The conference realignment shakeup in Southwest Missouri continued with news on Monday, Oct. 30, that Springfield Central, Lebanon, Springfield Parkview and Waynesville will join the Central Ozark Conference effective the 2024-25 school year.
Central and Parkview will not be part of the football divisions but will be part of a new-look 14-team league in every other sport.
That comes on the heels of the addition of Springfield Glendale and Kickapoo last week from the Ozark Conference.
The Kickapoo Chiefs (pictured above) and the Glendale Falcons (below) are on the move to a new conference. 
Essentially, the Ozark Conference is now dead and Rolla and Camdenton are looking for a league.
The ripple of effects started in September and impacted the Big 8, COC, Ozark Conference, Mid-Lakes Conference and now the newly-created Ozark Mountain Conference.
In September, Springfield Catholic, Hollister and Reeds Spring announced they would leave the Big 8 Conference for the Mid-Lakes Conference.
The seismic movement started in full force on Oct. 9.
That was the night the Carl Junction R-1 Board of Education voted to join the Ozark Mountain Conference. The next morning, a news release was sent to announce the creation of a 6-team league: Carl Junction and Branson from the COC, Logan-Rogersville and Marshfield from the Big 8 and Bolivar and West Plains from the Ozark Conference.
"In all my years in Carl Junction, I have never been more excited for our students and community," Carl Junction superintendent Dr. Phil Cook said in a 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."
The Big 8 Conference announced it would go forward with a 9-team league after losing five members.
The Ozark Conference became shaky ground and within weeks, Springfield Hillcrest and Parkview petitioned to join the Ozark Mountain Conference.
Last week, the OMC announced the addition of Hillcrest to bring the league to 7 members.
Parkview was stuck on the outside looking in its quest to join a conference.
According to social media and confirmed with an OMC official, Rolla, Lebanon, Waynesville and Camdenton asked for membership or a scheduling agreement with the OMC due to the future demise of the Ozark Conference.
No action was taken on that request.
Then, those schools pivoted to the COC in hopes of finding a conference.
"SPS is pleased to finalize these important shifts, which allow us to continue providing outstanding opportunities for our student-athletes that both challenge them as individuals and enhance the school's overall programs," said Josh Scott, SPS director of athletics and activities, in a press release on Monday. "We look forward to continuing long-standing relationships and building new ones through this strategic alignment, which groups schools of similar size and classification."
Lebanon's school board voted to join the COC late last week and the other schools had until Monday, Oct. 30 decide what they would do.
According to the invitation to Lebanon, the COC said "Additionally, the conference will work to develop a fair, two-division structure for football that will provide each division with a balanced and blended division of teams, not separated solely by winning percentage, enrollment, or geography. This structure will not be required for Junior High, Freshmen, or JV contests. For all other sports, the same two divisions will be used for conference games, and we will add Central and Parkview to each of the divisions to create two, eight-team divisions. Assigned games within each school's division will be played with no exceptions. Initially, all teams will be assigned crossover games with all schools in the other division. Teams will be required to play the crossover games unless both teams agree to not play due to travel concerns."
However with Camdenton and Rolla - the two schools not part of it - that will mean two 7-team divisions in the COC for sports.
In 2024-25 the COC will consist of Joplin, Kickapoo, Nixa, Ozark, Waynesville, Carthage, Neosho, Republic, Lebanon, Glendale, Willard, Webb City, Parkview and Springfield Central.
According to KY3's Ozone Sports, Camdenton has petitioned to join the Central Missouri Athletic Conference. Rolla was invited to join the CMAC as well, according to the Phelps County Focus.
The paper reported that the league invited Rolla, Waynesville, Camdenton and Lebanon.
Currently, that league features Jefferson City, Capital City, Helias Catholic, Columbia Hickman, Columbia Rock Bridge, Columbia Battle and Sedalia Smith-Cotton.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, Camdenton joined the league.
However, Rolla High Athletic Director Mark Caballero said Friday, Oct. 28, that Rolla has already declined the invitation to join the CMAC, according to the Phelps County Focus.
On Monday, Oct. 30, he announced the Bulldogs programs would be independent in the 2024-25 school year. Caballero cited the increased travel to the further COC schools would be about 300 miles or more roundtrip back to mid-Missouri and size-wise, Rolla would be one of the smallest COC schools in terms of enrollment.