Could Ozark and Nixa handle all the emotions that would overflow from playing each other two straight Friday nights?
We may find out and Eagles quarterback Connor Knatcal hopes we do discover what it would be like to have Ozark and Nixa playing each other back to back.
“We've been talking about that and it would be interesting. It would be fun,” Knatcal said. “I don't think (the teams) have done it before. I haven't heard of any (rival teams) around here who have done that before.
“It would be cool to beat them two times in a row,” he added.
The Backyard Brawl will officially be played out just once, this week at Ozark. But there is a distinct possibility Nixa and Ozark will meet twice. If regular-season play ended after Week Eight, Nixa and Ozark would be paired against each other for the start of the playoffs next week.
Under the Missouri State High Schools Athletic Association’s playoff points system for Class 6 District 3, Nixa is No. 1 with a 7-1 record and 44.48 points and Ozark is No. 8 with a 2-6 record and 21.21 points.
No. 1 will host No. 8 next week.
Lee’s Summit North, which is second at 7-1 with 44.35 points and Lee’s Summit West, which is seventh at 2-6, could flip-flop with Nixa and Ozark.
Ozark and Nixa last played each other twice in the same season in 2019. The Tigers took their Backyard Brawl matchup 20-14, while the Eagles claimed their playoff contest six weeks later by a 40-12 count.
Generally speaking, Knatcal would rather face a foe with familiar faces.
“I know a lot of kids on Joplin and when we play them, it’s a fun game,” he said. “It's fun to have a friendly rivalry.”
Likewise, Nixa wide receiver Rylan Michel would like to get reacquainted with longtime friends the likes of Ozark quarterback Brady Dodd, linebacker Brock Dodd and wide receiver/linebacker Jace Whatley.
“I used to play baseball with Brady and Brock and used to play basketball with Jace,” Michel said. “I know quite a few of them well. It's good see them and say, 'Hey, what's up and good to see you’
“I think it would be fun to get to play them there and then play them here,” he added.
Ozark running back/linebacker Gage Depee wouldn’t mind two shots at Nixa, but adds he’s confident the Tigers will play with the same focus and intensity no matter who their playoff opponent turns out to be.
“That's the game we love to play,” Depee said of Ozark-Nixa. “No matter what, though, we love to play hard and we're going to give it our all. If we play them twice, we'll play them twice. It don't matter to us. Game by game, whoever we're playing, we will focus on that.”
Nixa coach John Perry will want the Eagles’ approach to be the same, no matter if their first-round opponent is Ozark or Lee’s Summit West.
“If that's the way the system is and (Ozark) is who we end up playing, that's great with us,” Perry said. “We’ll just get ready to play them and give them the best we got.”
An Ozark-Nixa playoff matchup appeared certain prior to the Eagles being upset by Republic last week.
Lee’s Summit North moved to within .12 points of Nixa by beating Lee’s Summit West 21-0 last week and will try to overtake Nixa while meeting Park Hill (2-6) this week.
Ozark coach Chad Depee is curious to see how the points system will look when finalized.
“It'll be interesting to say the least,” he said.
Depee is hopeful the Tigers have two weeks of exceptional practices, no matter if they play Nixa or Lee’s Summit North in the playoffs.
"That's what I expect, that we come in and have two weeks of good preparation,” he said. “It doesn't matter who we're playing. We’re excited to play the Backyard Brawl. It's a little odd to play it at the end of the season, it's typically not. But we'll take it and play ball."
