Just like all the Fall Sports in Missouri, High School Soccer is starting to wind down. The Brackets for the upcoming District Tournaments have been released. The Branson Pirates received the #3 seed in the District that will be held in Ozark and will face the #2 seed, the Tournament Host. That district semi-final game will take place Next Monday Night at 7.
1)Nixa
4)Joplin Monday Oct 24 5:00
2)Ozark
3)Branson Monday Oct 24 7:00
I will have the call of the Branson-Ozark match on this website.
The official brackets will not be released until tomorrow however the order is already set for the Class 3 district that Reeds Spring and Hollister play in.. and they are pretty much the same as I had been projecting.
Reeds Spring will hang on to the number one seed and will get to play at home throughout the District Playoffs. Hollister made a run at Mt Vernon for the four spot but even the win and bonus points for playing up a class were not enough and the Tigers will finish in the fifth spot. Honestly they would have played the Mountaineers either way but were hoping to get them at home instead the game will be on the turf at Mt Vernon. And as expected East Newton finishes in the seventh spot but since they beat Seneca head to head the two will flip spots…. Here is what the seeds will look like and the matchups..
Class 5 is the place where a change could still take place. As of this writing at 12:30 am the only spot up in the are if the 5th seed. Right now Waynesville sits .04 ahead of Central. While going into the week it looked like Branson’s most likely opponent in round one would be the Bulldogs that is up for debate right now. For that to happen only a few of Central’s opponents from this year would have to win Week Nine, but wins by those teams have been few are far between. It could still change so hard to call this one done yet… Something to think about… If Catholic does not block the Reeds Spring Field Goal to beat the Wolves. This is not a question and Central gets the Five. Or if ANY SINGLE ONE of Centrals opponents that lost would have won it would have made a difference…. So, all that being said the way it looks they will still get a winless team but unless their is a change it will be Waynesville…. Also, the Lighthouse Christian Game vs Summit Christian (yes a MSHSAA game) has yet to be posted… But as of now, here is what it looks like…
Districts kick off next Friday
The Reeds Spring Wolves knew they would do no worse than share the COC championship going into last nights game with Springfield Catholic. But, they wanted to win the title all to themselves. However, that was not to be as Catholic claimed the defensive struggle 16-14 in front of a nice crowd at Swisshelm field in Springfield.
Catholic took advantage of a couple of miscues on Reeds Spring punts for two very short scoring drives and let their defense do the rest. Scott McCaulley filed a story at area roundup
Meanwhile, Hollister continued its historic season. After winning a fourth game for the first time in history a week ago, Coach Jacob Hamons ballclub looked to secure a not worse that .500 record for the season. They did so by taking care of business against Marshfield. It also marks the first time the Tigers have not only beaten the Blue Jays but the first time they have taken down a Class 4 Opponent.
Branson saw its regular season come to an end against Webb City. Despite losing three games this season, the Cardinals are still the Cardinals. Branson hang tough early but eventually Webb City eventually pulled away. Branson will still host the first round of districts but as of this writing the opponent is up in the air.. Thought almost assuredly it would be Central, as of the minute I am writing this, Waynesville remains .04 ahead of the Bulldogs for the fifth seed. (in short Central’s opponents from this season have not done as well as expected tonight)
As we head to Week Nine of the High School Football season district seeds for our local teams seem to be pretty much set. But, there is still plenty to play for, this week, for all three teams.
The most notable is Reeds Spring. The Wolves got the big win over Bolivar earlier this season but still needed to run their way through the rest of the season. Now, Springfield Catholic is all that stands in the way of the Wolves and their first ever outright Central Ozarks Conference Title. In case you are wondering the last time Reeds Spring won a league to themselves? Try 1981 in the Green County League.
Catholic will provide a real task for the Wolves. The Irish have improved throughout the season after losing a couple of close games early in the year. They run out of the flexbone, like the Wolves. However they place the quarterback in a pistol formation instead of under center. Containing the QB will be key if Reeds Spring is going to get the win. Tyson Riley is a special athlete. The sophomore makes them go on offense.
For me, its kind of ironic. Most people know I have waited a long time for the Wolves to accomplish this. And to make it happen they will have to finish it off against a team coached by Steve Hancock and Ron Martin. This should be a great football game.
Branson is locked into the number four seed in their six-team district ahead of winless Central and Waynesville. The Pirates will almost assuredly host Central in the opening round of Districts next week. But they have Webb City this week. Its a very good Webb City team but a Webb City team that is in unusual territory for them. The Cardinals will not win the COC and are only 5-3 on the season. If the Pirates could find a way to tack on the fourth loss, it would go a long way for Confidence heading into district play. Who knows what they could do from there?
