These 7 Springfield area high school football teams have our attention at midseason
This list isn't one ranking the state contenders, but it's one that has teams that have caught our attention whether it's by being an unexpected team in contention or teams that have great stories around their successes.
Here are the teams we're watching closely as we move past the midway point.
Nixa
The best team in the area through five weeks of the season, which has the resume to prove it, has been Nixa as it's started 5-0 in the best conference in southwest Missouri.
Nixa is the lone undefeated team in the COC with wins over contenders Carthage, Webb City and Joplin. Republic (3-2) is the only remaining team on the Eagles' schedule with a winning record.
Both sides of the ball have been spectacular for the Eagles with them averaging 46.8 points per game in one of the state's best offenses. The defense is allowing 22.6 points per game.
Ramone Green has been the area's most valuable player in his return from a collarbone injury that made him miss most of last season. He's now the state's leading rusher with 1,070 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
The weapons around Green also help keep the focus off him. If teams were to load the box to try and slow down the star running back, quarterback Connor Knatcal has five-to-six of some of the best receivers in the Ozarks to throw to.
Remember, Nixa lost by three points when it fell to eventual state-champion Raymore-Peculiar in the 2020 Class 6 state playoffs. This Eagles team is better than that one and will be a state championship contender at the season's end.
Seneca
Any team that's able to beat Lamar is going to catch everyone's eyes.
Seneca has made itself known as one of the top Class 2 teams in the state with a 5-0 start and maybe the best win of the season at the small-school levels. A 36-33 win over Lamar in Week 4 will do that for anybody.
Seneca has been dominant on both sides of the ball while averaging 48.4 points offensively while allowing an average of 13.6 points defensively.
The combination of star running back Jackson Marrs and quarterback Gavin Hoover has been lethal offensively. Marrs has more than 10 rushing touchdowns this year with Hoover also having more than 10 total between the air and on the ground.
Defensively, we knew Seneca could be special with it being led by standout linebacker Lincoln Renfro who has been among the best in the area in recent years. Marrs has also been one of the best defenders in the area.
Seneca should be a state challenger and it has difficult contests these next few weeks in its pursuit of the Big 8 West crown. Seneca has a trip to Reeds Spring (4-1) this week and East Newton (0-5) afterward before finishing its season with contenders McDonald County (4-1) and Nevada (4-1).
Camdenton
The emergence of the Lakers' defense has made Camdenton a team that's capable of winning the Ozark Conference. This is a defense that has allowed an average of 25.5 points or more over the course of the last two seasons.
This year? The defense is allowing under 10 points per game.
The Lakers (5-0) are coming off their best win of the year with a 31-14 win over West Plains (4-1). The last two games of the regular season will likely be the deciding factor if they're going to win the league with home games against Lebanon (5-0) and Glendale (4-1) to close it out.
We already knew star quarterback Bear Shore was going to be in for a big season leading a Lakers offense that usually puts up big points. Shore has improved from last season while throwing for 11 touchdowns and just one interception after he had 15 picks a year ago. His growth this season has made him one of the better players in the Ozarks.
It's only fitting that the Lakers are having this type of season in Jeff Shore's final year as head coach.
Reeds Spring
The Wolves might be the team to beat in the Big 8 East after starting the year 4-1 and with their most recent win over Marshfield, which was seen as a favorite to win the league heading into the year.
Reeds Spring has been led by its defense that has only allowed more than 19 points once in a 34-7 loss to Nevada. This is a unit that allowed 30.2 points per game last year and has now cut that number in half.
The defense should be this good with star defensive end Caden Wiest rushing the passer each play. His presence opens up opportunities for others to step up and get their opportunities as well. We saw a player like Tracen Cobb benefit from the pass rush as a defensive back when the quarterback was forced to hurry up and get rid of the ball in a two-interception night in Week 4.
Reeds Spring's offense has also gotten better as the season's gone on. The Wolves have averaged 38.6 points over the last three games and we'll see how that matches up with an elite Seneca squad this week.
Forsyth
For the first time since becoming a varsity program, Forsyth is in a great spot to win the Mid-Lakes Conference and it's in this position because of some thrilling games along the way.
The Panthers (4-1) have a high-scoring offense and are coming off back-to-back one-point wins. Their Sept. 16 win over Fair Grove came on a touchdown in the final seconds for a 45-44 victory in what was probably the program's greatest victory.
It would be difficult to find a better ground attack in the Ozarks than the one the Panthers have. They are currently averaging 255.8 yards per game as a unit with standouts Braxton Gross, Rolly Fisher, Zack Sanders and Aaron Gross combining to make the group difficult to stop.
Forsyth can win its first share of the conference this week if Strafford was to lose at Fair Grove this week. An outright title can be won on Oct. 7 in Forsyth if the Panthers were to come away with a win over Strafford.
Central
The Bulldogs went from snapping their historic 53-game losing streak a season ago to looking like a team that should finish the year with a winning record. Central has made incredible progress under Shem Johnson.
The Bulldogs are 3-2 this season and starting to have star players whose names should be known among the Springfield community.
Tae'Sean McShane has been a monster at running back for the Bulldogs this year. He's a bigger back at 6-foot-2 but he has the speed to break away and he'll certainly use that size to run through defenders. He has more than 750 yards on the ground this year which ranks him among the best backs in the area.
Known as one of the better basketball players in the area, Antonio Starks-Fewell has done a great job in his first year as the team's starting quarterback. He's a capable thrower but his athleticism in the run game makes him unique. The Bulldogs have some great defenders with defensive end Trevor Wilson and cornerback Drelando Wells coming up big-time in recent weeks while allowing just 15.2 points per game.
Central is only getting better and better. The Bulldogs aren't going anywhere.
Mountain View-Liberty
When you haven't played a game this season in which you didn't win by 27 or more, you're having a pretty good season.
The Eagles have made themselves known as a Class 2 contender with a 5-0 start and dominance in each game they've played. This is a team that beat Ava 32-0 — they're that good.
There might not be a more impressive player this year than Carter Pruett who has 470 passing yards for eight touchdowns. He's also rushed for 252 yards and four scores. Add on to that, on the defensive side, he's come away with four interceptions with one returned for a touchdown.
Mountain View-Liberty has the most dominant team in the Ozarks right now and it might not even be close.
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 Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 7 Springfield area high school football teams shining at midseason
