Week 6 was littered with big games heading into a Week 7 that is very top heavy in terms of meaningful games.
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TEAM OF THE WEEK: MV-BT/Liberty
Mountain Grove managed 350 yards on the ground and another 112 through the air, but it was for naught as the Eagles took a commanding control of the SCA and Class 2 – District 3 in a 33-20 win.
Brenton Bush and Marcos Rodriguez each picked off a Carter Otwell pass for Liberty. Bush also hauled in seven balls for 86 yards and a touchdown on offense.
Josh Pruett was again at the middle of everything with 186 yards and two touchdowns through the air to go with 161 and three touchdowns on the ground. This brings his season touchdown total up to 28. His total yards from scrimmage are now above 1,800.
The win makes six in a row for Liberty over its rival Panthers.
The Eagle run defense will have to be stauncher the next time the two face off, and especially in any match up with Lamar.
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FIVE OTHERS THAT STOOD OUT
Carthage
In last week’s column I said this game would determine if Carthage was for real.
It appears the Tigers are after a 35-28 win over Carl Junction. The win, Carthage’s fifth in a row, puts the Tigers in a tie with Nixa for the COC Large lead ahead of their game in Carthage this week.
As it has been most of the season, none of the stats are going to jump off the page at you from the win. Keith Guest completed 8 of his 13 passes for 161 yards. Arkell Smith hauled in three of those passes for 116 yards. Guest rushed 21 times for 68 yards and three touchdowns.
Trey Collins had another solid day with 107 yards and a touchdown behind 20 carries.
Carthage actually lost the turnover battle 2-0 and only outgained Carl Junction 375 yards to 352 yards. Though when the clock hit 0:00, the Blue Tigers did what they had to do to get another win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.
Now Nixa comes to town with sole possession of first place in the COC Large on the line.
Monett
I think Friday’s game will prove to be the biggest regular season game of Monett’s season. The Cubs got all they wanted from Cassville in the Barry County Brawl and came away with a 21-20 win.
What that win did was almost assure the Cubs of a two seed in district play which means the Cubs get a likely district semifinal rematch with Cassville at home. It will be very tough for Monett to catch Reeds Spring for the top overall seed with the Wolves having a nice cushion in points.
Skyline
I don’t quite know what to think of Skyline. The Tigers have played a tough schedule that they are now 3-3 against with 166 points scored against 171 yielded. At the end of the day, all that matters is how they compete against Class 1 teams.
Friday the Tigers handed Class 1 Ash Grove its first loss in a 36-12 win. This moves Skyline to 2-0 against Class 1 schools with a 98-25 margin.
Webb City
Don’t look now, but Webb City has won four games in a row. The latest win came in a 34-10 statement road victory over the previously undefeated Nixa Eagles.
The number that impresses me the most from this win: 19.
That is how many yards the Cardinals held Nixa to on the ground. The Webb City defense has been at the center of the resurgence. On Friday, it was Jordon Rogers leading the way with two sacks and six total tackles.
Offensively, balance ruled the day. Webb City carried the ball 52 times for 249 yards and five touchdowns. The Cardinals threw for another 119 yards. Webb used eight ball carriers with none of them rushing for more than 85 yards. Four different players scored the five rushing touchdowns.
They have outscored opponents 147-31 in the four-game winning streak. Don’t look now, but the Cardinals are just one game out of first place in the COC Large. The two one-loss teams ahead of them will face off this week.
West Plains
The Zizzers beat Lebanon 48-41 for a big time win the program really needed. Offense hasn’t been a problem for the Zizzers this year and it wasn’t again on Friday. Keegan Hoopes continues to be the most productive back in the Ozarks with another 200-yard, three-touchdown game. Landry Randolph finished 8-for-10 passing for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
West Plains now has the tall task of Kickapoo coming to town on Friday.
Player of the Week: Chris Comerford – Sarcoxie
Comerford stepped up in a big way leading Sarcoxie to sole possession of first place in the SRVC with a win 34-18 win over Diamond. He did a bit of everything for the Bears. It started with completing each pass he threw for 69 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball 25 times for 215 yards and a touchdown. To top it off he returned a kickoff from inside his own 10-yard line for a touchdown.
