Southwest Missouri high school football predictions: Wyatt picks Week 3's loaded Ozarks schedule
Week 3 predictions are here and we have quite a few games this week that will be critical in the conference title races.
I was a disappointing 20-8 (71.4%) which brings me to 44-12 (78.6%) this season. That's not good enough.
If you want to make fun of me or tell me why this week isn't going to be much better, you can @ me at @WyattWheeler_NL on the Twitter. Just use appropriate language and leave my family out of it.
Here's what I guarantee is going to happen in Week 3:
More: 2022 Southwest Missouri high school football conference standings
Nixa @ Carthage
Nixa's second game with conference championship implications in three weeks will likely be the first time Carthage's starters play an entire 48 minutes.
The Central Ozark Conference could see a clear frontrunner in Nixa if it is to come out on top. It would be the program's first win under John Perry over Carthage.
If Nixa wants to beat Carthage, it's going to have to slow down area superstar Luke Gall who currently has 248 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in really just two halves through two weeks.
More: Southwest Missouri high school football takeaways and scores from Sept. 2
Carthage will have its hands full with the Eagles' plethora of weapons as well. Ramone Green is among the area's rushing leaders with Rylan Michel breaking out as one of the top receivers. Connor Knactal is taking care of the ball and spreading it out to his other weapons including Kael Combs, Wyatt Vincent and others.
Who will have the better defense? Carthage hasn't had to play anyone near this level yet while Nixa has its Week 1 blowout win at Webb City. The Eagles appear ready for this moment. Nixa 38, Carthage 35
Kickapoo @ Lebanon
The Chiefs are coming off an emotional loss to Camdenton in which they allowed 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers to come back and win the game 24-21. Lebanon has been nothing but dominant through two weeks.
Lebanon's toughest challenge will be the Kickapoo defense which matches up well with a younger offensive line that's going to have to grow up really quickly to slow down a player like Andrew Link.
More: Here were southwest Missouri's top high school football performers of Week 2
Kickapoo still has questions offensively and a big one will be if it has its starting quarterback after he sat out last week due to a violation of team rules. The Chiefs might be 2-0 heading into this monster showdown if not for it.
I'm going to lean toward the team we know is consistently good and should put up numbers offensively. This Lebanon team looks like it's ready to take control of the Ozark Conference. Lebanon 28, Kickapoo 17
Mountain Grove @ Ava
Ava suffered the shocker last week when it was upset by Strafford for its first regular season loss since the eighth week of the 2020 season. The Bears rushed for only 157 yards after they averaged 297.8 per game last season.
Mountain Grove has been on fire with one of the better offenses in the state. The Panthers have scored 41 or more points in each of their first two games and look every bit as good as they were hyped up to be heading into the season. Add on to that, they only allowed 108 yards to El Dorado Springs last week and 251 to Fair Grove the week before.
Strafford had a lot of success throwing on Ava which is what Mountain Grove intends to do. The Panthers have a few weapons that the Bears are going to have to account for along with one of the better quarterbacks in the area. Mountain Grove 31, Ava 24
The rest of the games...
