Week 3 Southwest Missouri high school football takeaways and scores
Week 3 featured a few key conference showdowns while setting up a few of the biggest games of the year heading into the fourth week of the 2023 season. Here's what we took away from Friday night.
Emotional night at Kickapoo featured class from both sides
A football game between a pair of undefeated Ozark Conference programs wasn't the No. 1 thing on the minds of many who sat in the crowd and some of the students who lined up alongside each other around the track and along the endzone.
Kickapoo High mourned the loss of longtime teacher Amy Barron, who died unexpectedly just hours before the start of class Tuesday.
More: Kickapoo High rallies to support family of teacher, cheer coach who died unexpectedly
Dancers and cheerleaders wiped away tears throughout a pregame reading by the public address announcer who remembered a teacher who was beloved by the school. Many wore T-shirts reading "Be the sunshine," a phrase Barron often said. A moment of silence was held before hundreds of balloons were released into the Ozarks sky.
On the opposing sideline, Lebanon coach Will Christian and others wore black T-shirts with a "28" across the chest in Kickapoo yellow instead of Yellowjacket gold. The number represented the Kickapoo jersey worn by Lawson Peck who is one of Barron's three sons.
"We're all family in this thing," Christian said. "This is high school football and it's a lot bigger than just a game. We're talking about a kid who's dealing with the loss of a mother and he lost his father a year ago. I mean, come on. It's way bigger than football. Our hearts go out to him and we just wanted to make sure he knew that he was in our prayers and hearts."
Conference championship in Week 4? Lebanon vs. Bolivar could decide Ozark Conference
On the football field, Lebanon left no doubt who the frontrunner in the Ozark Conference is after a 34-0 win over the Chiefs. The Yellowjackets had been touted as one of the area's best all offseason and have proven to be so through three weeks of the regular season.
An unexpected challenger, however, has emerged as Bolivar is now 3-0 after a 48-0 win over Parkview. The Liberators are coming off a 5-7 season and are in their first under head coach Jamie LaSalle.
More: Why Lebanon football's historic rushing attack keeps on rolling
Lebanon has the most impressive win by shutting out a Kickapoo offense that was averaging over 50 points per game entering the night. However, the Yellowjackets haven't had to face much adversity and that first taste could come against the Liberators.
Bolivar had to scratch and claw for its first win of the season when it scored a game-winning touchdown in the last minute to beat West Plains (2-1) to start the season. The Zizzers can't be counted out in this race as it's bounced back with two-straight wins and visit Rolla (0-2) next week.
Webb City isn't dead in the Central Ozark Conference. Here's what happened.
In a must-win game, Webb City (2-1) dominated in a 42-21 win over Republic (2-1) to stay alive in what should be an awesome Central Ozark Conference race.
Webb City took advantage of four lost fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt to avenge its postseason loss to the Tigers back in November. The Cardinals limited the Tigers to just 193 yards of offense with only five coming through the air.
So the Cardinals are alive and well. They have a chance to climb themselves back into the championship race despite a 14-7 loss to Nixa (3-0) to open the season. The Eagles earned a 34-28 win over Carthage (0-3) on Friday night.
More: 2023 Southwest Missouri high school football conference standings
Joplin (3-0) has been impressive through three weeks as it has figured something out defensively after allowing 26.3 points per game a year ago when it really struggled against the best teams in the league. A 28-0 win over Ozark (1-2) kept the Eagles unbeaten despite being without star players Quin Renfro, Dontrell Holt and Hobbs Gooch.
The success Willard (2-1) has had early in the season also can't be ignored. It's tied its win output from the last two years combined after a 21-6 win over Branson (1-2). The Tigers, however, have a tough schedule ahead with trips to Republic and Nixa along with a home game against Webb City still on the schedule. They lost 28-14 to Joplin last week.
Central Ozark Conference race
T1. Nixa, 3-0
T1 Joplin, 3-0
T3. Webb City, 2-1
T3. Republic, 2-1
T3. Willard, 2-1
The next premier game in the COC will come next week when Joplin travels down the road to Webb City. This might be the Cardinals' best shot at getting back in the title race when Joplin follows with a home game against Nixa before visiting Republic.
There are a few really good games coming up in the COC and we can't wait.
We're getting our undefeated Seneca vs. undefeated Lamar showdown
When schedules were released, you immediately circled the matchup between Seneca and Lamar in Week 4 as one that had the potential to be the best game of the year.
Both will enter Week 4 unbeaten after Lamar's 40-7 win over Monett and Seneca's 44-0 victory over Cassville.
