By Jim Fryar
jfryar@joplinglobe.com
A fellow conference program which Rick Scholten admires now stands as the first playoff opponent for Aurora in six years.
The Houn’ Dawgs visit Cassville, in a rematch of Big 8 Conference opponents, to kick off the Missouri Class 3 playoffs tonight.
Other playoff games for Big 8 teams tonight have Seneca at Springfield Catholic in Class 3 and Lamar at home against El Dorado Springs in Class 2.
Aurora at Cassville
The Houn’ Dawgs, winless a year ago, earned their way into the playoffs with an 8-0 victory over rival Mount Vernon in the Bell Bowl last Thursday.
“I’m glad to be in the playoffs,” Aurora coach Scholten said. “It’s a big deal in the rebuilding process. There were a couple of games along the way that I felt like we should be able to step up and win. ... But our kids really kept their eyes on the district race.”
Cassville, 9-1, won the regular-season meeting 38-7, pulling away in the second half after Aurora starting quarterback Garret Ormsby was knocked out of the game.
Cassville coach David Large understands where Aurora is coming from. Large’s first Cassville team went winless.
“Aurora is a much-improved team,” Large said. “Rick is a good coach and they’re doing the right things.
“They’re good up front. (Waylon) Doty (a 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior defensive end) is really good and they have another athletic end in (senior Dustin) Hedrick. Their offensive and defensive lines play physical and that’s what you have to do in the Big 8.
“They’re not a whole lot different than us. We want to be a physical, running team and play sound defense and that’s what I see in them.”
Cassville, the defending Class 3 state champion, has won nine games in a row after an opening loss to Branson.
“We’re not a whole lot different (from the first game against Aurora),” Large said. “We just have more games under the belt. We had a lot of new starters. And you can coach them all you want, but getting that game experience is the best thing for them, especially on the defense side. (Experience) goes a long way in high school football.”
Aurora, 3-7, is healthier than in the middle of the season. The Dawgs got a pair of players back from the injury list — lineman Dakota Hawkins and defensive back John Conn — for the Reeds Spring game in district play.
Senior Jared Hickman leads Aurora in rushing (861 yards) and Hedrick has more than 700 yards.
“We have nothing but respect for Cassville,” Scholten said. “They’re the defending state champions. Our goal here is to have a program like they have.
“We’re playing the underdog role, but our kids kind of like that role.”
Seneca at Catholic
A victory over Monett last Thursday earned the Indians a playoff berth as well as a No. 9 ranking in the lastest Missouri prep poll.
Seneca has lost only to Big 8 rival Cassville and to Class 4 schools Carthage and Neosho.
The Indians’ reward is a date with District 11 champion Catholic. Both teams are 7-3.
“They play a pretty tough schedule, so I think they’ll be ready for our physical play,” said Rob Townsend, Seneca coach.
“They’re kind of a hybrid of a Wing-T with a mix of some power football. They keep you pretty off balance. Their quarterback throws the ball well and they have some other kids who are pretty good in space. Our defense is going to have to play well.”
The Indians lost rushing leader Allen Frost to a knee injury, but senior Dillan Webb has returned to the role he successfully filled last season, when he ran for 1,418 yards and 16 touchdowns.
“We’re as healthy as we’ve been,” Townsend said. “We’re just trying to get better at the things we do. They’re a sound team, so we’re going to have to play assignment football.
“This is the spot we wanted to be in at the beginning of the year,” Townsend said. “The kids have worked hard to get to this spot. Now we’re anxious to see what we can do.”
El Dorado Springs at Lamar
Lamar is the lone Class 2 school in the Big 8 and struggled in league play, with a 1-6 record. But the Tigers, once district action began, outscored their next three opponents 130-8.
“That’s more a testament to the teams we play in our conference,” said Lamar coach Scott Bailey. “We feel like if we’re able to be competitive in the Big 8 and stay healthy, we should be prepared for our district season.
“In most of our (conference) games, we were competitive. We didn’t get a lot of wins out of it, but we were fortunate we didn’t have any season-ending injuries.”
El Dorado Springs, 6-4, will also enter tonight’s game with a healthy dose of confidence. The Bulldogs took undefeated Warsaw into four overtimes before falling 14-8 last Thursday. Offensive leaders have been running back Michael Boonyakiti and the combination of quarterback Kanon Hoover and receiver Dusty Hooper.
“One of the challenges of defending them is they have a handful of skill guys who all get the ball,” Bailey said. “They don’t just have one guy ... and they run multiple formations.”
Sophomore Markell White is the leading rusher out of the Lamar Double Wing with approximately 1,300 yards. Quarterback Trenton Doyle and wingback Cory Lear both have more than 700 yards rushing.
“The biggest difference (between conference and district play) is that we’ve been able to control the line of scrimmage more,” Bailey said. “On offense, we’re able to run the ball better and on defense, we’re able to stop the run better.”
Kyle Smith, a three-year starter, has been the ringleader on the Lamar offensive line. Defense standouts include junior linebacker Colby Hall and junior end-linebacker Nick Gariss.
