Carl Junction will be leaving the Central Ozark Conference for a fresh start in a new league — the Ozark Mountain Conference.
After weeks of speculation, the Carl Junction School District on Wednesday officially confirmed the move to the new conference beginning in the fall of 2024.
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, Branson, Bolivar, Carl Junction, Rogersville, Marshfield and West Plains will compete in the newly formed Ozark Mountain Conference.
“The formation of the new Ozark Mountain Conference enables our districts to strengthen our activity and athletic programs while improving our student-athletes,” the Ozark Mountain Conference Superintendents said in a joint statement.
The Ozark Mountain Conference brings together districts that are similar in enrollment numbers, as well as shared values and community beliefs, the press release said.
“Moving to a new conference will be better for our student-athletes, giving them the opportunity to compete with schools our size,” said Carl Junction Board of Education President Larry Cowger.
For the remainder of this school year, the six schools will work collaboratively in preparation for competing in the new Ozark Mountain Conference during the 2024-25 school year.
“In all my years in Carl Junction, I have never been more excited for our students and community,” Carl Junction Superintendent Dr. Phillip Cook said in the press release. “Joining the Ozark Mountain Conference allows our student-athletes to compete at a high level with similarly sized, outstanding school districts in which each has a rich tradition of excellence.”
Carl Junction’s current MSHSAA enrollment number is 735, by far the smallest school in the COC. Joplin has an enrollment of 1664 and Nixa is at 1478 (Grades 9-11, not including Grade 12).
After competing in the Big 8 Conference for decades, Carl Junction joined the Central Ozark Conference at the start of the 2016-17 school year.
The COC will be at eight teams without Carl Junction and Branson. With that, COC football teams will need to add a couple of non-conference games to their schedules.
With the departures of Rogersville and Marshfield, the Big 8 will be at nine teams going forward.
Just last month, Big 8 schools Hollister, Springfield Catholic and Reeds Springs announced they would be joining the Mid-Lakes Conference for the 2024-25 school year.
THE OZARK MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE
Bolivar (Ozark Conference)
Branson (Central Ozark Conference)
Carl Junction (Central Ozark Conference)
Logan-Rogersville (Big 8 Conference)
Marshfield (Big 8 Conference)
West Plains (Ozark Conference)
