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Week 2 Football Rewind

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By Chris Parker

The second week of the football season is in the books. Below are some of the things that stood out to me.

FIVE TEAMS THAT STOOD OUT

There are many teams that had great performances. I am picking five to focus on here.

Nixa

I don’t think there was a more impressive win in the state than Nixa’s 55-21 road win over Webb City. The Cardinals came into the game ranked No. 2 in Class 5, and the Eagles showcased why they are a real contender at the top of the state’s biggest class. Webb City got out to a 14-6 lead late in the first quarter and then fives were wild for Nixa the rest of the night. The Eagles scored five straight touchdowns by No. 5 Dylan Rebura. He had 24 carries for 228 yards to go with the five scores. The area was already on notice about Nixa, but this dominant line of scrimmage performance should put the entire state on notice.

Branson

Branson is off to its first 2-0 start since the 2014 season. The Pirates got there with a dominant 35-14 win over previously state ranked Camdenton. It was a question of which style would own the game and the answer was the Branson rushing attack. The Pirates rushed for 251 yards and threw for 27 in the win leading getting out to a 28-0 lead in the third quarter. Camdenton did move the ball with 340 yards through the air and another 69 on the ground, but a key was the Branson defense forcing two turnovers. The Pirates enter the Class 5 rankings this week.

Strafford

When you look at the score in Strafford’s 69-14 win over Monett, you would rightly think there was an offensive explosion. Quarterback Jourdyn Edelstein accounted for seven touchdowns for Strafford with five passing and two rushing. The team had 402 total yards. There was also a defensive explosion for the Indians. Strafford forced six turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles) and held Monett to 2-for-12 on third down and minus-8 rushing yards. It was a truly impressive all-around win for the Indians.

Warsaw

Warsaw is a team who has been knocking on the door of a deep postseason run for several years. The Wildcats have won at least eight games in three straight seasons. On Friday, they picked up a signature win taking down then-Class 1 No. 2 Adrian 28-21. The Wildcats returned three players who rushed for at least 900 yards last season, so it comes as no surprise that Warsaw rushed for 251 in the win over Adrian. Josh Harvath (104 yards) and Garrett Ferguson (101 yards) led the rushing attack. Ferguson also threw for 116 yards. The Wildcats got into the Class 2 state rankings at No. 9 this week. They have another big chance when they host Class 2 No. 4 Lafayette County on Friday.

Clever

Throughout the season I am going to do my best to avoid having a team in this section two weeks in a row. That being said, I cannot ignore Clever this week. The Blue Jays are looking for a season that changes the culture of the program, and they are off to a great start. Clever went on the road to Cuba and came away with a 29-28 overtime win. Cuba had the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown, but the Blue Jay defense stopped the two-point conversion. On the ensuing possession, Clever scored a touchdown and made the extra point for the win. It is the program’s first ever 2-0 start and the two wins already are tied for the most in program history. Rex Deters threw for 156 yards and a touchdown with Lucas Peebles being the top target with four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. As has been a theme in this section, the turnover battle was the difference with Clever winning it 3-1 over Cuba thanks to three interceptions.

PLAYS THAT STOOD OUT

Republic still hitting big plays through the air

Last season, Republic was a dominant rushing attack with 4,135 total rushing yards and 800 passing entering the state championship game. What Republic did do when it passed was hit big plays, as the Tigers averaged 21 yards per completion in 2023. On Friday, Republic showed that same explosiveness in its 35-9 win over Waynesville. The Tigers had 148 passing and 198 rushing yards, but just four completions on six attempts against 30 carries. A big chunk of those yards came on this 66-yard touchdown pass from Preston McCracken to Cannon Ellison.

Physicality the difference for Marionville

Physical football wins championships. Ask Lamar and Webb City. That is something Marionville has taken to heart these past few seasons to great success. Marionville grinded out a 28-22 win over a VERY good Class 3 Forsyth team on the road Friday thanks to plays like the one below from Cash Pomeroy.

Kellen Lair continues to be a cheat code

Kellen Lair is one of the two most dynamic players in the area with the ball in his hands and he isn’t No. 2. On a night when Fair Grove was without Spensar Seiger at quarterback, Lair stepped up again and again. On this play, quarterback Bryden Baxter is going to the ground but finds Lair on the outside and then Lair does the rest.

Other individual performances of note

Here are some other big nights we heard about either via email submission, Hudl or MaxPreps. If you know of a big night in the future you would like to see shouted out here please email stats@ky3.com.

Will Jackson, Nevada
Have a night, Will Jackson. Nevada is without 2,000-yard back Jack Cheaney, so the Tigers are looking for someone to step up in their run-heavy attack. Jackson did that and more in a 21-7 win over Aurora on Friday. Jackson carried the ball 30 times for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

Kayden Woolsey, Willow Springs
Willow Springs went for 79 points in a win over Pleasant Hope, and Woolsey was the primary culprit for the offensive explosion with 19 carries for 235 yards and four touchdowns.

