The Missouri River Valley Conference West is one of the top Class 3 and 4 conferences in the state of Missouri. Since 2014 it has produced two Missouri Class 3 champions and one Class 4 title winner.
This year Center and Pleasant Hill return the most experience while the other teams will be younger. It should be an interesting season as the younger teams get better which could set up a great postseason for a lot of the teams in the conference.
Below are previews of all the MRVC West teams.
Head Coach: Bryan DeLong, 14th season
2021 record (overall/conference): 5-4/4-1
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/9
Biggest Challenge: Football can be a numbers game and right now Center is on the wrong side of it. The Yellowjackets have experience and talent, but the overall numbers mean staying healthy and getting what little bit of depth they have ready to play if players get hurt.
Outlook: The 22 the Yellowjackets put on the field are as good as anyone in Class 3 or 4 in the Metro. Joseph Vick is a dynamic quarterback and Jacorey Love is one of the best tailbacks on either side of the state line. Center has 21 seniors who have started for most of their career, and this could be a big year for the Yellowjackets if the team that starts the season finishes the season.
Coach’s thoughts: “The three H’s will be imperative for us. We need to stay healthy, stay hungry and stay humble.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 @ St. Joseph Lafayette
9/2 Lincoln College Prep
9/9 @ Oak Grove
9/16 Christ Prep Academy
9/23 @ Warrensburg
9/30 @ Harrisonville
10/7 Odessa
10/14 @ Pleasant Hill
10/21 Clinton
Head Coach: Cody Carlson, 1st season
2021 record (overall/conference): Didn’t play varsity football
Returning Starters (Off/Def): N/Z
Biggest Challenge: After not fielding a varsity team in 2021 the Cardinals have very little experience with playing on Friday night and a full 10 game season. Starting a program back up has plenty of challenges and the Cardinals will face all of them in a tough league that won’t be forgiving.
Outlook: Clinton is back, and numbers are up. There is a new attitude about football and sports in the district and this could be a start of a new beginning for every aspect of athletics at the school. One thing is for sure this Cardinals team will be better at the end of the season than it was at the beginning.
Coach’s thoughts: “Our eight seniors have done a great job laying the foundation for our program. This summer we have put an emphasis on being committed and doing the little things correctly. We have asked our Seniors to step up into new leadership roles and we have been very pleased. Our players have handled change well so far this summer, learning a new scheme on both sides of the ball with a new staff. But change has been good for Clinton, and we are excited for the opportunity to go out on Friday Nights and play for our community.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 Butler
9/2 Odessa
9/9 @ Holden
9/16 Pleasant Hill
9/23 @ Oak Grove
9/30 Missouri Military Academy
10/7 Harrisonville
10/14 Warrrensburg
10/21 @ Center
Head Coach: Brent Maxwell, 7th season
2021 record (overall/conference): 5-5/2-4
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/3
Biggest Challenge: The Wildcats are young with most of the players that will be asked to start not seeing the field on the varsity level last year. How they adjust to the speed of a varsity game will be key to Harrisonville’s ability to improve. The schedule does the Wildcats no favors. Harrisonville plays powers MICDS, Maryville and Summit Christian on top of an always tough MRVC West schedule.
Outlook: While the Wildcats are young, they do return most of their offensive line along with tailback Nate Reynolds. That should help Harrisonville hold its own while some of the younger players gain experience. There was a coaching change as Kyle Schenker moved on to Ozark, but former coach Brent Maxwell moves back into the head coaching position after three years away. That change should be seamless and Maxwell’s experience as a state championship coach will benefit Harrisonville.
Coach’s thoughts: “It has been a great summer up to this point. Our kids are very competitive and are willing to work hard to be successful. The key, especially early in the season, will be to make sure we play fundamentally sound and disciplined football as a team. We will be less experienced and probably smaller than most teams we face on Friday nights. In order for our team to achieve success, we will need to make sure that we do the little things correct and don’t beat ourselves.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 MICDS
9/2 @ Maryville
9/9 @ Pleasant Hill
9/16 Warrrensburg
9/23 @ Summit Christian Academy
9/30 Center
10/7 @ Clinton
10/14 Oak Grove
10/21 @ Odessa
Head Coach: Pat Richard, 12th season
2021 record (overall/conference): 4-5/3-3
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/4
Biggest Challenge: The Panthers are young after graduating an experienced senior class. The Missouri River Valley Conference schedule will be a grind so how Oak Grove starts in the non-conference games against Lawson and Richmond will be a big part of how their confidence grows as the season goes on.
