By Richard Polen

rpolen@joplinglobe.com

A decision by the Missouri State High School Activities Association to include an Ozark Conference team in what is an otherwise all-Central Ozark Conference Class 5 district will cause major changes to the football schedules of several area teams.

The impact is most pronounced at Neosho, which has dropped Seneca, McDonald County, Lebanon and Willard from its schedule for 2010 and 2011.

Neosho and Branson, both of whom moved to Class 5 this year from Class 4, will play in a five-team district with Nixa and Ozark from the COC Large Division and Kickapoo from the Ozark Conference.

The inclusion of Kickapoo instead of Willard, a Class 5 COC team, has caused scheduling difficulties for a number of area schools. Some COC schools already were unable to play a full conference schedule before the new district assignments were released.

Neosho drew Willard as its COC opponent that would not count as a conference game, but the two teams will not play due to scheduling conflicts. Neosho will play six games against COC teams.

Neosho will begin its season against Bolivar, followed by Rogers, Ark. Its final regular-season game will be against nonconference opponent Springfield Central.

Initially, the scheduling conflicts left an open date for Carthage in Week 6 and Webb City in Week 7.

Carthage filled its hole this week by scheduling Imagine College Prep Charter Academy. This year’s game will be at the St. Louis area school, and the two teams will play a Saturday afternoon game at Carthage next season, Carthage athletic director Andy Youngworth said.

“Obviously, we would have chosen to play a COC school,” Youngworth said. “We were left without a Week 6 game based on how their scheduling transpired.

“It’s not ideal, but we do have a game,” he said. “That’s the key at this point.”

Carthage could not find a suitable opponent in Kansas or Oklahoma due to the scheduling of district games in both states, he said.

Carthage will play seven COC opponents this season, although the Tigers’ home game in week 7 against Republic will not count as a conference game.

“It’s a very hectic couple of hours trying to get everything scheduled,” Youngworth said. “It’s a difficult task.”

Webb City completed its schedule Tuesday, head coach and athletic director John Roderique said.

“We signed a contract with St. Thomas Aquinas of Overland Park (Kan.),” Roderique said. “We’ll go there, then they’ll be here in 2011.”

The game will be played in week 7, just before Webb City travels to Carthage for its first district game.

The decision to separate Kickapoo from other conference teams in its district and place it in a district with other COC teams was praised by the coaches of the two teams involved.

“I think it’s a whole lot better arrangement for the five previous teams that have been in it,” Kickapoo head coach Kuper Kreul told the Springfield News-Leader. His team was in the same district as the other Springfield schools the last two seasons.

“We’re just excited to see a new schedule,” Kreul said. “Our kids will be excited when we get back and get everything posted and get everything on the calendar.”

Willard head coach Brock Roweton told the News-Leader that the news should raise the enthusiasm of Willard’s coaches and players in the offseason.

“All of our kids were buzzing, excited about seeing the new schedule,” Roweton said. “Even for the coaches, it’s exciting to see your year and plan it out. So I’m kind of having a little adrenaline rush here in January about football.”

Other schools in the district with Willard are Lebanon along with Central, Glendale and Parkview of Springfield. Lebanon, Glendale and Parkview are members of the Ozark Conference.

In a statement, MSHSAA explained that schools are grouped into districts based on geographical location and conference affiliation. The ability of all schools in a particular conference to complete a conference schedule takes priority in making football assignments.

However, in instances where all schools in a conference cannot complete a full league schedule, geography takes priority. Willard, about 20 miles northwest of Springfield, was chosen for geographic reasons.

Ozark Conference schools also do not complete full conference schedules due to the large number of schools in the conference. Many schools in the COC Large Division, which has eight members, also are unable to complete full conference football schedules.

“It’s unfortunate that we have an eight-team conference and we can’t play a full conference schedule,” Neosho head coach Shawn Flannigan told the News-Leader. “We can’t play a full conference schedule and have a true, seven-game conference champion. ... It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have a conference and not be able to play a conference team.”