Southwest Missouri's top high school football performers of Week 8
Here are our top performers from the eighth 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.
Malachi Rider, Nixa
Rider has quickly found a home in the Ozarks after moving to Nixa from Kentucky. He's not a big back but he's hard to bring down and he's going to score multiple touchdowns in just about every game he plays. He scored three touchdowns while rushing for 86 yards in Nixa's thrilling 31-28 win over Republic to win the Central Ozark Conference outright. He now has 18 rushing touchdowns this season and has scored multiple touchdowns in six of eight games.
More: Week 8 Southwest Missouri high school football takeaways and scores
James Rexroat, Republic
Rexroat is almost the "ruh-roh" noise that defenses make when they know they have to defend him. That comparison might be a stretch but Rexroat is a monster and he shined despite coming out on the losing end of a thriller. The Memphis commit caught three passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Whenever Republic needed a big play, the Tigers chucked it deep to their big-bodied receiver and he'd come down with it.
Receiving wasn't all Rexroat did. Down seven in the fourth on fourth down, the Tigers dialed up the Philly Special which saw Rexroat throw the ball to Wyatt Woods for a touchdown when it's usually the other way around. He laughed on the sideline, admitting the pass wasn't very good, but it still counted and was flat-out awesome.
Jax Glendenning, Lebanon
Another week, another Glendenning appearance. He helped Lebanon secure at least an Ozark Conference championship share with his tough yards on the ground and play down the stretch. Glendenning rushed for 160 yards and had ultimately the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He sealed the game on Camdenton's next drive when a batted ball fell into his arms in Lakers territory to seal the deal.
More: How Nixa football claimed its first outright COC title in dramatic fashion at Republic
Chris Daniels, Reeds Spring
Daniels has had a few ridiculous stat lines in recent weeks, which included a Reeds Spring-record 373-yard performance, and he had another big night when he was needed. In a slugfest with Logan-Rogersville, Daniels rushed for 197 yards to help lead the Wolves to a 17-13 win. The Wolves will host Mount Vernon next week in a game that will decide the Big 8 East title.
Quin Renfro, Joplin
Joplin got its first win over Carthage since 2019 and the play from its South Dakota State-bound running back helped make it happen. The back showed why he's headed to the defending FCS national champs with a 226-yard, five-touchdown night against the Tigers.
Russell Roweton, Willard
Roweton has been one of the best quarterbacks in the Ozarks all year and his big arm helped lead the Tigers to a win over Carl Junction. He helped deliver big plays with touchdown passes of 52 and 35. Willard needed every little bit of his big performance in a 22-14 dub over the Bulldogs.
Silas Morton, Strafford
Morton has been insane late in the season. There was nothing Lighthouse Christian could do to slow him down. Morton scored on touchdown runs of nine, 11, 14, 24 and 42 in Strafford's win over the Chargers. He scored five touchdowns as the giant, athletic back is now up to 17 scores on the ground this season.
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 8
