Scouting the Ozark at Nixa Class 6 District 5 semifinal Friday:
Over a span of 13 games for Ozark, the Tigers will play Nixa four times, and that’s not including the teams’ matchup in their jamboree. For Nixa, the Eagles will have seen the Tigers four times in 15 games. …
The Eagles have won six straight against the Tigers. …
Nixa running backs Dylan Rebura and Malachi Rider both need 36 yards rushing to reach 1,000 on the season. Rider, a senior, has 964 yards on 109 carries, while Rebura, a junior, has 964 yards on 126 carries. …
Ozark posted its first playoff win at the Class 6 level by beating Waynesville 13-12 last week. …
Ozark junior Parker Elliott is fresh from garnering 11 tackles from his linebacker post and carrying the ball 28 times for 87 yards at running back last week against Waynesville. He has 116 tackles, including 50 solo stops, on the season. …
With a win Friday, Nixa will make it to a District championship game for the fourth time in five years. The Eagles last won a District title in 2015. …
Ozark last played for a District title in 2017. …
Rider is averaging a touchdown for every 5.5 carries he receives. Last year, Ramone Green averaged a touchdown for every 7.5 carries. …
Ozark sophomore quarterback Peyton Russell was 14-of-18 passing for 143 yards with a touchdown last week. …
Nixa junior wide receiver Wyatt Vincent is averaging 28 yards a catch. He repeatedly gained separation from Ozark defensive backs while reeling in five receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Backyard Brawl. ...
Tigers freshmen wide receivers Jett Easley and Anthony Cordell have a combined 13 receptions for 102 yards. …
Nixa senior defensive end Jayden Antonelli has collected five quarterback sacks and four TFLs. He had eight sacks and seven TFLs last season. For his career, the Army commit has 14 sacks and 12 TFLs. …
Eagles junior cornerback/outside linebacker Parker Mann’s TFLs total is up to seven. …
Nixa senior safety Spencer Ward averaged 12.6 tackles a game last season and his nightly norm this season is 12.0. …
Offensively, Ward has 1,059 yards rushing on 153 carries over the past three seasons. …
Nixa senior linebacker Eli Frazier has 111 tackles, including 65 solo stops. …
Nixa place-kickers Jordan Cribbs and Braden Kahmke, both sophomores, are a combined 19-of-33 on PATs and 2-of-2 on field goals. …
The Eagles have averaged at least 6.0 yards a carry, no matter who has ran with the ball, in all nine of their games. …
Fourth-year Nixa coach John Perry’s career record with the Eagles is 36-8 (.818 winning percentage). He was 174-69 (.716 winning percentage) at Pearl, Mississippi and Kosciusko, Mississippi. …
The other half of the Class 6 District 5 bracket has Joplin (6-3) at Kickapoo (8-1). …
The District final is set for Nov. 10.
