Month: December 2016

Two weeks ago I posted an article about the Big Eight expansion possibility.  As of last night that possibility is now a reality.  Reeds Spring became the final school to have its school board accept the invitation to join the league.

The fourteen team league will feature Monett, Cassville, Aurora, Mt Vernon, McDonald County, Lamar, East Newton, Seneca, Nevada, Springfield Catholic, Marshfield, Logan-Rogersville, Hollister, and Reeds Spring.  The teams will be split into two divisions.  The old COC schools will be joined by Mt Vernon and Aurora in the east.  Nevada will join the remaining schools from the current Big Eight in the west.

Final scheduling format details are still being worked out and will be announced in January.  The rumored, most likely scenario for football, seems to be that you will play the teams in your own division and then rotate three teams from the other division.  They have expressed interest in trying to keep some rivalries alive (ie Monett vs Aurora and Monett vs Mt Vernon) so there is a chance that they could come to some kind of “natural rivalry” agreement for one of the cross-over games.

Whatever they end up deciding, its nice for this to finally be done.  I am looking forward to life in the new Big 8.  When you look at it a lot will stay the same for Reeds Spring (and Hollister for that matter).  Most of the division came from the small COC.  The other two are teams that the Wolves have been playing.  They played Mt Vernon twice last year and are scheduled to open with them in 2017.  Aurora is a team that they always seem to play whether they are on the schedule or not.  In addition to being in the same Jamboree the Wolves and Houn Dawgs have played ten of the past eleven years including three straight years in the district playoffs.  So, there will really be nothing new there…

What I am looking forward to are the cross over games.  Lamar might be the best team in the state below Class 5.  All they have done is win 6 straight Class 2 State Championships.  Monett is a team the Wolves have seen a couple of times in recent years and they just won the Class 3 state title.  I have never been to East Newton for football but look forward to it.  Seneca has been up and down lately but Branson folks will remember when the Indians had it rolling.  If you have never been to a game there its a great atmosphere.  The fans are right on top of the field.  Cassville was on the Wolves schedule last year and is again in 2017.  And McDonald County will provide a chance to play a Class 4 school.  Nevada is really a team I know absolutely nothing about.  I do know that will be a long trip when we have to make it.  But maybe not as bad of a drive (road wise) as some of the other places I have already mentioned.

It is a new day without a doubt.  This is a win-win situation for all those involved.  Well, for everyone except Bolivar.  The Libs are left, currently, without a conference home.  And to he honest, not a lot of tears are being shed from league opponents about it.  Buffalo had already joined with some other teams to the north in forming a new conference.

Thing stay the same for the remainder of this year and next year and in 2018 the NEW Big 8 will launch.

Reeds Spring Alum Cooper Gosch made a name for himself as an inside linebacker.  Teaming with Easton Flaugh, the duo made up perhaps the best linebacker tandem in School History and no doubt the finest set of inside backers in SW Missouri their senior seasons.

Flaugh is currently playing at Missouri State, while Gosch made his way to Oskaloosa, IA to play for William-Penn University.  As a sophomore he made his way into the starting lineup this past season.  This year he racked up a total of 53 tackles including 14 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also blocked a kick for the Statesmen.  He had a season high ten tackles against Avila.

It was announced today that he has also been named 2016 Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar Athlete.  Gosch carries a 3.67 GPA majoring in education.

Seedings for the 71st Blue and Gold Tournament were released today.  The Reeds Spring Wolves coming off a victory against Crane last night were given a seed for the first time in recent memory.

The Wolves are the EIGHT seed in the Gold Division and will play host Greenwood.  The tournament starts December 26th and runs for four straight days.  First round Blue Games are at Hammons Student Center and the first round Gold Games are at the JQH Arena.  Winners Bracket games will continue at JQH while the consolation games take place at HSC.

Branson drew #2 Glendale in the first round and Hollister will get to see former coach Duane Hiler and his Mountain Grove Panthers.

BLUE DIVISION

8:30  Marshfield vs 8-Crane

11:00  Mt Vernon vs 1-Republic

12:30 Aurora vs 5- Clever

2:00 Willow Springs vs 4-Parkview

5:00 Spokane vs 7- Mansfield

6:30 Branson vs 7-Mansfield

8:00 Skyline vs 6-Catholic

9:30 Ava vs 3-Hartville

GOLD DIVISION

8:30 Greenwood vs 8-Reeds Spring

11:00 Strafford vs 1-Nixa

12:30 West Plains vs 5-Fair Grove

2:00 Buffalo vs 4-Ozark

5:00 Willard vs 7-Lebanon

6:30 Camdenton vs 2-Bolivar

8:00 Stockton vs 6-Rogersville

9:30 Hollister vs 3-Mtn Grove

Pink and White seeds were released today for the Tournament that will take place on the Drury Campus December 27-31.  And if the seedings are any kind of indication, This is a tournament that you will not want to miss.  Some of the best girls basketball you can see anywhere will be on display.

I was a little surprised to see that Branson could garner no better than a #5 seed.  I guess that might tell you how deep this field is.  Coach Kip Bough’s girls will play in the White division  and play their opening round game at the O’Reilly Family Event Center at 12:30 the opening day of the event.

Its a loaded field, with North Little Rock and Argyle, TX taking the two number one seeds.  You can tell its a stacked field if Kickapoo and Strafford are seeded number two.  But, that’s where the surprise, for me, came in.  Ozark, which Branson beat twice last year (Lady Pirates have four of their five starters back including All-Stater Amanda Kearney) got one of the #3 slots.  I will admit there could easily be something I dont know about.  Perhaps the Lady Tigers got a talented transfer or something.  They have certainly been getting a lot of talk here in the early season.   Don’t get me wrong it could very well be justified.  Small School Power Skyline got the other #3 seed.  Out of the area teams Rockbridge and Mercer, KY took the fourth slots.

