10. Bolivar
Location: Bolivar, MO
Enrollment: 804
Head Coach: Ron Bandy
2016 District (Place): 7 (1st)
2016 State Place: 6th
Key Top 7 Returners: Tracen McKinney (2), Caleb Pyle (3), Charles Grigsby (5), Mason Broadway (6), Alexander Riff (7)
The Liberators have lost Nathan Painter to graduation - a major key to their 2016 success and a consistent low scorer. As a result of his loss and their #4 graduating, too, Bolivar takes a bit of a hit. But we expect them to make the trip back to Oak Hills this fall - their fourth straight - as they return one all-state athlete in Tracen McKinney (22nd) and one near miss in Caleb Pyle (28th), both of whom being rising juniors. This dynamic trio got them to 6th in 2016 which goes to show that the back-end of the Top 5 is a little light and surely hasn't been helped by graduation, but Bolivar's run of success has us giving a nod to them sneaking into our Top 10. The District 7 champs will look to mirror the success their girls have had recently (check back for tomorrow's article).