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'It's brawl week, baby!': Six things to know before Nixa takes on Ozark in epic rivalry showdown

Related Topics: Nixa, Ozark, Steven Ward, epic poem, Joplin, Willard

A post-win huddle. A breakdown. “It’s Brawl week, baby!” someone shouts.

Ozark players cheer, head for the bus, get a weekend’s worth of rest and get right back out on the field on Monday. The week everyone has been waiting for is here.

Nixa and Ozark in the Backyard Brawl.

But first, here are a few things to know:

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1. The rivalry is tied at 6-6 in the last 12 contests

Ozark won last year’s contest 20-14, but Nixa won 42-14 in 2018.

Going back to 2008, no school has won more than three consecutive Backyard Brawls, a feat Nixa achieved from 2013-15.