BIG 8
- Thread starter Ftballfan16
- Start date
I cannot stop laughing at your profile picture. Classic!
My guess for what happens next we will see Marshfield and Rogersville rejoin the COC and the COC will split into two divisions for football.
Very interesting.
That would put them at 12 teams?
Who draws the short straw and has to go with Nixa, Joplin, Republic, Carthage…
.Webb based on talent should go, but they would be one of the smaller 4-5 schools based on enrollment.
Based on program success you go
CJ, Neosho, LR, Marshfield, Branson, Ozark? Or Willard? Some poor team from this bunch would have to go with the “big boys”
The Big 8 should be::: Aurora, Cassville, East Newton, Lamar, Mac Cty, Monett, Mt Vernon, Seneca. Neveda is a long trip for half the schools. They are much bigger than most of the other schools and likely to grow. There have been several versions of the Big 8 over the years and these schools have been a part of it. IMHO, It is one of the best conferences, at least FB wise in the state. I imagine organizational wise also. Every school in this group has had their turn with dominate teams, either winning conference, district or state titles over the years. I'm fairly certain the parents, alumni, etc like this aligement much better than what we've had the last few years.
Rogersville should join the OC or COC IMO. They may struggle against some of the football teams in those two conferences, but they would definoitely be competitive with the bottom half of the OC IMO. I think they're very competitiive against Hillcrest, Parkview, Waynesville, etc.
And they’re already better than a lot of the schools in those two conferences in most boys sports. Girls sports seems to be a little different for whatever reason at LR, but they’re already playing a lot of games against teams from those leagues.
Baseball last year they were 8-2 against the OC/COC
Boys’ Basketball last year were 7-1.
Boys Soccer was 9-2
Tennis was 3-1
Girls basketball 2-7
Girls Soccer 7-5
Softball 0-12
Tennis 2-1
Volleyball 3-11-1
And they’re already better than a lot of the schools in those two conferences in most boys sports. Girls sports seems to be a little different for whatever reason at LR, but they’re already playing a lot of games against teams from those leagues.
Baseball last year they were 8-2 against the OC/COC
Boys’ Basketball last year were 7-1.
Boys Soccer was 9-2
Tennis was 3-1
Girls basketball 2-7
Girls Soccer 7-5
Softball 0-12
Tennis 2-1
Volleyball 3-11-1
I agree with you 100 that going back to a more “original” big 8 would/will be very well received by parents/coaches/students etc….
But, if your going to give someone the boot I’d say Mac would make more
Since then Nevada. Nevada and Lamar are like 25min apart. Nevada is the same size as Monett and prob only 100ish kids different than Cassville.
Mac is the outlier with enrollment. They are class 5 for crying out loud and probably 2-3hubdred more kids than monett and Nevada.
And they are also at the far end geographically.
But Lamar is a perfect example that enrollment size isn’t the end all be all in SWMO.
My vote would be to keep both of them. And stick with a 9team big 8. Maybe even patiently look for a 10th that’s a good fit later on down the road.
It’s less about enrollment size to me and more about schools that “fit” big 8 is blue collar, highway towns with factories and agriculture. I’d say the 9 remaining schools all fit well together.
You’re right, my bad, they are 4 in football. They are class 5 in baseball and basketball.
What? LOL, Nevada has actually lost enrollment over the last decade? Monett has actually caught them and at times surpassed them just depends on the year, so based on that argument we should leave. And you should know Nevada was part of the Big whatever going back to the 1920's it was only around 81-82 when Memorial joined that the Big 14 split into the Big 8 and Big 6 did they leave.
And you only have to go back and look at all those newspaper articles and see we are going thru the same thing. Again all based on travel and competition. Back then Webb City left the Ozark to rejoin the big 12, Memorial was wanting to leave the Ozark to join what would have become the Big 14.
Best of all I will never forget Harv Welch complaining When Webb City left the conference in 1979 to join the Ozark and the Dawgs got moved to the Western Division in the big 12. His famous quote. We're the littlest fish in the Biggest pond he observed, I liked it better when were the biggest fish in the the smallest pond. Sounds like not much has changed over in Aurora....
3-4 hrs round trip for ANY regular season HS game is not my idea of fun. Silly the way some schools travel when they don’t have to.
25 yr old me would very seriously beg to differ. He had a solid run “heading east”.
High interest rates are putting a brake on things but McDonald County may outgrow the Big 8 before anyone else. The new highway allows people to buy property 20 minutes from Bentonville for half the price and bypass the horrific Bella Vista traffic.
I don't think they want to go to another league. They would have to be kicked out.
I have heard thru the grapevine what a few Big 8 ADs are saying. East Newton has committed to the Big 8. Rogersville and Marshfield were 50/50 on the Big 8 until the 3 left last week. Now they want to leave. Bolivar may join them in whatever new league is formed. The Big 8 will be at 9 going forward as no one else will leave. Lots of chatter over who else will join a new league. This is the biggest question.
Yeah I'm not saying they will want out. Just that enrollment wise and possibly even demographically they may look more like the COC 10 years from now. If they are doing well in more than a few sports other smaller schools will start to complain.
Everything I have heard is NO!
It would make for a nice 9 game football schedule, but a lot of admin in the big 8 are fine letting CJ lay in the bed they made….
Marshfield and Rogersville?
Aren’t these the same schools that originally wanted out of the conference and playing Bolivar?
