Missouri Class 6 District 3 preview

<strong>District 3</strong> Seeds: 1. Lee’s Summit North (8-1), 2. Joplin (8-1), 3. Nixa (7-2). 4. Ray-Pec (7-2), 5. Kickapoo (5-4), 6. Lee’s Summit West (4-5), 7. Lee’s Summit (4-5), 8. Ozark (3-6). <strong>Bracket</strong>: <a href="https://www.mshsaa.org/Activities/DistrictTournaments.aspx?alg=19&amp;class=6&amp;district=3&amp;year=2021">MSHSAA.org</a> <strong>Notes</strong>: Four of Class 6’s top 10 teams are in this district, which could lead to intriguing matchups down the road. Lee’s Summit North finished the regular season as the No. 3 team in the Missouri Media poll. Joplin is No. 5, followed by Nixa tied at 7 and then Ray-Pec at No. 9. This is a mix of schools from the Suburban Conference Gold Division and the Central Ozark Conference – the only exception is Kickapoo from the Ozark Conference. <strong>Players to Watch</strong> Lee’s Summit North: RB Tanner Howes does a little bit of everything for the Broncos. He is second in rushing yards (558) with four touchdowns but he is averaging 8.1 yards per carry – the most of anyone on the team. He is also third in receiving yards (213) and catches (10) and is 21.3 yards per catch is best on the team. Joplin: The offense for the Eagles starts with [player_tooltip player_id="218496" first="Always" last="Wright"], who is a dual-threat quarterback and many people in southwest Missouri claims he is the high school version of Patrick Mahomes. Wright has completed 70 percent of his passes (156/223) for 2,029 yards with 25 touchdowns compared to five interceptions. He also has 382 yards and seven touchdowns rushing. Nixa: The Eagles played the last regular season game of the year without starting running back [player_tooltip player_id="130175" first="Spencer" last="Ward"] and Ramone Green. That played a factor in a blowout loss to Class 5 No. 2-ranked Carthage. Coach John Perry told the Christian County Headliner that Ward is expected to be back this week. Ward is leading the team in yards rushing (607) and touchdowns (9). The only losses are against Joplin and Carthage, while the Eagles beat Webb City for the first time in school history. Ray-Pec: One of the hottest teams in the KC metro area late in the year with five straight wins. Losses came in back-to-back week to Lee’s Summit North and Liberty. WR [player_tooltip player_id="99468" first="Jaidyn" last="Doss"] has been a factor for the Panthers offense all year, whether running the ball or catching the ball, the position where he is a highly coveted recruit. He caught seven passes and scored twice in a 43-40 3 OT thriller over Park Hill to close the regular season. Kickapoo: WR Zaide Lowery, a junior, has racked up several games of 150-yards or more receiving for the Chiefs. He is more highly regarded as a basketball recruit, with offers from Missouri State, Marquette and Kansas State so far. He recently took an unofficial visit to Arkansas for basketball. On the gridiron, Lowery had a team-high 29 catches, 592 yards and eight of the team's 11 touchdown catches. Lee’s Summit West: The Titans are entering the postseason with two straight losses and can relate to Ray-Pec as both losses came in order from Liberty North and Lee’s Summit North – giving up 38 points in each game. The Titans have had success when they have established the running game, which happened the past two weeks. However, RB [player_tooltip player_id="103108" first="Jackson" last="Surratt"] and QB Jaden Hines have had 100-plus yard games this season. Lee’s Summit: The Tigers are in a unique position being in Class 6 but being in the Suburban Red plays mostly Class 5 schools. Lee’s Summit lost to four Class 6 schools: Lee’s Summit North, Lee’s Summit West, Park Hill and Park Hill South. The latter was an overtime game against a state-ranked, undefeated team that ended with a touchdown pass. In that game, QB [player_tooltip player_id="211434" first="Alex" last="Benassi"] passed for 180 and ran for 78 yards, showing his importance for the Tigers. Ozark: FS Garrett Ballard leads the Tigers with 88 tackles, while adding five interceptions and two pass break ups. The senior also had one of two defensive scores this year for Ozark. On the other side of the ball, WR Will Scheer grabbed two touchdowns against Carl Junction last week and is now tied for the team lead in TDs with three. For the year, he has five catches for 142 yards. <strong>You can follow Cody Thorn on Twitter at @freelancingCT</strong> &nbsp;