And, Hollister. The Tigers got the win over Strafford on Senior Night last week and have now won four games for the first time in school history. They set fifth in the district standings but do have an outside chance of moving up to the fourth spot which would mean a HOME GAME in districts, that would be huge. They will most likely play Mt Vernon either way. (Unless Mt Vernon would upset Cassville, but thats a whole different story) Even more important than that a win over Marshfield would give them FIVE and guarantee they finish at at least .500 for the first time.
So lots of things to look at on Friday Night no matter which team you follow. Its hard to believe that we are winding down the season. Make sure you get out this Friday Night and cheer one of these teams on to Victory.
The state football rankings are out for the week and the Reeds Spring Wolves are the lone local team on the list. The Wolves hold steady this week at #10 on the Class 3 list…a matter of fact the whole top ten stayed as it was a week ago.
Class 3
With only one week to go, this will be my final projections for district standings. And has been the case from when I started not a lot of big changes…. Nothing at the top but the bottom three is extremely liquid…
Class 3
Couple of big games to keep an eye on this week. If Mt Vernon were to upset Cassville they will still finish 4th but would automatically jump them because of beating them head to head. That would make a difference in the 2nd round opponent for Reeds Spring. Also, if the standings stay the way they are right now, East Newton would change places with Seneca because they beat them head to head. The thing to keep an eye on at the bottom is the Aurora vs McDonald County game. An Aurora win combined with the bonus for playing up will make things close with EN. Now, Aurora did beat East Newton and in most cases would jump them but since in this instance East Newton would be jumping Seneca so that is a moot point. (in moving position for seeded you go from top to bottom). So the only way the Houn Dawgs will be able to move up is to get the points needed.
Class 5
This one seems to be set.. Ozark-Lebanon is as close as can be, only .1 pts between the two. Knocking down that pass on the two pt conversion in double overtime will be the difference in getting a first round bye and playing winless Waynesville in the first round.
Only one week left before Districts will begin, and for the most part the playoff picture is coming into focus… I will have my projections out in the morning but with the exception of one change they will be very close to the current standings…
class 3
Class 5
A quick look from last night as I make a rare trip to Oklahoma to visit family… and on OU-Texas Saturday at that.
The Reeds Spring Wolves have clinched no worse than a share of the Small Central Ozarks Conference Championship after they defeated Buffalo Friday Night at Buffalo High School. My short write-up can be found at Wolves win again
Meanwhile Hollister stepped out of conference and defeated Strafford 25-21 on Senior Night at Tiger Stadium. The win was the fourth victory of the season for the Tigers. It marks the first time the the programs history that have reached that mark. They complete an undefeated mark on the non-conference portion of their schedule for the first time as well. The Tigers will go for win number five and a chance to possibly earn a home district game when they travel to Marshfield on Friday.
Branson came up short in their bid to win their third consecutive game. Willard defeated the Pirates 28-0 at Pirates Stadium. Branson will face Webb City on Friday before hosting the first round of districts the following week.
The Reeds Spring Wolves have made their way into the Class 3 State Football rankings according to the latest Media Poll. Reeds Spring checks in at #10 replacing John Burroughs from last weeks poll.
Reeds Spring is 6-1 on the season and faces Buffalo on Friday Night.
Rankings are as follows…
With two regular season games to go most positions in the district standings seem to be close to set with a couple of interesting possibilities to change stuff. Both the Class 3 and Class 5 area districts have some important games in the middle and at the bottom of the standings.
Class 3
The top 5 are close to being set. Yes I know that Seneca is only .19 behind Hollister but unlikely to win again, as they have Monett and Lamar the next two weeks. Their only hope is to pass the Tigers because they will get a nice boost from strength of schedule when facing these two. But, also remember that Hollister has a bonus point game coming up when they play Marshfield week 9. Now, the bottom 3 will be interesting because they have beaten each other. If it stays the way it is right now, East Newton would jump to the 6 spot because they beat Seneca head to head. (yes I know Aurora beat East Newton, but the jump goes from top to bottom and only one jump can take place with a team) Now the Patriots and Houn Dawgs each still have a game with McDonald County coming. Taking all of this into account… here is my guess for now.
I am basically saying that Hollister will hold off Seneca for the 5 spot either by winning at least one game or by the bonus being enough.. it will be close so its not guaranteed. At the bottom, anyone knows… I am going with the theory that McDonald County beats East Newton (it would be their first win of the year) and Aurora beats the Mustangs that final week. So to say that my projections are fluid is an understatement.
Now, on to Class 5. This one has been set, in my opinion for a little while. Now, Ozark has made things a little interesting with their win over Webb City. But still not sure they are going to make it to #2. At the bottom, it will be tight, extremely tight. Waynesville is only 2.38 behing Central and they have bonus points coming for playing Kickapoo. I dont think either team will win and both will likely lose by more than 13 both weeks. I am going to say the bounus is not quite enough so Branson will still get to play Central Week 10. Here is how I still see it..
I admit I have made some guesses and assumptions in coming up with this, And while I have been pretty consistent through the weeks, still some big changes could happen. Its all for fun, anyway.
