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    Springfield area high school football: Week 9 insights, results
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    Springfield area high school football: Week 9 insights, results

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    4 minutes, 48 seconds Read

    The final week of the Missouri high school football season is over and along with the few surprises in the Springfield area, a few conference champions have also been crowned.

    Some of the most notable events this week include Mount Vernon's shocking loss, Fair Grove's win over Strafford for the Mid-Lakes title, Lebanon staying hot and Seneca pulling off one of the most impressive victories we've seen in a long time.

    Here are our takeaways from Week 9 as we head into districts next week:

    Mount Vernon's soccer loss to Monett should excite some in Strafford

    The biggest surprise of the week (and perhaps the season) should turn some heads if Mount Vernon enters the postseason on a two-game losing streak after losing to three-win Monett 56-48.

    The Mountaineers entered the evening ranked sixth in Class 3 and looked like a team that could make a strong postseason run. A loss to the Cubs will certainly raise questions.

    It's no surprise that Monett can cause problems for some teams. The “Mauk offense” that dominated Glendale for so long made its debut in the minors with Ben Mauk in his first year as Cubs head coach. He's now got a big win that will give him confidence for years to come, no matter how this season turns out.

    After the 26-11 loss to Fair Grove, Strafford now has reason to celebrate as the second-best team in its district loses in the second week of the season to a team that outscored it by 55 points. Strafford boasts a solid aerial attack led by one of the area's best quarterbacks, Jourdyn Edelstein.

    Strafford should feel like it's in a good position to secure its first district title in a decade, but shouldn't get ahead of itself. Mount Vernon is quite capable of recovering, and Mountain Grove is also burning.

    Lebanon rolls into district play

    The Yellowjackets might have been an undefeated Ozark Conference champion had the league still been intact. Instead, they played one of the toughest schedules in the region and went 5-4.

    Lebanon is hot after winning its last four games by 21 points or more. It will go to a Class 5 district that will feature teams from Central Missouri instead of playing the teams it competes against all year.

    Helias Catholic is the premier program in its district, a state-ranked program whose only loss came in overtime against state-ranked program Rock Bridge. There's a chance we could see the Yellowjackets play their rival Camdenton in district play if the two are no longer in the same conference.

    Jax Glendenning reminds everyone why he is one of the best running backs in the Ozarks. He rushed for 134 yards and four touchdowns in the 64-20 win over Waynesville.

    We 👀 you, Catholic

    The Fightin' Irish earned their best win of the year with a surprising 33-7 victory over Clever. Catholic is a three-game winner after starting the year 0-6.

    Catholic is following a similar path to last year, when it started 0-7 before winning its final two games of the regular season. There were Mountain View-Liberty matchups in the first district round, but they were six points short.

    A date with a South Central Association team appears likely in the first round of districts, with Ava, Liberty and Thayer seeded 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Class 2, District 4, where Fair Grove will be a heavy favorite. We'll see next week if the Irish can stay hot or scare another SCA opponent.

    Seneca football makes a statement with Lamar blowout

    Seneca is so good this year that it beat Lamar by 50 points. You read that right – Seneca defeated Lamar 57-7, finished the regular season undefeated and captured the outright Big 8 Conference championship.

    Seneca is a year removed from a state championship appearance, has graduated from its elite backcourt and is somehow looking better heading into the postseason than it did a year ago. If there's one team that's considered the most likely team from the area to win a state championship, it's probably Seneca.

    Seneca faces a bye in the Class 3, District 6 postseason. Forsyth and Cassville appear to be the biggest challengers for a fourth straight district championship.

    Crown her! Seven conference champions officially named

    Nixa finished the regular season 9-0 and is the outright champion of the Central Ozark Conference East after a 42-0 win over Glendale. The Eagles haven't won a game by less than 20 points all season. They posted on social media that they would claim the COC, not East or West, if they won over Republic, Webb City, Joplin and Carthage, and we can't blame them. They have a bye next week and wait for the winner between Ozark and Waynesville.

    Carthage claimed the COC West with a 42:20 victory over Neosho. The Tigers have a bye next week.

    Branson is the absolute champion of the Ozark Mountain Conference he finished the year undefeated after a 49-0 win over Hillcrest. The Pirates entered Friday night as the No. 1 seed in their district and are waiting for the final word when postseason matchups are released to see if they have a bye or will host Central next week.

    Fair Grove is the absolute champion of the Mid-Lakes Conference after a 26-11 win over rivals Strafford. The Eagles are number one in their district and will host Willow Springs next week.

    Seneca defeated Lamar to win the Big 8 Conference. Next week is free.

    Mountain Grove and Liberty will share the South Central Association after winning in Week 9. Liberty sneaked past Houston with a 6-0 victory, while the Panthers defeated Thayer 26-7 to secure their share.

    Marionville won another Southwest Conference outrightdefeated Miller 24/7 to secure their fifth straight undefeated regular season. The Comets appear to have a bye next week.

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