Overview of Springfield High School Football Conference Realignment

For decades, high school sports fans in the Ozarks have speculated about a realignment of their favorite school’s conferences.

As the area grew and the schools moved closer together in classifications, athletic directors held discussions and a shift made sense. Eventually, the first domino would fall.

Last fall, years of talk about what coaches called the “Wild West” ended with the creation of a new conference, the dissolution of a long-established league and more than a dozen schools changing conferences.

Now, after months of anticipation, fans of high school athletics can experience the revamped conference landscape of southwest Missouri on Friday nights this fall.

The realignment of the high school football conferences will involve the creation of a new conference, the dissolution of a league that has existed since 1958, the creation of divisions in the powerful Central Ozark Conference, the dissolution of divisions in the Big 8, the creation of a single independent program and the reorganization of 16 teams between leagues.

More: Here are the southwest Missouri high school football teams with the best position groupings

“You look at Kickapoo and they’re five to 10 miles away from two other Class 6 schools in Nixa and Ozark and we’re playing them in district play, like they are right now,” Springfield Public Schools athletic director Josh Scott said in late October. “Then there’s the opportunity to make it a conference game, just to add a little bit more to the rivalry and the already great environments that they have. … The competitive parity and great games are really, really important to us.”

The Central Ozark Conference will be the main attraction

The Central Ozark Conference will get a lot of attention, with its perennial state contenders Webb City, Carthage, Nixa and Republic now in the same league as Kickapoo, Glendale and Lebanon.

Nixa and Kickapoo, one of the region’s biggest rivals on the basketball court, will now see annual football games instead of hoping the two meet in the postseason. The Oct. 3 game in Nixa between the two will be their first football showdown since 2013.

It also creates other key matchups such as the opening night game between Webb City and Republic or the September 20 game between Kickapoo and Republic. At the same time, the new divisions retain the biggest rivalries such as Nixa-Ozark, Kickapoo-Glendale, Republic-Willard and Webb City-Carthage.

More: These are the new names for the southwest Missouri high school football team you need to know heading into 2024

“I love the new conference and the challenge it brings,” said Kickapoo head coach Nate Thomas. “I believe it has created something special for southwest Missouri and I know the opportunity to play and coach against the best players and coaches in the area is exciting for everyone in our program.”

New Ozark Mountain Conference Brings Competitive Balance to Members

The creation of the seven-team Ozark Mountain Conference brings together a mix of teams formerly from the COC, OC and Big 8, with similar entries and classifications.

West Plains, Bolivar and Hillcrest join from the OC with Branson and Carl Junction from the COC. Logan-Rogersville and Marshfield move from the Big 8 East.

West Plains is the only program of the seven to make a deep postseason run in recent years, as the others have often struggled in districts, despite a team like Logan-Rogersville having success in Big 8 East play. Only West Plains has won a district in the last decade, with Bolivar last winning one in 2013 and Rogersville in 2011 when it won a state championship.

Schools hope that by playing against opposing teams or similar opponents during the regular season, they will be better prepared for the playoffs.

“Conference realignment seems like a really good thing for us,” said Hillcrest head coach Keenan Ganz. “Our players, coaches and school are very excited about the change. Knowing that every Friday night we’re going to play an opponent that’s in our division and district or as close as possible has been very motivating for a lot of our players this offseason.”

More: These are the southwest Missouri high school football receivers you need to know heading into 2024

Mid-Lakes Conference strengthens as Reeds Spring joins league

Spring, Hollister and Catholic all left the Big 8 for the Mid-Lakes and that was the big realignment that led to it all. The league later added Buffalo, while Skyline left for the Southwest.

Notably, Reeds Spring is not far removed from a state championship appearance in 2022. Hollister had its first winning season in program history in 2021. Catholic knocked on the door of a state championship appearance in 2018, as did Buffalo for three years from 2018-20.

It should strengthen an improving league. Fair Grove has been the Mid-Lakes’ best team in the past decade, with championships from Strafford and Forsyth in between. Clever continues to build from the ground up as it heads into its fifth year of varsity football.

More: These are the high school football running backs in southwest Missouri you need to know heading into 2024

“The Mid-Lakes, as a whole, got stronger,” Fair Grove head coach Bill Voorhis said. “We got better as a conference.”

Big 8 Conference loses divisions after falling to nine teams

Three teams left the Big 8, leaving nine and the consolidation of the two divisions. It will mean tougher schedules for the teams from the former East division that now play the teams from the mighty West every year.

Lamar, Seneca and Nevada have been among the state’s best in recent years, with Lamar a state powerhouse that has won nine state championships since 2011, including one last year. Cassville and McDonald County have also seen their share of success.

Mount Vernon has been at or near the top of the Big 8 East for the past decade, including a state championship appearance in 2017 followed by two more 10+ win seasons. The Mountaineers went 10-2 last season with a Big 8 East title. They went from not having Lamar and Seneca on their schedule last season to having them every year.

“(Conference realignment) reminded me of what was going on in the Division I ranks; it seemed like every week things were changing,” Mount Vernon head coach Tom Cox said. “We’re happy to be back in the Big 8, even though our schedule is absolutely brutal.”