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Small COC Changes?

Would think it makes sense to have schools like Strafford, Mt Grove, Ava, and Liberty playing schools like Hollister, Catholic, Reeds Spring, and Buffalo.

Move Bolivar, Marshfield, Rogersville, and CJ in with the big boys and split them in half making more Non con opportunities.

There are new schools adding football slowly I think. Sparta, Clever, and someone else have been rumored to be starting. They would seem to fit the Mid Lakes footprint.

I know nothing but can't really think of any C3 almost C4 other than Monett and Cassville. Don't see them being the answer to your question.
 
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Forsyth is playing their first season on JV. They beat Springfield Catholic last week
 
Isn't Carl Junction supposed to join the COC Small next year? I think they have to get their enrollment up over 1000 to be eligible to join the COC Large.
 
In reference to the articles (which were very informative; thank you!):

You know, I've never heard Class 1 Thayer complain about the fact that they are in a conference with Class 3 Mountain Grove, Class 3 Ava, and Class 3 Salem. Heck, the larger schools in Class 4 have nearly twice the enrollment of the smaller schools in Class 4 (case in point, Kearny's enrollment is 1205 while Logan-Rogersville's is only 697...)

The would-be departing Small COC schools are just sick of losing to Bolivar (nut up!)
 
Would think it makes sense to have schools like Strafford, Mt Grove, Ava, and Liberty playing schools like Hollister, Catholic, Reeds Spring, and Buffalo.

Move Bolivar, Marshfield, Rogersville, and CJ in with the big boys and split them in half making more Non con opportunities.

There are new schools adding football slowly I think. Sparta, Clever, and someone else have been rumored to be starting. They would seem to fit the Mid Lakes footprint.

I know nothing but can't really think of any C3 almost C4 other than Monett and Cassville. Don't see them being the answer to your question.

I heard Monett a year ago might be exploring other options? Not just because of football but all sports as they have now added swimming both genders, Girls soccer, wrestling and are growing and that just names a few sports that other schools in the Big 8 do not offer. And with CJ leaving who does have most of those sports it leaves a gap in scheduling and when talking to the other schools not sure they can add most of those sports or have the drive too. See how this all goes I for one would hate to leave the Big 8.
 
I heard Monett a year ago might be exploring other options? Not just because of football but all sports as they have now added swimming both genders, Girls soccer, wrestling and are growing and that just names a few sports that other schools in the Big 8 do not offer. And with CJ leaving who does have most of those sports it leaves a gap in scheduling and when talking to the other schools not sure they can add most of those sports or have the drive too. See how this all goes I for one would hate to leave the Big 8.

i hope that monett doesnt leave the conference. if they go it wouldnt suprise me to see mt vernon, aurora and cassville explore their options and try to join the coc too.
 
Why would Thayer complain about playing up every week?
Under this new playoff structure, it is better to be a small school playing with higher classification schools.

Carl Junction never stood a chance of getting the #1 district seed because they could never earn enough bonus points for playing up.




In reference to the articles (which were very informative; thank you!):

You know, I've never heard Class 1 Thayer complain about the fact that they are in a conference with Class 3 Mountain Grove, Class 3 Ava, and Class 3 Salem. Heck, the larger schools in Class 4 have nearly twice the enrollment of the smaller schools in Class 4 (case in point, Kearny's enrollment is 1205 while Logan-Rogersville's is only 697...)

The would-be departing Small COC schools are just sick of losing to Bolivar (nut up!)
 
Why would Thayer complain about playing up every week?
Under this new playoff structure, it is better to be a small school playing with higher classification schools.

Carl Junction never stood a chance of getting the #1 district seed because they could never earn enough bonus points for playing up.
That's exactly my point (and it's precisely why I prefaced my comments with "in reference to the articles"); it was the articles that were implying (if not outright stating) that the schools considering leaving the Small COC are doing so because they are being forced to play schools with 400 more students than them (when in reality, the discrepancy between the biggest and smallest class 4 schools is closer to 600, so just sack up and deal with it).

Who are you arguing with?
 
That's exactly my point (and it's precisely why I prefaced my comments with "in reference to the articles"); it was the articles that were implying (if not outright stating) that the schools considering leaving the Small COC are doing so because they are being forced to play schools with 400 more students than them (when in reality, the discrepancy between the biggest and smallest class 4 schools is closer to 600, so just sack up and deal with it).

Who are you arguing with?