Hillcrest @ West Plains (Thursday): The Zizzers got back on track offensively and they're going to be a challenger for the Ozark Conference title after a win over Glendale. West Plains 45, Hillcrest 17
East Newton @ Nevada (Thursday): Go find Talan Chandler's highlight film from the Tigers' win over Reeds Spring last week. It's just a few minutes of nothing but pancakes and he's fitting in just fine in southwest Missouri. Nevada 41, East Newton 23
Rolla @ Glendale: Cole Feuerbacher is the best quarterback prospect I've seen in southwest Missouri in my six years covering the area. The Falcons will bounce back and challenge every team they play. Glendale 52, Rolla 27
Bolivar @ Parkview: I was a bit surprised by the Liberators' blowout loss to Rolla after they held West Plains within striking distance in Week 1. Parkview showed it could score a little bit against Waynesville when that's where the Liberators have struggled. Parkview 22, Bolivar 16
Catholic @ Reeds Spring: Blowout losses to Nevada this year might be taken with the same grain of salt as a loss to Lamar would be. Reeds Spring will be just fine. Reeds Spring 36, Catholic 14
Central @ Cuba: The Bulldogs gave Fair Grove a pretty good fight for a while last week. Out-of-town Cuba hasn't given anyone a fight through two weeks. Central 38, Cuba 14
Joplin @ Ozark: The Eagles kept it close with Willard for a little bit before exploding for a 39-point win. The talent Joplin has is as good as anyone's in the area. Joplin 42, Ozark 28
Strafford @ St. Francis Borgia: Fresh off one of the program's biggest wins recently, Strafford heads to play a team that went 1-9 last year. AK Rael is emerging as one of the top receivers in the area and has given Strafford a new explosive aspect to its offense. Strafford 38, St. Francis Borgia 14
Republic @ Webb City: Both COC programs bounced back last week and meet Week 3 in Webb City. I think there's a chance the Cardinals win out from here on out. Webb City 38, Republic 28
Willard @ Branson: The Tigers have shown they're more capable of scoring than a Branson squad that's young under its new head coach. Better days are ahead for the Pirates but the Tigers' first win of the season is coming. Willard 24, Branson 21
Skyline @ Fair Grove: The Tigers' shutout loss to Cabool was quite surprising. Fair Grove came out on the winning end over an up-and-coming Central squad. This game has Mid-Lakes Conference championship implications with Strafford also in the mix. Fair Grove 27, Skyline 24
McDonald County @ Logan-Rogersville: This is one of the more interesting games with McDonald County beating Marshfield with ease. The Wildcats kept it close for a little bit with Lamar before the Tigers broke away for a 28-0 win. I think there's a chance that Logan-Rogersville is the team to beat in the Big 8 East. Logan-Rogersville 24, McDonald County 17
Hollister @ Marshfield: The slow start for the Blue Jays is a little surprising with their lack of offense. I don't hold a Lamar loss against anyone but a 35-13 loss to a McDonald County team that was coming off a blowout loss to Mount Vernon wasn't something I saw coming. Hollister rebounded from its loss to Cassville with a win over East Newton. I'm going to take another gamble on Marshfield knowing its potential. Marshfield 28, Hollister 21
Stockton @ Ash Grove: Lighthouse came back to beat Ash Grove last week but I think there's a chance the Pirates still have one of the better small-class programs in the area. Brock Mooneyham for the win. Ash Grove 42, Stockton 28
Camdenton @ Waynesville: The Lakers found a spark with their fourth-quarter comeback win to beat Kickapoo. Camdenton 45, Waynesville 27
Mount Vernon @ Aurora: The Mountaineers look like they're back and will be a challenger in the Big 8 East once again. Mount Vernon 34, Aurora 17
Pierce City @ Sarcoxie: The Bears have rolled through their first two weeks while Pierce City is starting to look better defensively when it allowed 36 points per game last year. Pierce City 24, Sarcoxie 18
Seneca @ Cassville: This has the potential to be one of the better games of the week if Cassville continues to look like how it has so far this season. Seneca is the favorite going in with Jackson Marrs being among the area's rushing leaders. Seneca 31, Cassville 27
Monett @ Lamar: Will this be the week the Tigers allow their first point of the season? Lamar 31, Monett 0
Buffalo @ El Dorado Springs: The Bison are getting good play out of quarterback Brett Schwanke who rushed for 244 yards, three touchdowns and had 66 passing yards with a score to go along with a 79-yard kick return in their win over Forsyth. Buffalo 42, El Dorado Springs 19
Forsyth @ Clever: The Panthers have a young team and are scoring a lot. They just need to play better defense. That starts this week. Forsyth 35, Clever 14
Carl Junction @ Neosho: Both Week 1 winners ran into buzzsaws last week atop the COC. I'm going to lean toward the established program that has the better win this season. Carl Junction 31, Neosho 28
Willow Springs @ Cabool: Cabool made a statement last week with its blowout win over Skyline. Look for another big Bulldogs win. Cabool 31, Willow Springs 24
Thayer @ Mountain View (Liberty): Another one of the week's biggest games, I anticipate Mountain View making a statement in the South Central Association to begin conference play. Mountain View 49, Thayer 31
Agape @ Miller: Agape's tour through southwest Missouri continues with a trip to Miller which is playing better defensively than it did a year ago. This will be a good week for the Cardinals to get their offense going. Miller 28, Agape 10
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: Springfield area high school football predictions for Week 3
