Football

The magic ran out at the worst time. The Perryville Pirates, seemingly resembling the bells of the ball during their previous three home wins, turned into pumpkins in the second half of a 28-26 loss to Jefferson on homecoming Saturday in Perryville, Mo...

After nine minutes without putting points on the board, quarterback Adrian Fox weaved through a tough Sikeston defense for Jackson’s first score of the game. Never looked back, the Indians held the Bulldogs scoreless in a 56-0 victory on Homecoming at “The Pit.”...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — In a clash that left no room for doubt, New Madrid County Central stamped its authority on the field, decimating Kennett with an overwhelming 54-6 triumph. Quarterback BJ Williamson accounted for six touchdowns in the victory, as the Eagles (6-0) clinched a third consecutive SEMO-Central Conference Championship with the win over the Indians (4-2)...

For the second consecutive week, the Scott City Rams scored over 60 points in a win. Unlike last week, the Rams did it against an undefeated opponent by clobbering Kelly 63-6 on Friday in Benton, Mo. Kelly’s only score came on a four-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Reece Eftink, who now has seven touchdowns and 742 rushing yards on the season...

After falling last week to the Jackson Indians, it left questions as to what the Cape Central Tigers response would be. Well, the Tigers answered with a defensive clinic, stifling the triple option and beating the Farmington Knights 35-0 on Friday at Cape Central High School...

DEXTER – How good is the ground game for this season’s Dexter High School football squad?

ARNOLD — The second half of the football season is underway and the Poplar Bluff Mules traveled over to Arnold for an opportunity to capture their second consecutive win of the season. Tough defense and solid execution into the endzone aided the Mules to get by the Fox Warriors 24-19, bringing their record to 3-3 on the season.

Conference standings and statistical leaders from the SEMO Conference — North, Central and South.

The St. Vincent football team enters Friday's game 2-3 but is in a good position in the I55 Conference with wins over Perryville and Herculaneum. There are plenty of players who have stood out this season. Outside of quarterback Christian Schaaf, who has thrown for 950 yards, nine touchdowns, and eight inceptions through the first five weeks of the season, here are six St. Vincent players who have made an impact this season...

The Perryville football team's three-week homestand concludes on Saturday, Sept. 30, with a showdown against the undefeated Jefferson Blue Jays at 1 p.m. It will be a true test for the Pirates' offense, especially for running back Barrett Wheeler. The sophomore has 239 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 59 carries so far this season, putting him just shy of the area's top 10 rushers. ...

No one knew what to expect when the Caruthersville High School leadership hired some “outside the box” guy to lead the swirling Tiger football program in January 2022.

Statistical leaders from the Southeast Missourian coverage area.

Statistical leaders from the Sikeston Standard-Democrat coverage area PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING TACKLES SACKS INTERCEPTIONS...

After getting off to a rocky start to the season, the Poplar Bluff Mules football team aims to get back on track as they get prepared for their next district matchup. The Mules will hit the road on Friday to face off against the Fox High School Warriors, and momentum will be heavily in their favor after their dominant 38-0 performance last week against Sikeston...

Each week of the high school football season, Southeast Missourian sports editor Tony Capobianco will provide a quick matchup rundown for each of the seven area teams. Week 6 is filled with teams either teams likely running into buzzsaws or becoming the buzzsaw, with one clear exception...

NEW MADRID COUNTY CENTRAL, Mo. — New Madrid County Central continued its undefeated run this season, securing a convincing 27-0 win over Caruthersville at NMCC High School on Friday, September 22. The Eagles’ (5-0) offense was led by quarterback BJ Williamson who ran for 219 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown, the senior also connected with fellow senior Jadis Jones for a touchdown pass. Williamson exited the game five minutes into the third...

A lot of teams made waves in Week 5. Some good, some great and some bad. However, many teams stood their ground and proved a lot about themselves. After five weeks of play, we’ve gotten to know a lot about the teams in the area and we now have a pretty good idea of what the conference standings will look like at the end of the season. With this being said, however, there’s still plenty of time left for these teams to make a statement in 2023...

The Kelly Hawks improved to 5-0 on the season with a 36-26 win on the road against Principia on Saturday, Sept. 23, in St. Louis. Senior running back Reece Eftink scored three rushing touchdowns to double his season total and also caught his first touchdown pass...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — In a display of textbook execution, Portageville used a balanced offensive attack and a swarming defense to defeat Charleston 43-0 in a SEMO Conference-South matchup at Vic Reaves Athletic Field on Friday, September 22. From start to finish, the Bulldogs (4-1) dazzled in a multitude of ways, mangling the Bluejays (1-4) and showcasing offensive outstandingness, defensive dominance and special team supremacy throughout the resounding victory...

