30 bold predictions heading into the 2023 southwest Missouri high school football season

We can already imagine the unique football sweat stench on the high school football sidelines as we near the different jamborees taking place across the Ozarks on Friday night.

We went through and gave 30 bold predictions when it comes to our area high school football teams and what's in front of them heading into the year.

Lamar will win state this season

There's a chip on Lamar's shoulder going into this year with Seneca getting the hype it's received. That's dangerous for everyone and this seems like a year Lamar gets over the hump and wins a state title after finishing as a runner-up in recent years. Even with the long list of graduations, we've seen this program insert players who are ready to compete for championships. This will be Jared Beshore's greatest work yet.

Glendale's Kellen Lindstrom's stats will reflect his Tennessee commitment

Lindstrom is a special prospect and earned his offer and commitment to Tennessee — although his sack totals and other numbers haven't been as shiny as some recent Glendale standouts including now-Missouri State edge rusher Cooper Roy. That will change this year with Lindstrom fighting through double teams and coming away as the area's sack leader.

Marionville's Hugh Eaton will emerge as the top small school player in the Ozarks

Numbers are there to be had for Eaton as he steps into a starring role in the Marionville offense. An explosion of rushing numbers along with being one of the area's best linebackers should make him a Dominant Dozen-level player come the end of the year when that's a tough thing to do out of a Class 1 program.

Nixa's Spencer Ward will lead the area in tackles

There's not a player who plays faster than Ward in the area and it's going to continue to make him a tackle machine. He's going to end the season with the most tackles and he'll surely receive a handful of FCS offers throughout the year. It wouldn't be a surprise if he's reunited with his brother at Missouri State.

Nevada's Talan Chandler will be the News-Leader's first two-time Dominant Dozen offensive lineman

Chandler moved to the area last year and dominated the unfortunate defensive linemen across from him. That shouldn't change with the Colorado commit coming back for another year in a Tigers uniform. He'll be a Dominant Dozen player at the end of the year and would be in the News-Leader Player of the Year conversation if we decided to consider players from the Joplin region.

Central will win nine games... including at least one in the playoffs

The Bulldogs have a similar build to their schedule from last year when they had their best season in decades. With their returners and better play on the offensive line, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Central win more and at least one playoff game when it plays tougher Class 5 competition.

Lebanon goes undefeated in the Ozark Conference

There doesn't seem to be a team that's quite at the level that Lebanon is right now in the Ozark Conference. With its returners, how good its offensive line always is and departures from other teams, the Yellowjackets are more than deserving of their preseason praise.

Reeds Spring's Blandy Burall will lead the Ozarks in passing

Burall is the best returning quarterback in the area and he's going to launch the ball deep down the field to James Dowdy and other dangerous Wolves receivers this season. Big numbers are headed Burall's way when there are questions at Glendale's quarterback position and when other offenses aren't as willing to throw the ball down the field as much as Reeds Spring is. Burall's growth has been tremendous and he should have an outstanding year.

Republic will win its district

As long as the Tigers are in Class 5 and don't get bumped up a level, this should be a special year for them.

Ava's one regular season loss will come to undefeated Mountain View

The Bears should have a resurgence after being banged up a year ago. Overcoming Mountain View will be another challenge in what should be a South Central Association championship game.

Nixa, Joplin, Republic will split the Central Ozark Conference

All three should be really good this year. It's difficult to see any team running through the COC this year undefeated.

The Big 8 East will come down to the final week of the season with Reeds Spring topping Mount Vernon

This game was a thriller last year to close out the regular season. We have the Wolves coming out on top at the end with both teams meeting undefeated in conference play right before the playoffs.

Kickapoo will still have a dominant defense despite graduations

The Chiefs won't be as dominant on defense but they're still going to be very good. A good defense should have Kickapoo competing with the likes of Glendale, Camdenton and West Plains for the No. 2 spot in the OC behind Lebanon.

Reeds Spring's James Dowdy will be the area's leading receiver

Dowdy has arguably the best quarterback in the area throwing him the ball. He's going to have even more chances down the field for big-time plays after he shined in the Reeds Spring offense last year as a junior.

Glendale will peak at the end of the season, win at least two playoff games

The Falcons will have a much-better end than they did a year ago by playing their best football at the end of the year and then winning at least two playoff games. In recent years, the Falcons have been in a district with fellow OC members Lebanon and Camdenton which has posed problems. A championship appearance against the Yellowjackets is what we're going with.

