COC vote marks end to Southwest Conference

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

The final straw was lifted in the demise of the Southwest Conference Tuesday, as the Central Ozark Conference formally voted to expand to 14 teams, with two seven-team divisions.

The COC voted to send official invitation letters to Webb City, Carthage, Hollister and Springfield Catholic, giving the four schools 30 days to accept their invitations.

The conference change will take effect for the 2008-'09 school year.

The formal invites are a moot point concerning Webb City and Carthage, which Branson Superintendent Dr. Doug Hayter said has already indicated in writing that they would accept such an invitation from the COC. Both the Carthage and Webb City school boards have already approved such a move.

Hayter said they are awaiting formal replies from Hollister and Springfield Catholic, but expects those to be forthcoming.

"I think everybody feels confident that there will be additions on the small school side," Hayter said.

The conference also discussed adding Neosho to the mix, but postponed any action on the school so that each of the COC member school districts could discuss the option with their school boards.

Hayter seemed optimistic that Neosho could be added, as long as the conference can find another school to join them, keeping the conference at an even number.

Currently the COC has 10 teams. For more than two years, the conference has been discussing changes due to the wide disparity in enrollments among the member schools.

Using figures from the 2006-'07 school year, Ozark was the COC's largest school with 1,312 students. Buffalo was the smallest school at 588.

The seven-team divisions will be split based on school size, with a large school and a small school side.

Ozark, Nixa, Branson, Republic, Willard, along with Webb City and Carthage, will move into the large-school division. Bolivar, Buffalo, Logan-Rogersville, Marshfield, Reeds Spring, Hollister and Springfield Catholic would make up the small-school division.

If Neosho would be added, they would join the large-school division, and Hayter said the conference would look to a smaller school to join, rather than bumping a district from the large-school pool into the small-school pool.

"Neosho has made a direct request," Hayte said. "I think you will see that very seriously discussed."

Hayter was hesitant to set a deadline for the possibility of adding more schools, but expected heavy discussion and a possible vote at the conference's next meeting on Aug. 22.

"I think there will be a decision pretty quick," he said.

Nevada and McDonald County have been hanging in the balance alongside Neosho, but have not asked to join the COC. Instead, the two remaining Southwest Conference schools appear to be holding out hope that the Big 8 will invite them, once Neosho finds a place to go.

Monett Superintendent Dr. Charles Cudney said Wednesday the Big 8 does not have any meetings scheduled and that nothing has changed with that conference yet.

"I'm sure we will continue to discuss the issue as things develop," Cudney said. "The situation is continuing to evolve."

The Big 8 schools include Carl Junction, Cassville, Monett, Aurora, Seneca, Mount Vernon, East Newton and Lamar.

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