The preseason edition of the 2024 Dominant Dozen is here and we predict who the best high school football players of the season in southwest Missouri will be.
Southwest Missouri boasts a handful of Division I prospects, including a five-star offensive lineman who is among the best players in the country in his respective class. Others are capable of leading their teams to deep postseason runs and are worth the price of admission.
The News-Leader is in its fourth season as the Dominant Dozen for high school football. It complements our preseason and postseason All-Ozarks postseason teams.
This list will look different in December if a few players break out and announce that we made a mistake by not including them. We’ll release a watch list around midseason before naming the 2023 Dominant Dozen once all of the region’s teams’ seasons are complete.
More: All of our 2024 Missouri State high school football preseason coverage in one place
Following is our preseason Dominant Dozen for the 2024 football season, in alphabetical order by last name.
Hunter Adams, Ava, 12
Adams had a great comeback season in 2023 after dislocating his knee and breaking his femur in the 2022 season opener, running for 1,712 yards and 27 touchdowns despite rushing for nearly 1,200 yards as a rookie.
Jackson Cantwell, Nixa, 11
Cantwell is the Ozarks’ draw as Rivals’ No. 2 player in the 2026 class. He didn’t allow a single sack last season and would have put IHOP out of business with the number of pancakes he served as the Eagles’ All-American left tackle.
Braden Dodson, Mount Vernon, 12
Dodson is a star for the Mountaineers as both a running back and a linebacker. Last season he rushed for 1,720 yards and 23 touchdowns. As one of the toughest athletes in the region, he will be a leader on defense.
More: 457 Southwest Missouri high school sports names to know heading into the 2024-25 school year
Parker Elliott, Ozark, 12
Southwest Missouri’s top linebacker prospect is Elliott after he recorded 136 total tackles last season for a Tigers program that is rebuilding. His defensive prowess, speed and leadership make Ozark one of the best players to build around.
Jax Glendenning, Lebanon, 12
Glendenning is as fast as any running back in the area and is a great playmaker on defense. He was the fourth-leading runner in the area last season, rushing for 1,723 yards and 23 touchdowns in at least one fewer game than the three players who finished ahead of him.
Bryer Guerin, Marionville, 11
Guerin led the Comets to an undefeated season as a sophomore that earned them the state championship, and he’s only going to get better. The quarterback threw for 1,385 yards and 22 touchdowns and was the region’s leader with eight interceptions as a defensive back.
More: Marionville is our top high school football team in the Ozarks as of 2024. See who is 2-47.
Kellen Lair, Fair Grove, 12
Rumor has it that Fair Grove Lair might charge rent for the amount of time he was in the end zone last season. He rushed for nearly 2,000 yards with 37 touchdowns and caught 30 balls for 638 yards and 10 scores. His ability to make big plays was unmatched and he is headed for another great season.
Mason McCurry, Bolivar, 12
Nobody performed as well defensively as McCurry last season. The star linebacker recorded a total of 228 tackles, including 111 solos. With his return for his senior year, the Liberators should become one of the top teams in the new Ozark Mountain Conference.
More: A set previewing all of the Springfield-area high school football teams competing in 2024
Cash Pomeroy, Marionville, 11
Pomeroy has the most breakout potential of any Ozarks player early in the season. He was fantastic as a sophomore, with 1,340 yards and 21 touchdowns when splitting runs. He also recorded 84 total tackles when he wasn’t the team’s best linebacker. This season, he won’t have to split as many runs and will be the team’s best linebacker. He should be a special Class 1 football player.
Jace Renfro, Seneca, 11
Renfro is the best returning player on a Seneca team that finished as state runner-up last season, and he was as physical as could be on a great Seneca offensive line that was one of the best in the state in the run game.
Alex Wilkerson, Lamar, 12
Wilkerson is capable of putting up monster numbers for the defending state champions this season. He was injured much of last season but should return healthy as a dual-threat quarterback and one of the state’s best defensive backs.
Trevor Wilson, Central, 12
No one has put more pressure on the quarterback over the past two seasons than Central’s star edge rusher. Wilson has recorded 10 sacks in each of the past two seasons and now enters his senior year as the guy every offensive line needs to double-cover.