The Jackson Indians made their presence known early and often in a 50-0 trouncing of the Cape Central Tigers on Friday at “The Pit” in Jackson. After coming up with a defensive stop, the Indians offense went to work as Jaylon Hampton found the end zone from six yards out to make it 7-0...

The homecoming king had a ball. Scott City senior Tyson Underwood rushed for 142 yards and five touchdowns on 11 carries to lead the Rams to a 62-8 win over the Malden Green Wave on Friday, Sept. 22, in Scott City. “Our plan was to go fast all night," Underwood said. "So the play calling went my way.”...

It didn’t take long for Chaffee to jump on top of the visiting Hayti Indians, scoring the first 29 points of the game and cruising to a 50-18 win on a night where the Red Devils came together to raise money for the recently hospitalized Seger Ruiz. Led by senior Shelton Simmons, the Chaffee offense proved far too much for Hayti early on. With a 43-6 lead by the half, the teams chipped on a few more scores before eventually reaching a final 32-point margin of victory for the hosts...

DONIPHAN – It didn’t take Dexter High School senior football player RJ Farmer long to leave his mark in Friday’s game at Doniphan.

The Poplar Bluff Mules football team didn’t pull back any punches during Friday’s homecoming game, as a first-quarter explosion helped them walk away with a victory. The Mules landed their first home win of the season over the Sikeston Bulldogs 38-0 and did it in dominant fashion with the help of starting quarterback Jay Edmundson, who connected with four touchdown passes in the first half...

St. Vincent is known for having one of the Southeast Missouri area's leading passers and leading tacklers, but now there's a third star emerging. Junior defensive back John Schwartz is leading the area with three interceptions after picking off the opposing quarterback twice. He also caught two touchdowns in the Indians' 40-0 win over Herculaneum last week. He was only a cornerback last year, but now is emerging as a secret weapon on offense...

Chase Richardet caught two touchdown passes and scored on a kickoff return to lead Perryville to a 48-14 win over Grandview on Thursday, Sept. 21, at Pirate Stadium, in Perryville, Mo. Richardet amassed over 100 yards on his two touchdown catches alone...

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team has gotten off to a rocky start, but junior quarterback Jay Edmundson looks to lead by example as the Mules continue to find their stride. Despite the Mules 1-3 start to the season, Edmundson is still optimistic that the team will eventually turn the corner and make a strong run in the playoffs, similar to the previous season after an 0-4 start...

Statistical leaders from the Southeast Missourian coverage area.

Statistical leaders from the Sikeston Standard-Democrat coverage area PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING TACKLES SACKS INTERCEPTIONS...

It’s hard not to be enamored with the multitude of offensive playmakers that the Dexter High School football team has unleashed on the opposition this fall. The Bearcats have speed (senior runner RJ Farmer and junior athlete Lee-Michael McDonald), pass-catchers (junior tight end Logan Pullum and junior receiver Nolan Alford), and power (junior bull-rusher Jett Grams), as well as a solid quarterback directing everything in junior Jackson Howard. However, none of that explosive productivity occurs without blocking up front.

EAST PRAIRIE – David Stalker has only been a head coach at East Prairie High School for one-plus seasons, but he is showing that he isn’t afraid to experiment with innovative ways to achieve success, particularly on offense. “We’re trying to open up our passing game,” Stalker said following a recent loss to Dexter at East Prairie.

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team looks to pick up the pieces after a devastating loss by longtime rival Jackson High School 49-21 in last Friday’s matchup. Heading into their next game against the Sikeston High School Bulldogs, the Mules plan to utilize this homecoming game as an opportunity to get back on track...

Each week of the high school football season, Southeast Missourian sports editor Tony Capobianco will provide a quick matchup rundown for each of the seven area teams. Due to the timing of the Gridiron Guide, Thursday matchups are excluded, which is why Kelly was left out last week and Perryville is being excluded this week. But don't worry, the Pirates have their very own preview...

If you told Jathan Spain in the preseason he would be QB1 heading into week five, he may not have believed you. Spain took over for the injured Deklin Pittman in week one and has looked more and more comfortable as weeks go by. Despite beating St. Charles in the season opener, Spain admits he wasn’t comfortable...

Fresh off a 62-6 win over Bayless, the Perryville Pirates host Grandview on Thursday at Pirate Stadium. The rare short week is followed up with homecoming Saturday when the Pirates host the Blue Jays of Jefferson on Sept. 30. "I like the way it almost gives us an artificial bye week," Perryville head coach Brent Roth said. "You get two extra days of preparation in there for your homecoming game."...

