straight since the teams started playing again in 2018 with none of those games being closer than 16 points.
Thayer (4-2) at Ava (6-0)
With Ava basically already running through the league, Thayer is the conference’s last hope to open the door to give anyone else a chance. The issue is that everyone else is playing catch up. Thayer is even with Liberty with one loss, meaning only a win can give them a shot at an SCA title. Regardless, the Bobcats are white hot and proving they’re a threat in Class 1 (still).