CLICK HERE TO SEE HIS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE GAME
Week 6 Top Plays
10 OTHERS THAT STOOD OUT
Blake Delacruz – Parkview
The future is bright for Parkview and a big reason is Delacruz. The sophomore carried the ball 18 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Glendale.
Sophomore who carried 18 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns
Kyle Doran – Glendale
Glendale rolled by Parkview and Kyle Doran continued to roll up tackles as well. He had 17 solo tackles and 7 assists for 24 total tackles in the win. This brings his season total up to 126 tackles, which it No. 1 in the nation for schools that report to MaxPreps.
Zak Eplin – Salem
Salem pulled off a comeback on Willow Springs for a 33-24 win. The Tigers did much of that on the arm and legs of Zak Eplin. He had four completions for 193 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 20 times for 135 yards for 328 total yards.
Curt Gracey – Ozark
Ozark had to battle after spotting Willard 16 points on their first two touches. Curt Gracey answered the bell with a 52-yard touchdown reception (the 20-second mark of this video). Once Ozark came all the way back to take the lead, he picked off a pass in the end zone to ice the game and give Ozark a 28-24 win (see the interception at the 1:55 mark of this video).
Kyle Hunn – Branson
Branson picked up its first win of the season. Several players stood out including Hunn who had 11 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown in a 48-21 win over Marshfield. The Pirates rolled up 362 yards on the ground and 473 total yards.
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WIN
Caleb Johnson – Ava
Ava thumped Houston on homecoming in a 70-22 win. Caleb Johnson accounted for 343 of Ava’s 515 yards of total offense in the win. He had 273 yards in the first half.
Tyson Riley – Catholic
The sophomore has been a revelation at quarterback for the Irish. He had nine carries for 157 yards and played some solid defense for the Irish in a win over Buffalo.
SEE GAME HIGHLIGHTS BY CLICKING HERE
Sammy Robinson – Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is knowing for the Hadlock-to-Massey connection, but Robinson showed the Mountaineers can do it on the ground as well. He had 15 carries for 221 yards, two touchdowns. Go to the 1:20 mark of the video linked here. He has three runs in a row. On the first and third one, he shows great patience letting his blocks develop and executing. The middle one shows off his pure speed as a hits a hole up the middle and is off to the races.
Connor Sechler – Bolivar
Congratulations to the Liberator quarterback on breaking Rafe Peavey’s Bolivar record for career passing yards. The old record was 5,742. He went 8-for-11 for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Rogersville.
Derek Stephens – Lincoln
Another week, another big Lincoln win. Derek Stephens was the statistical standout with week with 20 carries for 215 yards and four touchdowns in a 58-18 win.
What did Glendale do?
You read about Kyle Doran above. Otherwise, it was business as usual. Alex Huston threw for 406 yards and six touchdowns on 21 completions before leaving with an injury. From there, Von Oeser picked up where he left off completing 12 of 16 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Luke Montgomery caught 8 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns. Jeremy Almeida had 7 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Huston now has 3,078 passing yards and 36 touchdowns on the season. Montgomery has 49 catches for 1,014 yards.
Games of the Week
Nixa at Carthage
Sole possession of first place in the COC Large is on the line in this one. Carthage has been rolling with five consecutive wins.
Even with losing the turnover battle in Week 6, the Tigers are plus-13 in turnover margin this year.
Nixa will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season against Webb City where the Eagles rushed for just 19 yards in the game. The running game should find some success against Carthage as the Tigers are giving up 175 yards per game on the ground against 98 through the air.
Lamar at Valle Catholic
The nation’s longest winning streak will welcome in the state’s second longest winning streak on Saturday.
I am glad these teams agreed to this game as it isn’t easy for outstanding small-class football teams to find games as evidenced by Lamar only having eight total games this season. I like Lamar to win this one, but it is easily one of the biggest games in the state this weekend.
Ozark at Webb City
Ozark wants to run and Webb City wants to stop you from running it. The clock may not stop in this game. The winner stays alive for a shot at a COC Large title while the loser is likely out of the running.
Lockwood at Sarcoxie
Sarcoxie can secure at least a share of the SRVC title with a win over Lockwood who looked good against Pierce City last week.
