THE BURNING QUESTION: What’s up with being in two conferences?

Editor's note: This is the first story in a new series

It was something that struck attention immediately: Missouri is okay with its prep athletic programs being a member of two different conferences.

This is a unique aspect of the state’s sports landscape, as nearly all states do not have this as a characteristic or aren’t even allowed to do so.

However, in tahe state and specifically, in Southeast Missouri, it is a part of the culture and has deep roots historically and logic to apply it in parts.

Still, three coaches from different opinions and reasons for it spoke to the DAR about the unique characteristic for Missouri sports, and all had their own takes on the issue.

Reason One: The bigger schools need the option

Dexter High School athletic director Josh Dowdy has an interesting situation being a member of both the Stoddard County Athletic Association and the SEMO Conference.

What started off as a place for his football program to join a league — the SEMO — since the SCAA didn’t have enough teams with the sport, it just ultimately became a situation where the Bearcats locked in as a member of both.

So now, all his teams outside of girls basketball are members of both and Dowdy said there are no plans for Dexter to leave the SCAA since it has been a member for decades and is in fact a Stoddard County school. The volleyball team is expected to join the SEMO next fall and they now will leave the girls basketball as the only team to not be in both conferences.

“It’s a Catch-22 since it helps with scheduling since we only have one game outside of the conferences,” Dowdy said. “But if we wanted to play outside of the schedule, we really don’t have that luxury if we wanted to venture outside the conferences. It’s different for each sport.

“Being in the Stoddard County Conference means a lot to us. It would be hard to believe that we wouldn’t continue that tradition.”

The SEMO invitation for other sports started to grow after the Sikeston tournament began to morph into a conference look and that’s where Dexter got absorbed in. Dowdy added that even if more programs — non-football — got added to the SCAA, the dual membership would still continue.

“I don’t see us going back, I think this structure will continue,” Dowdy said. “I will give the SEMO credit that they have a fine structure to keep teams from jumping in and out of the league. It rarely seldom happens, but it’s good that they have that in place. It’s about $500 and probably wouldn’t prevent you from doing it, but still.”

Reason Two: Sure, why not?

Clearwater High School is a member of both the Black River League and the Ozark Foothills Conference and fifth-year athletic director Zac Moore sees plenty of positives for going the dual conference route.

He says one of the positives is the fact many area schools are in such small and/or remote areas.

“There's just not a lot of schools around us and so I think that that the travel restriction is kind of one of the biggest things that that they wanted to establish,” Moore said.

Clearwater, Moore believes, was a founding member of the BRL and has been in the OFC for a good 30-40 years.

“As far as I know it's just always been that way and I and I know that that's a bad thing to say but that's the way that it's always been,” Moore said. “Some of the fans and some of the people that I've heard talk said they were thinking about it maybe at some point trying to make one big super conference with the BRL and Big Springs because of the proximity of the schools.

“But I think at this point it was just kind of a pipe dream.”

Moore said that in terms of emotional priority, the BRL seems to be the one with more gravitas as the schools involved tend to have solid programs such as basketball with Ellington, East Carter, South Irons, Bunker, Clearwater, and Lesterville all presenting solid squads. The BRL is more of a smaller school league compared to the OFC, which has a mix of smaller and medium-sized enrollments.

“Since I’ve been here, the (fans focus) has been the BRL with the state rankings (in basketball),” Moore said. “It’s a tough night every night in the BRL. Baseball is really competitive as well.”

He mentioned that teams like East Carter team up with his Tigers in both leagues which makes each game now mean even more even if you can see an opponent three, four, or five times in a season.

“Another thing too, with these two conferences, we play three games — JV boys, varsity girls, and boys — in one night and that helps with scheduling,” Moore said, noting that having two conferences also helps pad a schedule with more games readily set.

Reason Three: Um, OK, what?

It’s easy to say that East Carter athletic director Jordan Penn is not a fan of the dual conference affiliation thinga-majiggy.

“To be honest it was like that before I got here, asked a lot of questions and what I got was basically, ‘that’s how it’s always been done,” Penn said. “We were in the BRL first and then we joined the OFC when they needed another team. Personally, I am not a fan. It is what it is and it’s the cards that I’ve been dealt.”

Penn said that despite some thinking it helps scheduling, it actually makes it worse.

“The state used to have it where you can play 20 games and one tournament, 18 games and two tournaments or 16 games and three tournaments and we were automatically in the 18 and two category,” Penn said. “Then with our Christmas tournament, this put us in the 16 and three category. Within our conference, we had 12 games and I had four non-conference games that we could schedule and so almost every game we played meant something. There was no trying to go outside your league if you had a good team to schedule above to get ready for districts or vice versa — if you were not very good you could try to go find some other schools that are more your talent level to maybe give you some confidence.

“Two years ago, the state said 26 games total. Well, with our two conference tournaments — and hopefully you get at least three games at those — plus our 12 conference games, that's 18 and our Christmas tournament is three making it 21. So, we still have only five and we schedule Van Buren which is a rivalry game. Still, we only have four games left and you just can't improve your schedule on good years and on down years you can't lighten it up.”

Penn prefers the OFC in terms of travel and having the schools involved be located around the hub of Poplar Bluff where teams can stop halfway home for meals or any other incidentals.

Penn notes that in the BRL, the school administrations govern the league’s machinations, whereas in the OFC, it’s the athletic directors who do most of the wheeling and dealing.

“That’s what the AD for while the superintendents run the BRL which brings another aspect for the conference,” Penn said. “I would suggest that our school be simply in the OFC. For most of the games we play we travel through or around Poplar Bluff. In the BRL you are traveling in very hilly terrain and wildlife going through in the wintertime. There is nowhere to stop for food and if you get stranded … I think the OFC is closer to us as far as size and even distance-wise.”