When you look for traditional hard hitting, small school football in SW Missouri you have to look no further than the Big 8. The rivalries in this league date back generations. They have produced multiple state champs, and might just add to that streak again this year.
Any talk of small school football has to start with Lamar. This little school has become a football factory. Year after year rolling their way to the Dome. Well, the Dome, may not be the destination everyone is shooting for this year, but Lamar will not only be the likely favorites in the league but the favorites to top Class 2 once again.
Aurora went on a magical journey a year ago. Their senior laden squad got hot at the right time and won two district games on the road while claiming the District Title. The Houn Dawgs then took care of Mountain Grove before finally falling in the State Semi-Finals. They will be hard pressed to repeat that in 2016 as they were hit extremely hard by graduation.
Monett is a team that lives near the top of the Big 8 as of late. The Cubs have been to two State Semi-Finals in recent years. Under a new head coach last year (Derek Uhl), they seemed to be in position to make another run before being upset by Aurora. Look for Monett to again be a real threat in both the conference and the district.
Mt Vernon seems to be a team on the rise. Coach Tom Cox, in his second stint at the school, saw marked improvement out of his club a year ago. While finding a replacement for Payton Oehlschlager will not be easy, the Mountaineers may be ready to rejoin to race at the top of the league.
Cassville is another team that has had its fair share of success in this league. David Large had quite a run, as the top guy for the Wildcats. While the last few years may not have been up to those lofty sites, Cassville seems to be another team that, if they stay healthy, could be a real threat.
McDonald County is the newest school to the league, but is really not a stranger to most of the schools in the league. Many of them already played the Mustangs before they officially became part of the conference. They are the biggest school in the league, with nearly 500 more students than anyone else. But those big numbers have not spelled success. If they could finish in the middle of the league, it might start giving them the springboard to build a little success.
East Newton is a team that has struggled for a while now. But they will get a fresh start with Jamie LaSalle taking over as head coach. He will have his work cut out for him. The Patriots went winless last year and scored a total of 33 points. His first objective will be to get the numbers up. East Newton fielded less than 20 players for some contests last year.
And that leaves Seneca. The Indians were in the state title game in 2013 but things have been a little rough since. The total number of players has shrunk and the Indians have had a little trouble regaining that swagger the last couple of seasons.
Carl Junction may be gone but the league will still be very much a factor not only in SW Missouri but the whole state as well. Class 2 and Class 3 schools better beware…….
My worthless projection….
- Lamar
- Monett
- Cassville
- Mt Vernon
- Aurora
- McDonald County
- Seneca
- East Newton