Mits winning is a cure all for everything that is wrong with a conference, about 6 or 7 years ago when Lamar was being pushed around in the Big 8 by just about everybody they were calling every school that would listen and exploring all option they could find to leave the big 8. Now several state titles later they talk about the positives of playing larger schools and how it helps prepare them for the run to the state title game and all the great things about the BIG 8. When a school is winning they the fans can find a lot of positives to their situation, when losing all they see is negativity.
 
I have it on good authority that by 2018 we will see 2 new conferences in SWMO including an 8-man division.

Lamar should not be in the Big 8 in football, because of the inherit advantage it gives them for district play. The Tigers could go 0-9 and still host a district game as the No. 4 seed because of the bonus points from playing up.
We should eliminate conference affiliation for all football programs and follow the Arkansas model and piece together teams of a similar size to form football conferences.

Note: I am only advocating this for football.



Mits winning is a cure all for everything that is wrong with a conference, about 6 or 7 years ago when Lamar was being pushed around in the Big 8 by just about everybody they were calling every school that would listen and exploring all option they could find to leave the big 8. Now several state titles later they talk about the positives of playing larger schools and how it helps prepare them for the run to the state title game and all the great things about the BIG 8. When a school is winning they the fans can find a lot of positives to their situation, when losing all they see is negativity.
 
West Plains has been trying to get into the COC for years, but many in the conference don't want to travel 2 hours to play them.
 
West Plains has been trying to get into the COC for years, but many in the conference don't want to travel 2 hours to play them.
Neosho would have a 3 hour drive! (Not to mention EVERY away conference game for West Plains will be 2+ hours...)

...and they are not a fit for the Small COC (that conference already has teams talking about jumping ship because there are two many Class 4 schools)
 
For varsity Football on a Friday not 1 trip that is 2 hours is not real bad, I mean if you are winning in the playoffs you will travel that far and more for sure. But you start looking at other sport such as Basketball, JV basketball Freshman basketball, Volleyball baseball all those sports that could have games in the middle of the week plus Basketball and wrestling is in the winter when weather can really play havoc on roads and travel. It's hard to justify a two hour trip much less a 3 hour just to add one conference member.

The problem is a lot of towns in the last 10,20& 30 years have grown while others have not or even shrunk. So now you have conferences that were put together back in the 50 & 60 that are steeped in tradition and rivals that some of the old timers don't want to give up, yet because of school districts growth the no longer make sense to continue them.

My Question is who is to say that a conference affiliation has to be the same for football as basketball and other sports? I mean what makes sense for one sport might not make sense for others? A power house in football might be a push over in basketball, Why not do what some colleges like MSU does and be in one conference for say football and another for basketball? They don't do the sports classifications all the same, so what says we have to do it for conferences?
 
Neosho would have a 3 hour drive! (Not to mention EVERY away conference game for West Plains will be 2+ hours...)

...and they are not a fit for the Small COC (that conference already has teams talking about jumping ship because there are two many Class 4 schools)

Rolla right now is their closest conference opponent 1 1/2 away...Joplin is 3+ hours. Camdenton/Lebanon are long drives as well. If the small COC schools jump ship, then what's the big deal if another Class 4 comes in?
 
For varsity Football on a Friday not 1 trip that is 2 hours is not real bad, I mean if you are winning in the playoffs you will travel that far and more for sure. But you start looking at other sport such as Basketball, JV basketball Freshman basketball, Volleyball baseball all those sports that could have games in the middle of the week plus Basketball and wrestling is in the winter when weather can really play havoc on roads and travel. It's hard to justify a two hour trip much less a 3 hour just to add one conference member.

You could do what the OC schools in Camdenton and Joplin do when playing WP. Schedule those varsity games on Fridays. As far as the sub-varsity. They start earlier, so a 3-hour ride isn't as bad as it sounds. If a 9th grade game starts at 4:00, they can be finished by 6 and home by 10. Football starts around 5, so you're looking at 11:00, unless you're playing Glendale, then it's probably 2:00 AM :)
 
Rolla right now is their closest conference opponent 1 1/2 away...Joplin is 3+ hours. Camdenton/Lebanon are long drives as well. If the small COC schools jump ship, then what's the big deal if another Class 4 comes in?
I only said West Plains would be a bad add to the Large COC (since half of that conference is closer to Joplin than Springfield); I think they'd be a great add to the Small COC.
 
I only said West Plains would be a bad add to the Large COC (since half of that conference is closer to Joplin than Springfield); I think they'd be a great add to the Small COC.
Someone else said they wouldn't be a good fit in small COC because of the number of Class 3
 
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