The first day lineup looks like this….

WHITE DIVISION

9:30  8-Nixa vs Catholic

11:00  1-North Little Rock vs Parkview

12:30  5-Branson vs Lamar

2:00  4-Rock Bridge vs Aurora

4:30  7- Fair Grove vs Carthage

6:00  2- Kickapoo vs Mt Vernon

7:30 6- Lebanon vs Willard

9:00 3- Skyline vs Central

PINK DIVISION

9:30  8-Spokane vs Glendale

11:00  1- Argyle TX vs Marshfield

12:30  5- Republic vs Bolivar

2:00  4-Mercer KY vs Miller

4:30  7- West Plains vs Buffalo

6:00  2-Strafford vs Hillcrest

7:30  6-Rogersville vs Clever

9:00 3-Ozark vs Camdenton

 

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has released its District Assignments for Girls Soccer for the Spring Season.  There was some speculation that the Branson Girls may end up being the largest school in Class 3.  Instead they will be one of the smallest in Class 4.

The Lady Pirates will be in a district much like the Boys were in this fall.  However Ozark has been replaced by Republic.  So it will be Branson, Nixa, Joplin, and Republic competing for the chance to advance.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has released baseball district assignments for the next two years.

No favors were done for Reeds Spring and Hollister.  The Wolves and Tigers were already in one of the toughest districts in the state.  That district now includes Springfield Catholic.  The Irish will replace Marshfield in the six team field.  In addition to the Wolves, Tigers, and Irish; Aurora, Rogersville, and Mt Vernon will compete for the right to see who advances to the state playoffs.

Branson  finds itself in a District with familiar foes.  The Pirates are joined by Glendale, Kickapoo, Nixa, Ozark, Parkview, and West Plains.

The Forsyth Panthers will join the likes of Clever, Conway, Fair Grove, Spokane and Strafford.

Sites will be announced in the coming days.  The schools in each district vote on the locations.

Adeline Holder will join her older sister on the cross-country team at College of the Ozarks.  The Branson High School Senior signed her Letter of Intent today to become a Running Lady Cat.

Click Below for my interview with Adeline

HolderSigning

Hollister Volleyballer Skyler Bruck has signed a national letter of intent to attend Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.

The signing took place this morning at Hollister high school.  Bruck seems excited about attending the Heart of America Conference School.  She said the she loved the campus when she visited the school and knew it was where she wanted to go.

When I asked what she would remember most about playing at Hollister she talked about her teammates.  Her face lit up as she talked about memories of the times that they have spent together off the court.

She plans to study physical therapy…

Dan Henderson has announced his retirement from the head football coaching position at Branson High School.   A school press-release today indicated that Henderson met with his team this morning to inform them of his decision.

Henderson has spent three years as the head of the Branson Program after replacing long time coach Steve Hancock.  The Pirates were 6-25 the last three seasons.  He won 161 games in his career as a head coach.  He won 12 District titles during his time at Mt Vernon and School of the Osage.  He was named state coach of the year in 2006 and is a member of the Missouri Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

“Dan is a good friend and a good coach,” said David Large, BHS activities director. “I have really enjoyed working with him for the last three years. We feel fortunate that Henderson has been the leader of our football program.  His expertise on the field and his love for the game have been a strong influence on our athletes. We appreciate not only what he has done for our program, but all the high school football teams with which he has had an affiliation. We wish him the best on his retirement.”

For the last two years there has been a lot of speculation as to where the Reeds Spring Wolves and Hollister Tigers would call home.   Talks heated up even more when Hollister announced they were leaving the Central Ozarks Conference, soon to be followed by Buffalo.

There were initially talks of forming a new league.  But those never got the traction they needed to happen.  It was apparent, however, that the Small COC was on life support and would not survive, at least in its current configuration.

Numerous Outlets are now reporting that a deal has been struck to drastically increase the size of one of the most storied conferences in the state of Missouri- The Big 8. The Conference has issued a press release to the same effect.  The remaining schools in the Small COC, minus Bolivar have been invited to join the league, along with Nevada.  Hollister is included in this group.  (Buffalo has opted to join a new conference with schools to its north)

To be honest this is different that what I had envisioned.  I did think that once it became clear the COC was on its last leg that Reeds Spring would end up in the Big 8.  However, I envisioned a ten team league that would have also included just one of the other teams invited.  My thoughts saw Hollister eventually joining the Mid-Lakes.  But, this may be better for all those involved.  The travel will be nothing like it would have been had my thoughts come to fruition.  And while football may be the first thing that comes to many minds when they see this, its some of the other sports that may actually benefit most from this new “super league”.

In this NEW BIG EIGHT, the teams will be divided into two divisions: The west will include Lamar, East Newton, Monett, McDonald County, Nevada Seneca, and Cassville.  Aurora and Mt Vernon will leave the group they have been with for years and join Reeds Spring, Hollister, Catholic, Logan-Rogersville, and Marshfield in the east.

Lots of rumors are being floated around but scheduling questions have not totally been decided as of yet.  Schools range in size from Class 2 (Lamar) to Class 4 (McDonald County, Nevada, and Marshfield)

It is important to note that although this is more than likely going to happen, nothing is official until all of the school boards from the invitees approve of moving to the new league.  Hollister and Nevada have already given their approval with the rest expected in the coming days.

Its hard not be looking ahead to some of the potential matchups that could happen in cross-division games.  But before Wolves fans start looking for the best places to eat in Lamar and Hollister fans start searching mapquest for the best way to drive to East Newton, we better wait and see how this all shakes out.

For me and my “countdown” mentality, it gives me something to talk about and look forward to in the coming days.