So far no word on Neosho's conference hopes

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

While Webb City and Carthage are mulling offers from the Central Ozark Conference, and Nevada and McDonald County have at least the potential of joining the Big 8, where does that leave the fifth and final member of the Southwest Conference?

Neosho High School, the largest in the current SWC with an enrollment of 1,291 students during the 2006-'07 school year, does not have a conference yet.

"We are working with the other schools in the Southwest Conference, to be sure if there are any decisions to move or change the conference," Neosho superintendent Dr. Richard Page said. "We know there is discussion with the Central Ozark Conference and the Big 8 and some schools are looking to improve their schedule. We, as Neosho, want to be included in those conversations."

Page acknowledged that Neosho had not received an invitation to join the COC as of Thursday.

The Southwest Conference superintendents were trying to set up a meeting next week so each of the schools could lay their cards on the table and discuss where to go from there.

That meeting could take place as soon as Wednesday.

Webb City superintendent Ray Lankford said Thursday that his school would likely have to accept their invitation, whether or not Neosho was invited.

While nobody from Carthage has commented on the matter, it would make sense that they would follow their largest rival to the COC, especially considering they also have an invitation in hand.

Meanwhile, the Big 8 schools have appeared open to the possibility of adding Nevada and McDonald County to their conference, provided that the Southwest Conference were dissolved.

However, Neosho likely has to hope that the COC considers adding them to the field, or risk being left out.

While the Big 8 superintendents expressed concern over leaving a school without a conference, it is unlikely they would be willing to add Neosho, which has an enrollment more than three times larger than the smallest school currently in the league (Lamar).

The only other potential conference option for Neosho might be the Ozark Conference -- which currently includes Joplin -- but there has been no known discussion on that front yet.

Cody Thorn of the Neosho Daily News contributed to this story.