Southwest Missouri's top high school football performers of Week 6
Here are our top performers from the fifth week of the 2023 high school football season.
The best way to get nominated in these weekly articles is by tweeting your stats at sports reporter Wyatt Wheeler at @WyattWheeler_NL or by emailing him at wwheeler@news-leader.com on the night of the game or before 8 a.m. on Saturdays.
Kellen Lair, Fair Grove
There are few in NFL history — Devin Hester, Prime Time and Tyreek Hill among others — who you think can score every time they touch the ball because of their blazing speed and playmaking abilities. Lair is one of those players at the high school level as someone who can slip through a defender and accelerate past every player on the field. He had more than 200 all-purpose yards in Fair Grove's 49-14 win over Strafford and three touchdowns, giving him 25 total this year.
More: Week 6 Southwest Missouri high school football takeaways and scores
Silas Morton, Strafford
Morton is a big, physical back who defenders don't want to tackle. He has great speed for his size and can make cool plays happen in the open field. He couldn't lead his team to victory but Strafford still enjoyed seeing him run for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Strafford's best play was when the ball was in his hands.
Wyatt Woods, Republic
Republic desperately needed a win to stay in Central Ozark Conference contention and it got it behind its star quarterback. Woods rushed for just more than half of Republic's 413 yards on the ground. He scored two touchdowns while leading an offense that maintained possession for about three-quarters of the game.
Kanon Krol, Republic
Woods wasn't the only one putting up big numbers for the Tigers. His running mate, Krol, rushed for just over 150 yards and found himself in the endzone three times to lead Republic past Joplin.
More: What it took for Fair Grove football to avenge its loss to Strafford from a year ago
Jack Cheaney, Nevada
The area's leading rusher added to his big totals as Nevada cruised to yet another dominant win. He went for 199 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers' 44-21 win over Cassville.
Gavin Smith, Lebanon
The Yellowjackets' quarterback was the one doing most of the scoring on Friday night. In a 44-21 win over Glendale, the senior rushed for 177 yards and five touchdowns to help keep Lebanon unbeaten.
Dylan Rebura, Nixa
Another week, another big performance on the ground for one of the many talented Nixa running backs. This week, Rebura put on the show as he rushed for three touchdowns in the Eagles' 47-0 win over Carl Junction.
More: 2023 Southwest Missouri high school football conference standings
Kade Durnin, Camdenton
Durnin is a fixture in these articles. He tossed another four touchdowns and rushed for one as Camdenton sent a statement in a 34-15 win at Bolivar. The Lakers look like the OC's last hope to knock off an incredibly good Lebanon squad.
Jackson Marrs, Seneca
Seneca put up 54 points against the defending Class 3 state runners-up. Marrs, maybe the best two-way player in the Ozarks, went for 115 yards and scored four touchdowns in the 54-21 win over Reeds Spring.
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: Southwest Missouri high school football top performers of Week 6
