Week 7 Southwest Missouri high school football takeaways and scores

The seventh week of the 2023 high school football season set the table for what appears to be the biggest week of the regular season. A major upset and a 14-0 slugfest highlighted what went down in Week 7. Here are our takeaways.

What Carthage's upset over Webb City means for the COC race

The night's stunner had major ramifications on the Central Ozark Conference race. The Carthage Tigers, who started the season 0-3, have now won four straight which included Friday night's 20-13 upset over Webb City.

The win showed the growth Carthage has had over the season when it graduated a ton of talent from one of the better teams in the state a year ago. It also opened the door for Nixa to win the Central Ozark Conference title outright next week.

Nixa's 47-14 Thursday night win over Willard kept it at 7-0 when Republic is the only one-loss team in the league with two weeks remaining. Nixa and Republic meet next week. An Eagles win gives them the league outright. A Republic win could to at least a share of the league if it was to also beat Carl Junction (1-6) to conclude the season.

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Nixa was in this spot last season where it could have won the league outright only for Republic to beat the Eagles in overtime in Week 8. The Tigers played a ball-control game, keeping the ball out of Nixa's hands. We've seen the Tigers win with that style multiple times this year and it will be something to watch next week.

Lamar shuts down Nevada to stay alive in Big 8 West

It's hard to call Lamar winning a football game an "upset" but this might have been the closest thing to one for the Tigers. Lamar shut out previously unbeaten Nevada in a 14-0 slugfest on Friday night to stay alive in the Big 8 West title.

If Lamar wins its next two games, it would need Nevada to beat Seneca (8-0) in Week 9 to force what could be a three-way tie for the Big 8 West title.

Not much is more impressive than what Lamar's defense was able to do against a Nevada team that had been running the ball at will against every opponent it's played. Points were hard to come by for both teams and Lamar got the separation it needed with an Ian Ngugi punt return for a score which was all it needed before adding on later in the contest.

More: Southwest Missouri's top high school football performers of Week 7

Camdenton could be Ozark Conference's last hope to knock off Lebanon

The Lakers will take a four-game winning streak into Lebanon where they will try to be the team to pull off what's looked impossible this year — knock-off or even come close to beating the Yellowjackets.

Lebanon won 52-14 against West Plains (3-4) when Camdenton (6-1) beat Hillcrest (0-7) 35-14 to set up what appears on paper to be a title-level tilt in the Ozark Conference.

Camdenton will have to play better next week than it did against Hillcrest. The Lakers turned the ball over a little too much when it had been playing cleaner ball in recent weeks against better teams. Kade Durnin is a good enough quarterback to make big plays and Kyle Eidson has made himself known as one of the better receivers in the area. The defense hasn't given up more than 15 points over the last four weeks.

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Lebanon has just been that good to where we understand any reason for pause heading into the rivalry showdown. The ground game continues to look historic and the combo of Gavin Smith and Jax Glendenning on offense has been one of the two best the Ozarks has to offer this season — can't forget about Seneca's Gavyn Hoover and Jackson Marrs.

If anyone has a shot to knock off Lebanon, we've been saying for weeks that it would be Camdenton. The Lakers are going to have to play a great game to make it happen.

A quick look at next week's loaded schedule

Nixa @ Republic — A Nixa win and it's the outright COC champion. A Republic win and it can win the following week to claim a share of the league along with the Eagles.

Camdenton @ Lebanon — A Lebanon win and it wins at least a share of the Ozark Conference title and could win it outright with a win the following week at Rolla. Kickapoo is still a one-loss team in the OC with Glendale and Bolivar left on the schedule. A Camdenton win can set up a potential three-way share with Lebanon and Kickapoo if the Chiefs beat Glendale in Week 8 and the three were to win in Week 9.

Reeds Spring @ Logan-Rogersville — This is a really good game that could fly under the radar. Logan-Rogersville lost starting quarterback Thessen Prenger to a torn ACL but is still playing really good football. The Wildcats defense hasn't allowed more than 21 points since a Week 2 loss to Lamar. A Reeds Spring win would likely set up a winner-take-all Big 8 East championship game against Mount Vernon in Week 9.

Glendale @ Kickapoo — Everyone will want to know what's going on with the Falcons' quarterback situation when Kylan Mabins might go up against his former team. Cash Newberry saw the bulk of the snaps for the Falcons in their win over Parkview with Mabins getting time throughout. There is a new development in the ongoing legal battle over his eligibility that could play a factor in Mabins' availability against the Chiefs. We'll see.

Clever @ Fair Grove — The Eagles already have at least a share of the Mid-Lakes Conference. They would win it outright with a win over Clever (0-7).

Ash Grove @ Marionville — In simplest terms, the Comets would clinch the Southwest Conference title if they win out. They would win at least a share if they were to beat Ash Grove next week or Miller the week after.

Cabool @ Ava — The Bears would win a share of the South Central Association with a win over Cabool (3-4) or at Willow Springs (0-7). The Bears would win it outright by winning out or with just one win and a Mountain View loss to either Salem or Houston.

Week 7 results

• Kickapoo 45, Rolla 6

• Glendale 44, Parkview 20

• Camdenton 35, Hillcrest 14

• Cassville 42, Catholic 0

• Central 37, Skyline 0

• Nixa 47, Willard 14

• Fair Grove 57, Buffalo 14

• Republic 35, Branson 25

• Lebanon 52, West Plains 14

• Bolivar 42, Waynesville 29

• Joplin 37, Carl Junction 13

• Carthage 20, Webb City 13

• Lamar 14, Nevada 0

• Forsyth 42, Strafford 21

• Reeds Spring 26, Aurora 12

• Logan-Rogersville 41, Marshfield 19

• McDonald County 45, Monett 14

• Mount Vernon 56, Hollister 13

• Seneca 50, East Newton 14

• Marionville 42, Sarcoxie 6

• Houston 69, Willow Springs 15

• Ash Grove 28, Clever 20

• Diamond 23, Stockton 7

• Mountain View 24, Cabool 20

• Mountain Grove 39, Salem 0

• El Dorado Springs 44, Sherwood 8

• Principia 42, Miller 13

• Ava 58, Thayer 24

Week 8 schedule

• Glendale @ Kickapoo

• Bolivar @ Hillcrest

• Parkview @ West Plains

• Central @ Boonville

• Hollister @ Catholic

• Nixa @ Republic

• Branson @ Ozark

• Carl Junction @ Willard

• Lighthouse @ Strafford

• Clever @ Fair Grove

• Reeds Spring @ Logan-Rogersville

• Camdenton @ Lebanon

• Aurora @ East Newton

• Cabool @ Ava

• Carthage @ Joplin

• Neosho @ Webb City

• Waynesville @ Rolla

• McDonald County @ Seneca

• Cassville @ Lamar

• Mountain Grove @ Houston

• Marshfield @ Mount Vernon

• Ash Grove @ Marionville

• Butler @ Forsyth

• Salem @ Mountain View

• Willow Springs @ Thayer

• Sarcoxie @ Diamond

• Pierce City @ Miller

• Stockton @ El Dorado Springs

• Buffalo @ Versailles

• Warsaw @ Skyline

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 7