BENTON, Mo. — It all started in the depths of a dimly lit locker room, where defeat lingered in the air like a heavy fog, the remnants of Kelly’s heart-wrenching 26-13 district tournament loss to Priory at the end of last season. Ice packs clung to bruised and injured limbs, their chilling presence a stark reminder of the physical toll taken on the team. ...

In one of the biggest games of the season so far, two of the top teams in the area faced off in Week 4. Jackson defended its title as the top team in the area, while Poplar Bluff impressed early before falling flat late. Only two teams in this week’s top 10 faltered in last week’s slate, with many proving why they’re in such strong standing in the first place...

Jackson got back to its winning ways against Poplar Bluff with a 49-21 victory. No name jumped off the stat sheet more than Indians junior Kai Crowe, who scored four touchdowns to push Jackson to a big win against its archrival on the road. Crowe typically stands out the most as one of the Indians’ primary receiving targets, becoming one of quarterback Adrian Fox’s go-to guys. However, his impact as the starting kicker and punter has also proved invaluable through four weeks...

Portageville’s dominating run continues as the Bulldogs steamroll the Rams of Scott City 56-32 on Friday in Scott City, Mo. This was a rivalry game Portageville really wanted to win. “I just love playing this team so much,” said Portageville senior receiver Carson Bradley, “I think this is the highest we beat Scott City by in four years.”...

SIKESTON — It was a story of near-misses and ‘what-ifs’ as Sikeston dropped a 35-8 contest to Farmington at Sikeston Public Schools Stadium on Friday, September 15. Despite the seemingly one-sided score, the Bulldogs (0-4) showed signs of growth that hint at a promising future trajectory...

Homecooking means a lot for the Perryville Pirates, and those games at Pirate Stadium seem to come at the right time. Score no points in a road loss to Oakville, shut out Windsor in a home win. Lose to the rival by 42 points at their turf, win the next home game by 56 points...

EAST PRAIRIE – It’s pretty clear to any casual observer that the Dexter High School football squad has made significant strides from a year ago. The Bearcats dominated host East Prairie, mostly with an impressive run game, and ran away (no pun intended) with a 56-18 victory.

In the battle between Central and Central, the Cape Tigers came back to prevail over Park Hills 43-39 on Friday in Park Hills, Mo. Carter Armstrong only caught two passes but both receptions led to touchdowns for a total of 106 yards. The first touchdown went for 64 yards to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, while the second score went for 42 yards to help Central retake the lead at 24-19. ...

Editor’s Note: This is the final story in a series about 2023 East Carter graduate Robert Henning and his journey to play football at Arkansas Baptist College. Robert Henning played baseball and basketball when he was an East Carter Redbird but he, along with Jordan Penn, knew something different was in store for him at the next level...

The energy was high at Mules Stadium Friday night as longtime rivals met on the gridiron for a showdown of the ages. After a few snaps of hard-hitting football, the Jackson High School Indians made enough plays into the endzone to secure a 49-21 win over the Poplar Bluff High School Mules football team in a rivalry matchup...

BENTON, Mo. — Nothing silences critics quite like success. Kelly showcased this, securing a strong 34-14 victory over their SEMO-South Conference rival, Charleston, at Lambert Field on Thursday, September 14. Are the whispers of a ‘soft schedule’ now nothing more than baseless noise?...

St. Vincent senior linebacker Drake Robinson is not just the Indians' defensive leader but also one of the school's strongest athletes. When discussing the difference between playing Class 3 and 4 opponents as a Class 1 program, Robinson mentioned the disparity in the number of physically developed athletes. However, "It’s not the size of the dog in the fight is the size of the fight in the dog that really determines what makes a team great.”...

When it comes to sports, consistency is key. Joey Charlton has been nothing short of consistent for the Cape Central Tigers this season. Charlton, a freshman. relishes the opportunity to produce for his team. “It really means a lot,” Charlton said. Tigers coach Kent Gibbs had high praise for Charlton...

The time-honored tradition of Jackson and Poplar Bluff doing battle annually has given way to one of the most tense, most anticipated and most legendary rivalries in all of southeast Missouri. The teams have met in every single season dating back to 1938...

Each week of the high school football season, Southeast Missourian sports editor Tony Capobianco will provide a quick matchup rundown for each of the seven area teams. The games are getting good entering the fourth week of the season. Jackson at Poplar Bluff...