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.
Last season saw the league go from six to eight teams as Center and Clinton joined the conference. That added to the depth of talent and made it even tougher.
This year should be more of the same as teams like Center, Excelsior Springs, Oak Grove and Pleasant Hill bring back improving groups that should challenge Warrensburg, Harrisonville and Odessa that have been at the top of the league the last few years.
One tough development for the league is that Clinton is not going to field a varsity team this year due to low numbers so each of the schools is currently looking for one game to fill out their schedules.
Here is look at the MRVC West for 2021.
Center
Head Coach: Bryan DeLong, 13th season
2020 record (overall/conference): 4-4/2-3
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/7
Biggest Challenge: The Yellowjackets started a lot of sophomores in 2020 and bring back a big group with experience. The flip side is there aren’t many upperclassmen. There is talent at Center and their top 25 can compete with anyone but there is a lack of depth that could be an issue.
Outlook: Center took some lumps last season but still held its own in the Yellowjackets’ first season in the MRVC West. Center has speed, size and talent and could be one of the better teams in the conference the test will come if there are injuries. Depth is an issue and the Yellowjackets will need to find a way to get their backups ready to play if needed.
Coach’s thoughts: “We’ve just got some good kids at Center. We’ve got about 25 kids that have been working their tail off this summer. We have a big class that are going to be juniors…I’m excited to have these kids for the next two years. We’ve got some young kids to sprinkle around them. Some sophomores and even some freshman that have been coming to weights every day, coming to 7-on-7 and coming to practice.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Christ Prep
9/3 @ Marshall
9/10 Oak Grove
9/17 @ Excelsior Springs
9/24 Warrensburg
10/1 Harrisonville
10/8 @ Odessa
10/15 Pleasant Hill
10/22 Open
Excelsior Springs
Head Coach: Mark Faubion, 6th season
2020 record (overall/conference): 3-5/2-3
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 6/5
Biggest Challenge: The Tigers played a lot of sophomores in 2020 and they gained experience as the season went on. There is good talent on both sides but finding depth will be a challenge for Excelsior as it heads into the season.
Outlook: Excelsior Springs suffered its first losing season since 2015 but the Tigers will look to bounce back with a strong 2021. The MRVC West is a tough place to climb the ladder but there is good history the Tigers can rely on going forward. In a crowded conference race Excelsior Springs could be in the middle of the pack but that could also mean the Tigers are a good football team.
Coach’s thoughts: “We’ve got a good nucleus of kids that played for us last year…Offensively our center, our two guards. our quarterback and our dive back in our option game those are all such big pieces for us it’s nice to return those key elements.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Savannah
9/3 Warrensburg
9/10 @ Moberly
9/17 Center
9/24 @ Harrisonville
10/1 @ Open
10/8 Oak Grove
10/15 @ Odessa
10/22 @ Pleasant Hill
Harrisonville
Head Coach: Kyle Schenker, 3rd season
2020 record (overall/conference): 6-5/4-2
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 3/3
Biggest Challenge: The offseason has seen the Wildcats work to get stronger. There is a good group of underclassmen with very talented sophomore and freshmen classes. The work has been done in the weight room and on the field as Harrisonville looks to reestablish a culture that saw them winning a Missouri Class 4 state title in 2017.
Outlook: All-everything running back Jace Reynolds is back for his senior year. The spark plug has put up over 2,000 yards the last two seasons and is one of the most dynamic offensive players in the Metro and state of Missouri. If the Wildcats can find seems for Reynolds they should be fine offensively. There may be some shootouts on the horizon, but a solid defense could propel Harrisonville deep into the postseason.
Coach’s thoughts: “We started last winter and had the best winter (in the weight room) that I’ve ever been a part of, and we continued that into the spring. We got our culture back. Our culture was a little bit slacking. That was very important. We do have inexperience, but we do have depth.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Wayne Hills, NJ
9/3 Maryville
9/10 Pleasant Hill
9/17 @ Warrensburg
9/24 @ Excelsior Springs
10/1 @ Center
10/8 Open
10/15 @ Oak Grove
10/22 Odessa
Oak Grove
Head Coach: Pat Richard, 11th season
2020 record (overall/conference): 6-2/4-1
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/7
Biggest Challenge: After four straight losing seasons the Panthers broke through with six wins in 2020. This year’s seniors took a big step forward getting more wins than losses and this year will be even more of a test. Going from earning a winning record to becoming a team that expects to win every week is the task at hand for Oak Grove.
