Takeaways from Ozarks High School Football from the 2022 District Championships

Southwestern Missouri has a handful of teams that will play the state quarterfinal round, with some showing they are destined to go further into the semifinals next week. Here are our takeaways from Friday night’s games.

Lebanon races on Camdenton for District Championship

Camdenton might have won the regular season game convincingly, but the Yellowjackets came back and did it when it mattered most.

A 55-14 victory for Lebanon over Camdenton propelled the Yellowjackets to the Class 5 quarter-finals where they will host Carthage next week. An incredible 487 rushing yards as a team helped the Jackets win their third straight district title.

Cade Muscia stood out for Lebanon rushing for 235 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. Quarterback Gavin Smith also had a big night rushing for 64 yards and four scores.

After:After putting Nixa football back on the map, the seniors couldn’t help but smile after their final game

The biggest difference between the Week 8 game and the championship game was Lebanon’s defense which limited the Lakers to just 44 yards on the ground while creating three interceptions. In Game 1, Camdenton had 204 yards and five touchdowns on his rushing offense.

It is Lebanon playing at their highest level at the right time. Since allowing Camdenton 45 points in their first game, the Jackets have allowed a combined 40 points over the last four games. This group has it all figured out and should have a blast when they play Carthage next week.

Reeds Spring dominated en route to first district title since 1997

How do you slow down one of the hottest teams in the state that has won its last seven games by averaging 44 points on offense heading into a district championship? By having the defense of Reeds Spring.

Wolves dominated their way to their first District Championship title since 1997 with a 35-6 win over Osage on Friday night. They’re screaming their way to their first state quarterfinal appearance since 1980 and will travel to Boonville (8-4) next week.

After:Here are the best Ozarks high school football players of the 2022 District Championships

Tight end and star defensive end Caden Wiest had three touchdowns in the first half en route to the win. There is no doubt that his presence has been felt on the defensive side, where he is at his best, with teams running away from him and into the arms of some of the other best defenders in the region.

A trip to Boonville will take place next week when the Pirates lost to Osage 40-13 on October 7. The Pirates have been a little inconsistent all season until this recent four-game streak that was all won against teams with losing records. There’s plenty to be excited about with this Reeds Spring team and the potential to go even further.

Marionville made one more game

The Comets left no doubt on the field that they are the best small school in the region when they came away with a 46-16 win over Cabool to advance to the state quarterfinals. For the first time in this remarkable three-year streak, Marionville is 12-0 and will be playing a 13th game.

It wasn’t even close from the start as the Comets took a 34-0 halftime lead over a Bulldogs side that has been on fire in recent weeks. It’s the second week in a row that the Comets have taken a break with a lead of more than 20 points.

After:Republic football’s dream season ends with District Championship loss to Carthage

Marionville will follow by going to Adrian who is 10-2 this season and playing almost evenly with mainstream football this season. Adrian allows less than 10 points per game and has four shutouts to his resume. A 29-18 win over Butler followed two straight 41-0 wins to start the playoffs.

Marionville is now 34-2 over the past three seasons. We’ll see how many wins the Comets can add when they play as well as anyone in the state right now.

West Plains have found their offense and will get a rematch in the state quarterfinals

Since being held to six points on Sept. 30 in a loss at Kickapoo, the Zizzers have found their offense. They have yet to score less than 35 points in a game since, while averaging 48 per game.

In a 45-0 victory over Bolivar, which limited the Zizzers to 16 points in the first week of the season, West Plains showed that they are now a force to be reckoned with.

The Class 4, District 6 champions will now turn around and host a Hannibal team that ended the West Plains season last year in a 35-26 game. The Pirates finished second in the state.

This year, Hannibal has been on fire since the start of the season 1-2 and he hasn’t lost since. A 42-21 win over Jefferson City marked the first time the Pirates have faced each other in over 20 years.

The game will be a clash between two explosive Missouri State point guards, Heston Miller, and four-star junior running back Hannibal Aneyas Williams, who has offers from almost everyone, including Alabama, Our Dame, Ohio State and Arkansas, among others.

Mountain View and Seneca highlight region’s quarterfinal week

While there have been instances of area teams taking revenge on conference opponents, that was not the case in Mountain View (Liberty)’s dominating 42-6 win over Mountain Grove on Friday night. . The Eagles haven’t allowed more than eight points in a game in the past four weeks and are yet to allow more than 16 in a game this season.

They will now be paired with Seneca who has the best Class 2 win in the state with their Week 4 win over Lamar.

It wasn’t so easy for Seneca to qualify for what is one of the highest-profile non-conference matchups the region will see this season. Seneca found themselves 14-0 up early in the game and had to battle their way to a 25-21 win over Mount Vernon.

These two have been at or near the top of the region’s power rankings all season. Seeing the Big 8 West champion take on the South Central Association champion will be tough to beat.

Quick hits on other District Championship games

Lamar 56, Fair Grove 6 – The Tigers rushed for more than 500 yards in their dominating win over the Eagles.

Center 35, Nevada 13 – The undefeated Yellowjackets ended Nevada’s season in dominant fashion. A senior group that went 0-10 as freshmen became one of the best teams in the Ozarks during their senior years.

Carthage 28, Republic 14 – Luke Gall was back and scored two touchdowns in the game. Cooper Jadwin also scored two goals while being the go-to guy in Carthage’s attack. A great season for a Rising Republic program has come to an end. James Rexroat caught a pair of touchdowns from Wyatt Woods.

Lee’s Summit North 24, Nixa 10 – When the Broncos needed a play, they threw the ball to Isaiah Mozee who finished the game with a pair of touchdowns. LSN forced Nixa to two interceptions and limited Ramone Green to 78 yards on the ground.

Results of the departmental championship

Class 1, District 3

• No. 1 Marionville 46, No. 6 Cabool 16

Class 2, District 3

• #1 Mountain View (Liberty) 42, #2 Mountain Grove 6

Class 2, District 4

• #1 Seneca 25, #2 Mount Vernon 21

Class 2, District 5

• No 1 Lamar 56, No 3 Fair Grove 6

Class 3, District 6

• No. 1 Spring Reeds 35, No. 2 Osage 6

Class 4, District 6

• No 1 West Plains 45, No 2 Bolivar 0

Class 4, District 7

• Center #1 35, #3 Nevada 13

Class 5, District 5

• No. 2 Lebanon 55, No. 1 Camdenton 14

Class 5, District 6

• No. 1 Carthage 28, No. 3 Republic 14

Class 6, District 3

• No. 2 Lee’s Summit North 24, No. 1 Nixa 10

Southwest Missouri State quarterfinal matches

The noted playing times were listed on the official MSHSAA website Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Class 5

• Carthage @ Lebanon (Saturday, 2 p.m.)

Class 4

• Hannibal @ West Plains (Friday, 7 p.m.)

Class 3

• Reeds Spring @ Boonville (Saturday, 1 p.m.)

Class 2

• Mountain View (Liberty) @ Seneca (Saturday, 1 p.m.)
• Lamar @ Holden (Saturday, 1 p.m.)

Class 1

• Marionville @ Adrian (Saturday, 1 p.m.)

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist for the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at [email protected] or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He is also a co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.