Loaded Big 8 is hard to predict
By Jared Lankford
Cooler temperatures and the smell of tailgating will soon dominate the air as we enter the 2012-13 football season.
Before every season, pundits and experts pour over notes, rosters and off-the-record conversations in order to predict how teams will hold up over the course of the grueling season.
While it is impossible to accurately predicting every twist and turn a single team will undergo, let alone an entire conference, I have given my best effort in predicting how I think the conference will finish.
The Big 8 Conference has established itself as one of the premier football conferences in Missouri. Six of its eight members have state championship banners hanging on their wall.
Lamar reached the title peak last season with a dominating effort in Class 2, and Cassville earned Class 3 state title in 2009.
This year, the conference is as tough as ever. Each member has reasons to hope for success and reasons to be concerned.
I believe the conference can be broken down into three tiers. That is not to say that a team in the second or third tier is overly inferior to the top schools but merely has more obstacles to overcome to reach the top of this sports editor's list.
• Tier one: Cassville, Lamar and Aurora.
• Tier two: Monett, Seneca and Mt. Vernon.
• Tier three: Carl Junction and East Newton
Cassville
The Wildcats finished the season with a 12-1 record and notched another conference and district title.
Coach Large and his staff have done an outstanding job of reloading every season. Until another Big 8 Conference school defeats the Wildcats, they reign as the preseason favorite.
Reason for hope: The Wildcats return seven starters on defense and will make teams earn everything the hard way.
Reasons for concern: Graduation was unkind to Cassville on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback position has been the biggest question mark of the offseason.
Lamar
Claiming a state title last year was only a small step in the right direction for this Tigers program. Coach Scott Bailey and his staff are trying to develop a sustained tradition and culture of success at Lamar.
The Tigers' motto for this season is "One is not enough."
Reason for hope: Depth is a huge strength for this year's Tigers squad with 16 returning starters that garnered 27 All-Conference, All-District and All-State awards.
Reason for concern: Lamar could very easily be the conference champion this season. However, their only blemish last season was a lopsided loss to Cassville. This season, Lamar again travels into the hostile confines at Cassville.
Aurora
The Aurora Houn' Dawgs have scratched and clawed back from a 0-10 season in 2008. The Dawgs went 6-5 last year and have earned the respect of the football community.
Aurora returns eight players from last year's squad, including Everett Basham who ran wild in the Big 8 a year ago. The Dawgs are more than a dark horse in the conference title chase this season.
Reason for hope: The Houn' Dawgs are going to be big and physical and control the line of scrimmage. They have improved each year under Rick Scholten's leadership.
Reason for concern: Aurora has had a game each season that has got away from them. Last year, Seneca held off Aurora 27-25. If the Dawgs aren't careful, the pattern could repeat itself.
Monett
The Cubs reached the playoffs last season and are looking to make a deeper push into the postseason with this year's team.
Monett returns several key performers and skill position players, but the Cubs need to solve some issues on their lines.
Reason for hope: Running back Aaron Hall and utility player Kurran Blamey give the Cubs plenty of reasons to smile. Hall is a tough player to bring down, and Blamey is a threat to score any time he touches the ball.
Reason for concern: The Cubs are still thin on the offensive and defensive lines. Speed and skill can't help your team if there is not any blocking.
Seneca
The Indians should probably be moved higher on this list.
Dan Scheible's team returns 17 starters (10 offensive and seven defensive) from a team that went 5-5 a year ago. The Indians are the dark horses that can wreck a lot of team's plans for conference dominance.
Reason for hope: With a full year of the Scheible system under their belt and a large number of returning starters, the Indians will be dangerous.
Reason for concern: Seneca has 42 players (including nine freshmen) listed on its preseason roster. As injuries take their toll, the Indians will be hard pressed to find replacements.
Mt. Vernon
The Mountaineers are a big question mark in the Big 8 this year and not for the reason you would think.
New coach Ozzie Riley has brought a new energy and excitement to the proud program. Nine starters return on both sides of the ball for the green and white.
Mt. Vernon hopes that Riley's energy translates onto the field.
Reason for hope: Mt. Vernon has key players returning, including All-Conference running back Shane Williams, an offensive line that returns all five starters and quarterback Alex Hausman.
Reason for concern: It typically takes more that one year for a new coach's system to take hold in a program.
Carl Junction
The Bulldogs are still looking for their identity as a football team. Jesse Wall and his staff continue to build a winning tradition at Carl Junction.
Reason for hope: As the biggest school in the Big 8, Carl Junction can continue to try to wear down teams each game to secure victory.
Reason for concern: The Bulldogs are short on experience and are still a season or two away from having players off their dominant youth football teams.
East Newton
The Patriots went 0-10 last year and have fallen on hard times. Size, numbers and coaching changes have hurt East Newton's ability to return to the success of the 1990s.
Seth Johnson, a long-time assistant and former player under legendary East Newton coach Larry Bunn, is looking to turn things around.
Reason for hope: Johnson will help the Patriots find their identity and should have a positive impact on the squad. We may see the trick plays and deception that Bunn made famous at East Newton return to the Patriots' playbook.
Reason for concern: East Newton has too many holes in key positions to challenge for a title spot this season.