Seneca still hasn't allowed a point all year and it has to feel like its time is now after knocking off the Tigers 36-33 a year ago to take home the Big 8 West. It surely much rather have won the postseason rematch the two had weeks later when Lamar won 56-14 in the Class 2 semifinals before finishing as the state runner-up.
We hesitate to call this a Big 8 West championship right now. Nevada and McDonald County both look great and like teams that can come up with an upset against either powerhouse.
These are the top two football teams in the Ozarks this season and the winner will be circled as a state championship favorite. Buckle up because this is going to be awesome.
Fair Grove, Forsyth set up key Mid-Lakes clash for next week
The reigning Mid-Lakes champs will travel to Fair Grove (3-0, 1-0) who appear to be their biggest challenger at this point in the season.
Forsyth (3-0, 1-0) cruised to a 55-0 win over Clever (0-3, 0-1) on Friday night while Fair Grove continued to look like it was back to its dominant self after a 68-0 win at Skyline (0-3, 0-1)
The Panthers took last year's matchup in a 45-44 thriller en route to claiming their first-ever Mid-Lakes championship. Fair Grove had a young roster that appears to have taken a big step this year, led by Kellen Lair and the insane season he's had so far.
You can't pencil this game in as a Mid-Lakes title game with Strafford (1-2, 0-0) also looking like a legitimate threat despite losing to two tough opponents over the last two weeks. Fair Grove and Strafford are due to play in Week 6.
Fair Grove will be the best team Forsyth has played this season so far. The Panthers will likely be without standout Braxton Gross who is rehabbing an injury he obtained opening week.
Quick thoughts
Marionville didn't play on Friday night but it looked like a winner. The dominant 36-0 win for Stockton over Ash Grove makes the Comets' 12-7 win over the Tigers look like one that could've been for the Southwest Conference title. The Comets are in a great spot to continue their reign over the league.
As has been the case in recent years, the Big 8 West has dominated the East. McDonald County's 16-0 win over Logan-Rogersville continued to hammer in the point. The Big 8 West has four teams at the top that look elite. Next week's showdown between Logan-Rogersville and Mount Vernon will be one to watch when the Mountaineers look like the current favorite in the East.
Ava's spot atop the South Central Association is looking stronger after this week. Mountain View knocked off Thayer to kick off SCA play. Cabool and Houston appear to be the Bears' two biggest challengers and those two will play next week.
We had a few bounce-back performances from a few of the area's best. Reeds Spring beat up Catholic 47-0. Glendale rebounded from its loss to West Plains by beating Rolla 14-13.
Week 3 results
Thursday
West Plains 45, Hillcrest 12
Friday
Lebanon 34, Kickapoo 0
Glendale 14, Rolla 13
Bolivar 48, Parkview 0
Fort Scott (Kansas) 42, Central 12
Reeds Spring 47, Catholic 0
Nixa 34, Carthage 28
Joplin 28, Ozark 0
Fair Grove 68, Skyline 0
St. Francis Borgia 42, Strafford 7
Webb City 42, Republic 21
Willard 21, Branson 6
McDonald County 16, Logan-Rogersville 0
Camdenton 52, Waynesville 28
Mount Vernon 38, Aurora 0
Ava 38, Mountain Grove 14
Carl Junction 32, Neosho 24
Seneca 44, Cassville 0
Stockton 36, Ash Grove 0
Nevada 47, East Newton 19
Marshfield 56, Hollister 35
Mountain View 36, Thayer 16
Sarcoxie 49, Pierce City 13
Lamar 40, Monett 7
Diamond 45, Russellville 15
Houston 41, Salem 13
Forsyth 55, Clever 0
Buffalo 32, El Dorado Springs 26
Cabool 66, Willow Springs 6
Saturday
Marionville @ Lighthouse
Week 4 schedule
Thursday
Hillcrest @ Glendale
Friday
Kickapoo @ Waynesville
Camdenton @ Parkview
Marionville @ Central
Catholic @ Aurora
Nixa @ Branson
Willard @ Ozark
Republic @ Neosho
Forsyth @ Fair Grove
Strafford @ Clever
Mount Vernon @ Logan-Rogersville
Bolivar @ Lebanon
Rolla @ West Plains
Carl Junction @ Carthage
Ash Grove @ Pierce City
East Newton @ Cassville
Seneca @ Lamar
Marshfield @ Monett
Stockton @ Sarcoxie
Hollister @ Reeds Spring
Nevada @ McDonald County
Ava @ Mountain View
Skyline @ Buffalo
Joplin @ Webb City
Houston @ Cabool
Mountain Grove @ Willow Springs
Diamond @ Miller
El Dorado Springs @ Versailles
Thayer @ Salem
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 area high school football scores, takeaways from Week 3