I think people are mixing up 2 things. CJ isn't going back to the Big 8. They may join a new league if one forms.
A new league composed of the same schools that were in the Big 8?
Not that anyone cares what I think but to me CJ is more like the COC than the Big 8, but neither are ideal at least not today. They are the smallest in the COC, but still that same 'type' of school. In the Big 8 they will be among the largest and also probably the most economically advantaged.
There were some serious conversations last year about a conference merging the COC schools with the Springfield area large schools, into a conference that would be tiered into divisions for football. That discussion fell about for whatever reason.
I’m not confused at all. No one knows what’s going to happen.
What’s the second thing?
There have been a lot of changes over the years in Bolivar. Their former arrogant Athletic Director is long gone. They have had a couple of different football coaches. Is there the same animosity toward Bolivar from those former COC small conference schools that they harbored 5-10 years ago? I think some have asked the question. Would they all really be able coexist in a conference together?
Well people have mentioned Willard, Branson and Neosho as possibilities for a new league.
One thing that should be easily fixable is to not extend conference affiliation to Jr high sports. Just play the closest schools to you.
So those 4 break apart and add what Nevada and McDonald Co? I just don't see it. Especially for Willard and Branson. Their travel gets so much worse than it is now.
I don't understand why Carthage can compete in the COC but Neosho can't? The towns are very similar to each other, similar demographics and economics, similar enrollment. I can't figure out why Neosho doesn't fit in the COC.
I don't think Willard's travel gets much worse if you have Rogersville, Marshfield and maybe Bolivar. Branson, CJ and Neosho would be the same. It is a long shot but if this happens would the COC backfill? Only Glendale and Kickapoo would be options.
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Yeah I don't know. I mentioned them the other day IF the COC loses all these teams. They are the only ones that make any sense to me at all but I don't see SPS breaking them out of the OC.
Btw getting rid of the conferences for Jr High makes entirely too much sense. I know some schools really want to be able to win a conference trophy in 7th grade basketball or volleyball but I agree, just schedule the closest reasonable opponents and call it good.
My biggest hope in all this is that we can come up with names for these new conferences that actually make sense. There aren't 8 teams in the Big 8, nor are they big schools. The Central Ozarks conference is not geograhically centered in the ozarks, some of the schools aren't really even in the ozarks. I think of central ozarks as being West Plains, Lebanon, etc.
Tom Ladd on Sports Talk on JOCK 96.9 said that all the Mid Lakes schools are in no comment stage. He said they talked to all 8 schools and no one would go on air and talk about it.
From what I understand travel times are at least as important as enrollments in the make up of a HS conference. That's why Monett should stay in the Big 8 . They are less than 20 miles from Cass, Aurora, Mt Vernon and East Newton and have been in the conference longer than Mac Cty or Neveda. I do understand Neveda and Mac cty want to stay in the Big 8 and the MSHSAA would probably mandate it. And I do not understand the reason for your Harv Welch comment unless it's b/c his houn dawg teams kicked the cubbies azz almost every year.
From West Plains to Rolla to Nevada to Macdonald County there a 26 schools that are class 4 or higher. Maybe for one conference and divide by enrollment similar to what Stl and KC suburban conferences do. Could look something like this:
Southwest Big
Kickapoo - 1507
Ozark - 1369
Waynesville - 1319
Lebanon - 1136
Glendale - 1098
Central - 1075
SW East
Branson - 1050
Rolla - 1035
Parkview - 1026
Camdenton - 975
West Plains - 866
Hillcrest - 837
SW West
Joplin - 1664
Nixa - 1478
Carthage - 1232
Neosho - 1157
Republican - 1148
Willard - 1061
Webb City - 1011
SW Small
Macdonald Co - 818
Carl Junction - 735
Marshfield - 680
Bolivar - 615
Nevada - 587
Monett - 569
Logan-Rogersville - 547.
Southwest Big
Kickapoo - 1507
Ozark - 1369
Waynesville - 1319
Lebanon - 1136
Glendale - 1098
Central - 1075
SW East
Branson - 1050
Rolla - 1035
Parkview - 1026
Camdenton - 975
West Plains - 866
Hillcrest - 837
SW West
Joplin - 1664
Nixa - 1478
Carthage - 1232
Neosho - 1157
Republican - 1148
Willard - 1061
Webb City - 1011
SW Small
Macdonald Co - 818
Carl Junction - 735
Marshfield - 680
Bolivar - 615
Nevada - 587
Monett - 569
Logan-Rogersville - 547.
For these proposed mega conferences, maybe instead of injecting directions in the title of the divisions (i.e. East, West, North, South, and Small - which sounds bad) we take a page from the Kansas City Suburban Conference and use colors (Red, Blue, Silver, Gold, White, etc).
Yes losing the Aurora/MV game killed some old traditions for sure. Hopefully those can get back on track starting next year. Maybe I'm wrong and Monett leaves, but I just don't see it. On a side note it would be nice to have 8 teams again in the "Big 8". Send Mac County packing to play schools closer in enrollment!
Your correct. But I don’t think it’s because they wouldn’t want back in.
Mac and Nevada are locked in the “Big 8” (9)
None of those 9 schools want to go anywhere.
Only questions remaining with the Big 8.
1- will Rogersville and marshfield remain? (Seems unlikely)
2- would the big 8 add a 10th team after Rog and Marshfield are gone? (Again unlikely given the bridges CJ has burned)