Marcus Lopez-Durman, Carl Junction
Carl Junction got its first win before starting Ozark Mountain Conference play this week with a 25-13 win over Heritage (Ark.). Lopez-Durman led the attack with 30 carries for 224 yards and two touchdowns.

Layne Seago, Houston
Houston got a pretty balanced attack in a 42-7 win over Catholic on Friday. Seago’s numbers were solid with 9 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown to lead Houston in rushing yards. What I really want to point out is that Seago might have the most unique two-way starting assignment in the area, as the 6-foot, 210-pound bruiser pulls double duty as a running back and nose guard.

Will Eichelberger, East Newton
East Newton had Lamar on upset alert on Friday taking a halftime lead and quarterback Will Eichelberger was a big reason why. He connected on 20-for-37 passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 loss to Lamar. The Patriots may have lost the game, but showed they have the potential to compete well in the Big 8 this season.

Cade Spiva, Neosho
Spiva did it both through the air on the groud for Neosho in a 40-27 win over Kickapoo. Spiva threw for 179 yards on 14-for-28 completions. On the ground, he carried it 16 times for 96 yards and four touchdowns. Denver Welch was strong for Neosho as well with 22 carries for 163 yards and a touchdown. Through two games, Spiva has 657 combined yards passing and rushing and eight total touchdowns.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH THIS WEEK

Joplin at Nixa

Nixa goes into this game as the favorite, but Joplin is going to give Nixa its best shot with district seeding on the line in this one. The winner of this game stands a very good chance to host throughout the district playoffs. It is a chance for another signature win for Class 6 No. 5 Nixa and Class 6 No. 9 Joplin’s chance to stake a claim as a contender in Class 6. Nixa’s secondary might be in for more of a test against Joplin with the Eagles having 361 yards passing (on 38 attempts) and 262 yards rushing (on 82 attempts) through two games.

Mountain Grove at Ava

On paper, this one is a winless Mountain Grove team traveling to face an undefeated Ava team. There is a lot more to it than that. The Panthers have a pair of losses to Class 2 state title contender Fair Grove and an eight-point loss to Highland (Ark.) which is also 2-0. There is also the subplot of Mountain Grove head coach Dan Swofford returning to Ava where he built the program into a small-school power and led them to a state runner-up finish in 2019. Ava’s head coach Casey Merrifield served as a longtime assistant under Swofford. There will be few surprises in this game. The clock may run the entire game. Ava comes in with an 88-10 run-to-pass split led by Hunter Adams and his 41 carries for 304 yards and five touchdowns. Mountain Grove has a 74-17 run-to-pass split led by quarterback Aden Estep’s 36 carries for 242 yards and three touchdowns. He has also thrown for 107 yards.

Neosho at Lebanon

This game is extremely intriguing to me. Lebanon is winless, but the Yellojackets have played two tough games opening with Webb City at home and Joplin on the road. Neosho has shown it is much improved led by quarterback Cade Spiva mentioned above. Neosho has outscored Glendale and Kickapoo by a combined 91-40. Jax Glendenning leads the Lebanon running attack with 58 carries for 405 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Republic at Ozark

This game will tell us a lot about hierarchy in the middle of the COC. Both teams have had dominant wins with Ozark beating Willard 55-13 and Republic taking down Waynesville 35-9. Both have suffered losses to two teams in Carthage and Nixa who look like they are poised to be at the top of the conference this season. This will be a game I am closely paying attention to on Friday.

Lafayette County at Warsaw

This is in the very northern part of our coverage area, but it is a huge opportunity for Warsaw to show it is ready to compete at the top of Class 2. The Wildcats got a big win over then-Class 1 No. 2 Adrian last Friday. Now they get a shot at Class 2 No. 4 Lafayette County. The Huskers are winners of three straight district titles with a 35-4 record over that span. These teams have played each of the past three seasons with Lafayette County winning all three, but Warsaw cut the deficit to five at 27-22 last season.

FULL WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

FRIDAY
Stockton at Ash Grove
Mountain Grove at Ava
Branson at Bolivar
Fair Grove at Buffalo
Willow Springs at Cabool
Smith-Cotton at Camdenton
Marshfield at Carl Junction
Logan-Rogersville at Central
Cassville at East Newton
Hollister at Forsyth
Carthage at Glendale
West Plains at Hillcrest
Webb City at Kickapoo
Tipton at Lamar
Neosho at Lebanon
Crest Ridge at Lincoln
Jasper at Lockwood
Skyline at Marionville
Aurora at Monett
McDonald County at Mt. Vernon
Seneca at Nevada
Greenfield at NH Christian
Joplin at Nixa
Liberal at Osceola
Republic at Ozark
Lighthouse Christian at Parkview
El Dorado Springs at Pleasant Hope
Clever at Reeds Spring
Houston at Salem
Pierce City at Sarcoxie
Cole Camp at Sherwood
Diamond at Southeast (Kan.)
Strafford at Springfield Catholic
Lafayette County at Warsaw
Willard at Waynesville

SATURDAY
Thayer at Liberty

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