Logan-Rogersville's Cameron Wray will have over 600 receiving yards

Wray does a lot of things for the Wildcats that are similar to what J.J. O'Neal did for them a few years ago. He doesn't play quarterback nor is he quite as athletic (few high school athletes in the area have been in recent years) but his length and speed should keep him as a top-tier defensive back in the area. This year, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him add more receiving yards to his game and turn into an area leader with Thessen Prenger back at quarterback.

The area's best Class 6 team will have to go through Lee's Summit North again in the playoffs

It's almost a certainty that the top Class 6 team to emerge from the Ozarks, whether it's Nixa, Joplin or Kickapoo, will have to meet up with Lee's Summit North in the postseason. The Broncos should be seen as a state championship favorite at the Class 6 level with Division I players all over the field — including the No. 1 player in the nation, an edge rusher who helped the Broncos beat Nixa in the playoffs last season.

Strafford will come out on top in the Mid-Lakes

Jourdyn Edelstein will be the best quarterback in the conference for the next two years. He gives Strafford a title in what is a young conference in 2023.

Seneca's Jackson Marrs will win the rushing title

Marrs might be the Luke Gall of the 2023 high school football season in the area. He's our pick for the rushing title and he's one of the best linebackers in the region.

Marionville wins another Southwest Conference championship

Marionville's success hasn't been around one player. Even after losing a star quarterback, the Comets are in a great position to run it back once again.

Willard, Ozark both make jumps in the COC

These two Tigers programs won't necessarily jump into the championship-contender conversation but they're going to be better. Willard has one of the best quarterbacks in the area while Ozark has a new coaching staff that has had success at its prior spot. Look for these two to be more competitive while being better than what they were a year ago.

Glendale's Rex Deters emerges as a top WR in the Ozarks

Deters was on track to be the quarterback for the Falcons until Mabins moved in. That won't change how important Deters is to this team as he'll be a go-to in the passing game. He'll be a name to know this year and next.

Lebanon will make the state semifinals

How far will the Lebanon hype train go? It can go pretty deep into the postseason and you're seeing what might be a weaker side of the bracket once the Yellowjackets get out of their district. With Carthage and Webb City expected to take small steps back, that leaves an experienced Lebanon team taking on someone like Republic who is still on the rise and gaining that postseason experience. Lebanon's style fits winning these types of games in November.

Nixa's Jackson Cantwell will make the Dominant Dozen — and will for the next three years

We put Cantwell in the "players who will make us regret leaving them out of the Dominant Dozen" story and he probably will. Still a bit raw as an offensive lineman, it's time to see Cantwell turn into an all-state caliber player who earns his way into our top honors. He's one of the top sophomore recruits for a reason and a spot in the Dominant Dozen this year will put him in there for the remainder of his career.

Ava's Hunter Adams will be a top 5 rusher

Adams' revenge tour will make him one of the best running backs in the area. We can see him finishing in the top five and maybe even challenging for the top spot at the end of the year.

Kickapoo's Paxton Wehner will emerge as a News-Leader All-Ozarks player

Wehner is a bit of an underappreciated tight end and is someone who can make his name known on the defensive side. He's going to be an important piece with the departures from the Kickapoo team and he's likely to make his name known by the end of the year.

Webb City, Carthage will still be in the top half of the COC

Being counted out a little bit going into the year probably won't bode well with two of the Joplin-area COC teams that are used to contending for championships every year. We expect them to be in the top half of the league and be competitive with those we've labeled as the conference favorites.

Mount Vernon will make the state quarterfinals

The Mountaineers are trending in the right direction. Although we have them falling in a Big 8 East title game at the end of the year, we expect a run in the playoffs that could have them beating the likes of Seneca, Hollister and others if they are in their typical Class 2 district. The Mountaineers should look like the Mountaineers we got used to during the last decade.

Camdenton will find its groove later in the season, setting up for future seasons

The Lakers have some new names on the coaching staff and on the field. It might take a little bit to get it all down but Camdenton will eventually find it. The late-season performances from the Lakers should put them back in the conversation for an OC title come 2024.

Republic's Wyatt Woods will be the News-Leader's Player of the Year

An excellent dual-threat quarterback on a team that is expected to compete for a Central Ozark Conference championship, Woods is our preseason pick for the News-Leader Player of the Year. He has top-tier weapons at his disposal when he wants to throw and he might be counted on a little bit more in the ground game following a few graduations of ball-carriers. Woods has the talent to be the best player in the Ozarks this year.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 30 Southwest Missouri high school football bold predictions for 2023