The 2024-25 High School Sports Season will see some significant changes to area Missouri High School Conferences with a few changes in Arkansas that will alter the sports schedules.
The major impact in football results is several area schools will get to match-up on the field due to the new conferences and open dates.
Included in that is the first opportunity in over a decade for schools to cross state lines for varsity match-ups. One of those will be the first match-up in 40 years between Branson and Harrison. The two teams will open the season on August 30 at Pirate Stadium then meet again next year at F.S. Garrison Stadium. The teams played previously in back-to-back years in 1983 and 84 with the Goblins taking both games.
Another boarder match-up takes place that same night as Hollister will host Green Forest.
The other major match-up change involves Forsyth, which will now play a pair of Lakes Area Schools thanks to those schools joining the Panthers in the Mid-Lakes Conference. The Panthers will play Hollister and Reeds Spring for the first time, with the Panthers hosting the Tigers on September 13 followed by a Forsyth trip to Reeds Spring to play the Wolves on October 4.
The Wolves and Tigers will play their annual rivalry game to close the regular season October 25 in Hollister.