Ozark Conference

Last updated
Ozark Conference
ConferenceMissouri State High School Activities Association
Founded1960
Sports fielded
  • 19
    • men's: 10
    • women's: 9
No. of teams11
Region Missouri Ozarks

The Ozark Conference is a high school athletic conference represented by 11 schools in the southwest portion of Missouri. As the name implies, all eleven schools are in the Ozarks region of the state and all are among the biggest in the region (only West Plains and Hillcrest are not Class 5 in basketball). The conference offers championships for girls in Basketball, Cross Country, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball, and Wrestling. In boys sports, the conference offers championships in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, and Wrestling.

The conference features All five of the public schools in Springfield and also the large central public schools in Rolla, Lebanon, and West Plains. Camdenton High School is the central school at the Lake of the Ozarks while Waynesville High School is the main high school for the military communities around the large Fort Leonard Wood army post, including Waynesville and St. Robert. The conference will disband after the 2023-24 school year with Hillcrest, Bolivar, and West Plains joining the Ozark Mountain Conference, Glendale, Kickapoo, Lebanon, and Waynesville joining the COC, Camdenton joining the CMAC, and Rolla, Parkview, and Central going independent.

List of member schools

SchoolTeam NameColorsTownCountyEnrollment (2015-16 & 2016–17)Primary MSHSAA class*Football class
Bolivar High School*Liberators   Bolivar Polk 100044
Camdenton High School Lakers   Camdenton Camden 129755
Glendale High School Falcons    Springfield Greene 156155
Hillcrest High School Hornets   Springfield Greene 101644
Central High School**Bulldogs   Springfield Greene 161255
Kickapoo High School Chiefs   Springfield Greene 180056
Lebanon High School Yellowjackets   Lebanon Laclede 146655
Parkview High School Vikings   Springfield Greene 134755
Rolla High School Bulldogs   Rolla Phelps 127355
Waynesville High School Tigers   Waynesville Pulaski 162756
West Plains High School*Zizzers   West Plains Howell 109244

As of the 2017/18 School year Joplin HS has swapped conferences to the COC. Replacing Joplin is former OC member Central.

Bolivar High School applied to join the OC after the COC Small Division dissolved–leaving Bolivar as an independent school. November 5, 2019, it was announced that Bolivar's football program would enter the Ozark Conference in 2020, replacing Central. Central will become an independent in football but remain in the OC in other sports. Bolivar will be a "football only" school in the OC and their other sports programs will remain independent. As of March 2020 Bolivar has been approved as a full member of the conference and will compete in all sports.

*As of 10/11/23 they are leaving the Ozark Conference to form new Ozark Mountain Conference.

**Central High School (Springfield, Mo) plays football as an Independent as of 2020.

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