Outlook: The Panthers have a ton back on both sides of the ball. The offense returns five running backs which will allow its option attach to be consistent, give different looks and have depth. There is experience on the defensive side as well leading to expectations that haven’t been this high since 2015 coming off the 2014 Missouri Class 3 state title.
Coach’s thoughts: “It’s great to see the same faces in the same places and get them ready. We’ve had such a good offseason as far as strength gains. It’s amazing how much strength these guys have gotten and gotten faster. I’m excited to watch it on the field and for them to get a feel for hey I did all this work and not it’s paying off on the field.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Lawson
9/3 @ Richmond
9/10 @ Center
9/17 Odessa
9/24 @ Open
10/1 Pleasant Hill
10/8 @ Excelsior Springs
10/15 Harrisonville
10/22 Warrensburg
Odessa
Head Coach: Mark Thomas, 9th season
2020 record (overall/conference): 9-0/4-0
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 7/6
Biggest Challenge: The Bulldogs haven’t lost a game since the 2018 Missouri Class 3 quarterfinals and have won 37 of their last 38 in the last three seasons. 2020 was cut short by Covid but Odessa can’t let that get in the way what is becoming a small dynasty in Class 3 football.
Outlook: With a good number of starters back on both sides of the ball there is experience returning. There are some positions groups like the linebackers that are looking to replace standouts from last year, but that group has shown well in the offseason. The Bulldogs may not look like the last two years in terms of some of their schemes, but this is a team that has its sights set on another deep run in the postseason.
Coach’s thoughts: “We are looking at doing some different things offensively to take advantage of our running back situation. We feel like we have a surplus of kids that can play back there and be effective. We’re trying to do some things offensively that will take advantage of that. We aren’t totally getting away from what we’ve done in the past, but we’ve made it a little more flexible.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Southern Boone
9/3 @ Open
9/10 Marshall
9/17 @ Oak Grove
9/24 Pleasant Hill
10/1 @ Warrensburg
10/8 Center
10/15 Excelsior Springs
10/22 @ Harrisonville
Pleasant Hill
Head Coach: Justin Hamilton, 2nd season
2020 record (overall/conference): 2-8/1-5
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 8/4
Biggest Challenge: Pleasant Hill overcame a lot of hurdles in 2020 coming off a winless 2019 and an offseason affected by Covid. The Roosters made lots of progress under first-year coach Justin Hamilton and the progress is continuing. Pleasant Hill is just three years removed from a winning season so continued by-in and hard work will keep the program moving forward.
Outlook: Going from zero wins to two may not seem like a huge improvement but it was a major step. The Roosters kept taking big steps in the offseason weight training and during the summer months. Participation and numbers are up so this is a program with a lot of enthusiasm and hard work. While it may be tough to climb the ladder in the conference and in the Class 3 postseason this is a program that is on the rise.
Coach’s thoughts: “It’s a step-by-step process when you take over a program that went 0-10. We had to change the culture a little bit and there were some sacrifices that had to be made at some times. But we started to turn the corner on that culture last year. Our team motto this year is ‘Raise the Bar.’ We set the standards and expectations last year and when I met with our seniors this offseason, they said coach it’s time to raise it a little bit.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Boonville
9/3 St. Joseph Benton
9/10 @ Harrisonville
9/17 Open
9/24 @ Odessa
10/1 @ Oak Grove
10/8 Warrensburg
10/15 @ Center
10/22 Excelsior Springs
Warrensburg
Head Coach: Chris Cavanah 5th season
2020 record (overall/conference): 8-2/4-1
Returning Starters (Off/Def): 5/5
Biggest Challenge: There were some key losses to graduation so there is some inexperience in different positions. The Tigers will need to gain experience as the season goes on to maintain one of the most successful runs in Warrensburg history.
Outlook: The Tigers have averaged eight wins the last three seasons and have gone 29-15 under Cavanah. There is a culture of winning so replacing double digit starters shouldn’t be as big of a challenge as it had been in the past. Warrensburg is also opening its new on campus stadium this year after years of playing off campus at the University of Central Missouri. The program and culture are strong so look for another good season out of the Tigers.
Coach’s thoughts: “We’ve got a lot of new faces this year. There are going to be different people playing big roles for us. We also have some kids coming back that have played important positions for us in the past so we have some experience coming back but it’s exciting to see new kids step into bigger roles and show you they can handle bigger pressure.”
2021 Schedule:
8/27 Capital City
9/3 @ Excelsior Springs
9/10 @ Sedalia Smith-Cotton
9/17 Harrisonville
9/24 @ Center
10/1 Odessa
10/8 @ Pleasant Hill
10/15 Open
10/22 @ Oak Grove
