Scouting Ozark’s Week Eight home contest with Branson on Friday:
The leading storyline, of course, is a reunion for the Tigers and former Ozark coach Chad Depee, along with his son, Gage. Also, former Tiger Doug Newlin is with the Pirates. They all joined Branson this year, after Chad resigned from his post at Ozark.
“Those guys are my friends and I still have a soft spot for Chad Depee,” Tigers running back Jack Bowers said. “I’m excited to see them."
Both Gage Depee and Newlin are linebackers. Depee, who is also at running back, had 25 carries for a career-high 191 yards against Neosho and 17 carries for 111 yards versus Carl Junction. Nixa held him to 29 yards rushing on 11 carries. …
This may very well be the final edition of a matchup that has mostly been a secondary rivalry for Ozark and a primary rivalry for Branson over the years. With the Pirates leaving the COC for the Ozark Mountain Conference, Ozark and Branson likely won’t meet again anytime soon, unless the Pirates move up to the Class 6 ranks and they play each other in the playoffs. Or who knows, maybe the COC and Ozark Mountain Conference will coordinate with each other to fill their schedules? …
Ozark (1-6) has beaten Branson (3-4) four of the past five years. The Pirates and Tigers are 7-7 in their last 14 meetings. …
This is the final home game for Ozark’s seniors. The Tigers have lost eight straight home games. …
Ozark linebacker Parker Elliott’s tackles total is up to 76. He has 38 solo stops and assisted on 38 more tackles. In addition, Elliott has two TFLs, one quarterback sack and forced three fumbles. …
Linebacker Jordan Giles tops the Tigers with five sacks. …
Bowers has 616 yards rushing on 98 carries, an average of 6.3 yards a run. He has 20 catches for 165 yards. …
Tigers wide receiver Sam Clark is up to 38 receptions for 510 yards. …
With Jett Easley and Anthony Cordell both snagging their first varsity reception last week, 11 Ozark receivers have at least one reception. …
Quarterback Peyton Russell is 53 yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards passing. …
The Pirates lost 35-25 to Republic last week, putting up a touchdown with :42 remaining. …
Branson’s offense averages only nine pass attempts a game, while Ozark is putting the ball in the air an average of 21 times a night. …
The Pirates boast a college prospect is kicker Dane Efird. He’s fresh from rocketing a 51-yard field goal through the uprights last week at Republic. …
Branson’s defense surrendered 311 yards rushing to Republic. …
The Pirates’ Week Two win at Carthage (4-3) could wind up being their program’s first win against an opponent that finished with a winning record since 2020, when they beat Carl Junction. One has to go back to 2014 against Bolivar to find another Branson win against a team with a winning record. That's two wins against a winning team over nine years leading up to this season. Little wonder the Pirates are bolting from the COC. ...
Branson has a chance for its first winning season since 2010. …
Branson outside linebackers coach Garrett Hawkins is an Ozark grad. ...
Expect parking to be at a premium Friday. Ozark's volleyball team is hosting its annual Grand Slam Tournament, with matches beginning at 3 p.m. and concluding at 8.