Outlook: While Oak Grove is young it is talented. If the talent can overcome any nerves of moving up to the varsity level this can be a good football team. The Panthers may be a year away, but the future could be now if the young players gain confidence quickly.
Coach’s thoughts: “I’m excited about this group. They bring so much energy and enthusiasm to everything that we do. We have brought back old traditions for them because they wanted them. We are pretty young this year, but I think as the year goes on and we gain experience we could be a pretty good team.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 @ Lawson
9/2 Richmond
9/9 Center
9/16 @ Odessa
9/23 Clinton
9/30 @ Pleasant Hill
10/7 Lincoln College Prep
10/14 @ Harrisonville
10/21 @ Warrensburg
Head Coach: Mark Thomas, 10th season
2021 record (overall/conference): 8-2/5-1
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 5/5
Biggest Challenge: Last season the Bulldogs suffered their first loss since 2018 and their first regular season loss since 2017. That team suffered through a lot of injuries and numbers were low by the end of the year. This year there is some experience returning but the Bulldogs have some spots to fill. On offense there is inexperience at the wide receiver position and the defense needs to fill holes in the secondary.
Outlook: Odessa’s winning tradition over the last five years is second to none. The overall numbers are better this year, and the Bulldogs return good talent and experience on both sides of the line of scrimmage. That base should give Odessa a good chance to compete even with younger players in key positions. While this may not be a state championship caliber team, Odessa should challenge for the top of the MRVC West.
Coach’s thoughts: “We will have a lot of new faces in the starting lineup for 2022. Our success will be determined by how quickly we can come together as a team and gather confidence.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 @ Southern Boone
9/2 @ Clinton
9/9 Mexico
9/16 Oak Grove
9/23 @ Pleasant Hill
9/30 Warrensburg
10/7 @ Center
10/14 @ Chillicothe
10/21 Harrisonville
Head Coach: Justin Hamilton, 3rd season
2021 record (overall/conference): 7-6/2-5
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/6
Biggest Challenge: While there is a lot back from a team that won a district title and made it to the Missouri Class 3 quarterfinals, there are still a few spots to fill. The Roosters need to find one starting offensive lineman and replace several key skill players on offense. The defense will also need to improve after allowing 27 points of more in every game except one last season.
Outlook: Pleasant Hill turned a corner in the second half of the season winning five of its last 7 games. The Roosters return a dynamic offense led by quarterback Easton Roe and running back Dylan Kauffman. That side of the ball should be able to put up lots of points again this year. If the defense can settle and get off the field quicker Pleasant Hill could be primed for a big run in 2022.
Coach’s thoughts: “Coming off the first district title in a decade and a state quarterfinal appearance a year ago we have high expectations for ourselves to do more this year and our kids have been working for it since last January. We know it’s not going to be easy, but our kids have set goals, and are buying in to getting better every single day. We have 23 seniors, and several juniors who gained experience last year and are hungry for more. If we can stay healthy, we can go as far as we want.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 @ Boonville
9/2 St. Joseph Lafayette
9/9 Harrisonville
9/16 @ Clinton
9/23 Odessa
9/30 Oak Grove
10/7 @ Warrensburg
10/14 Center
10/21 @ Summit Christian Academy
Head Coach: Chris Cavanah 6th season
2021 record (overall/conference): 3-6/1-4
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 1/4
Biggest Challenge: There are lots of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Getting new players in new spots is the first challenge, building depth behind those new starters will be the next. The Tigers have done a good job of maintaining a high-level play under Cavanah and the Tigers will look to continue that trend this season.
Outlook: Warrensburg has been a good program the last few years. This year could be a bit of a slow start with all of the inexperience, but it could be a solid season if players develop. There are strengths on both sides of the ball so the Tigers should be a balanced football team that is better at the end of the season than the beginning.
Coach’s thoughts: “We are excited about this upcoming football season. While we are replacing a lot of starters on both sides of the ball, we think we have kids that are ready to step in and play big roles for our team.”
2022 Schedule:
8/26 @ Capital City
9/2 St. Charles
9/9 Sedalia Smith-Cotton
9/16 @ Harrisonville
9/23 Center
9/30 @ Odessa
10/7 Pleasant Hill
10/14 @ Clinton
10/21 Oak Grove
