These Ozarks high school football players will decide district championships this week
A few local teams will take home new hardware after winning district championships this week. There are a few difference-makers who will need big performances for their teams to come out on top while their opponents will surely be keying in on them heading into the week.
Here are the game-changers to know for this week.
Kellen Lair, Fair Grove
Class 2, District 4 vs. Strafford
For as good as Silas Morton has been for Strafford during the second half of the season, Lair has been putting up those types of numbers all year. He's coming off a performance that saw him rush for 297 yards and three touchdowns in addition to his four catches for 123 yards and another pair of scores. Strafford, and everyone else, struggled to contain him when the two met in the regular season. Whether Strafford wraps him up or not will decide this game.
More: All of our 2023-24 Missouri State, high school basketball preseason coverage in one place
Trace Woolridge, Lamar
Class 2, District 5 vs. Adrian
The Tigers haven't allowed more than seven points in a game since they beat McDonald County 49-21 on Sept. 29. We could've named any number of Lamar defensive players as one to watch but we're going to go with Woolridge who is a senior defensive end that was a unanimous pick on the Big 8 West's all-conference team. He was a unanimous pick along with defensive tackle Rourke Dillion, linebacker Khiler Nance and defensive back Ian Ngugi.
Rylin Dickson, Ava
Class 3, District 5 vs. Mountain Grove
Mountain Grove gave the Bears their biggest challenge of the season. The Panthers didn't allow a 100-yard rusher but they did allow Dickson to get loose on his limited carries. He went for 79 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. He's been a home run hitter all year and the Panthers can't allow him to hit one if they want to pull off an upset.
More: Southwest Missouri high school football district semifinals takeaways and scores
Gavin Johnston, Mount Vernon
Class 3, District 6 @ Seneca
If the Mountaineers want to beat Seneca, they're going to need a big game from their quarterback. Lucky for them, he's as hot as ever after throwing for six touchdowns in last week's win over Reeds Spring. We know Johnston has the talent to play at a high level each week. If he keeps it up, this could be an incredible game.
Drake Durham, Bolivar
Class 4, District 6 vs. McDonald County
Durham has been one of the best quarterbacks in the Ozark Conference this year and a solid performance will be needed if the Liberators want to take down McDonald County. The Mustangs have been one of the area's under-the-radar teams because they've played a schedule that includes the likes of Seneca, Lamar, Nevada and Mount Vernon — four of the area's elite teams. Durham can do a little bit of everything from behind center and will need one of his best performances to top McDonald County.
More: Q&A with SPS AD Josh Scott on recent conference realignment, future of Ozarks athletics
Jack Cheaney, Nevada
Class 4, District 7 vs. Carl Junction
Cheaney has been held to under 100 yards once and it came in a 14-0 loss to Lamar. Against the best running teams in the Central Ozark Conference, Carl Junction held Joplin's Quin Renfro to 136 yards, Republic to rush for 277 combined yards and Nixa to go for 290. The Bulldogs are going to have to stop the run if they want any chance.
Jax Glendenning, Lebanon
Class 5, District 6 vs. Republic
A great matchup between Lebanon and Republic will come down to whether the Tigers can tackle. We've seen them have some struggles but they've been better as of late. Getting Glendenning to the ground is easier said than done as he's gone for 100 or more yards in all but one game this season. The Yellowjackets have a few ball-carriers Republic will need to bring down as Branson almost came away with an upset last week but allowed 368 rushing yards and the second-half rally.
Gabe Johnson, Webb City
Class 5, District 7 vs. Carthage
When these two met in Week 7, Carthage came away with a surprising 20-13 victory. The Tigers held the Cardinals to 244 yards of offense which is well below their average of 455.7 yards per outing. Carthage is going to have to do something similar if it wants to come away with another upset. Containing Johnson, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on two carries last week, will be critical. He's a big play waiting to happen and could be the difference in this one.
Quin Renfro, Joplin
Class 6, District 5 @ Nixa
There will be a ton of talent on the field for Nixa's district title game against Joplin but the most impressive player over the last few weeks has been the South Dakota State commit in Joplin's backfield. Nixa's ability to bring down Renfro and not allow him to take over will determine the game. He's rushed for 257 or more yards in each of the last three weeks with a combined 11 touchdowns. He's better than he was against Nixa when they played Sept. 22 when he went for 183 yards and two scores in his first game back from injury. This kid is legit and is one of the better backs we've seen in the area since probably when Isaiah Davis was running for Joplin before he went to SDSU.
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: Springfield high school football district championship players to know
