Semoball

SD WEEK 9 FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Senior night brings tough test, with state-ranked Kennett; East Prairie looks to continue winning streak; Kelly aims to finish second-straight season over .500

Sikeston's Keon Graham is brought down by a Charleston tackler Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Charleston, Mo.
David Jenkins/Standard Democrat

KENNETT at SIKESTON

Records: Kennett 8-0, Sikeston 3-5

Series History: Sikeston leads 58-9-1

Last Meeting: 2018, Kennett won 23-14

Last Week: Sikeston defeated NMCC 28-20; Kennett defeated Malden 51-0

Notes: Senior linebacker Seth Copeland has been a workhorse for the Bulldogs this season. Last week against New Madrid County Central (NMCC), he finished with 18 tackles to bring his season total to 92. He also has 10 tackles for loss and one forced fumble on the defensive side of the football. Junior Lontas McClinton was the leader in receiving for the Bulldogs. He finished with two catches for 117 yards. Senior signal-caller Gage Rolwing threw for 210 yards on 5 of 14 passing and had 21 carries for 104 yards on-the-ground. He also scored an 11-yard and 19-yard touchdown as well. Senior Keon Graham also had a strong outing. He scored on a 3-yard touchdown, and had three carries for six yards, but did most of his work on the outside as a receiver. He caught three passes for 93 yards and was another weapon in the arsenal. Everyone will have to be on the same page against an undefeated and state-ranked Kennett team in Week 9. A run-first team, the Indians have carried the ball 274 times for 2,604 yards this season. Senior Marsayv’aun Harrell is the Indians’ top rusher with 100 carries for 1,025 yards. Jordan Jarrett, who had three carries for 79 yards against Malden in Week 8, is also a threat to make a big run. Carter Maddox caught a team-high four passes for 39 yards against the Green Wave as well. Quarterback Bodey Ellis has completed 24 of 50 passes for 366 yards this season, along with running the ball 43 times for 330 yards. Defensively, Kennett allows six points per game and has forced 26 turnovers this season, as well.

KELLY at CHAFFEE

Records: Kelly 4-4, Chaffee 1-7

Series History: Chaffee leads 3-2

Last Meeting: 2018, Kelly won 41-0

Last Week: Kelly lost to Scott City 49-7; Chaffee lost to Jefferson (Festus) 62-22

Notes: Week 8 was not the strongest showing for Kelly. The Hawks finished with 112 yards of total offense in their 49-7 loss to Scott City. Junior running back Evan Urhahn has 818 yards on the ground this season, through six games, on 114 carries and nine touchdowns to lead the team. Additional stats for the last two weeks were not available.

NMCC at CARUTHERSVILLE

Records: NMCC 5-3, Caruthersville 6-2

Series History: NMCC leads 21-14

Last Meeting: 2018, Caruthersville won 34-8

Last Week: NMCC lost to Sikeston 28-20; Caruthersville lost to Hayti 26-16

Notes: After a loss on senior night, NMCC has another tough test ahead in Week 9. The Eagles travel to Caruthersville for a matchup with the Tigers and are looking to get back on track before district play begins. Junior running back Quazavion Jackson did what he usually does against opponents in Week 8 — eat up yards. He added 139 yards to his season total, on 29 carries, and scored twice. He now has 1,234 yards this season, on 158 carries, and 13 touchdowns. Senior Christen Phillips will also need to be sharp on Friday night if the Eagles want to win. Last week, Phillips threw for 169 yards on 16 of 26 passing but had two interceptions. He did throw one touchdown pass to Kenyon King. His favorite target, fellow senior Austin Davis, had seven receptions for 144 yards and was the only Eagles’ receiver to top 100 yards. Devin Russell heads the Tigers’ attack at quarterback. This season, Russell is 56 of 97 passing for 1,149 yards and 14 touchdowns. Additionally, he can also beat you on the ground, rushing 56 times for 300 yards and seven touchdowns. His favorite target is Dundi Hamilton, who has had an impressive season in his own right. Hamilton has 25 receptions for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns. Another lethal runner for the Tigers is JaMarion Rodgers. Rodgers has 73 carries for 608 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Jermaine Alexander also serves as a runner in some instances. He has 15 carries for 198 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching 17 passes for 230 yards and one score.

EAST PRAIRIE at FREDERICKTOWN

Records: East Prairie 4-4, Fredericktown 2-6

Series History: Fredericktown leads 6-3

Last Meeting: 2018, East Prairie won 32-22

Last Week: East Prairie defeated Charleston 36-0; Fredericktown defeated Doniphan 54-11

Notes: Hayden Ellis is just 75 yards away from reaching 1,000 for the season. The sophomore tailback has 925 yards on 120 carries and 12 touchdowns. He has six 100-plus yard games and is averaging nearly 116 yards per game for an East Prairie team that is on a roll. The Eagles have won their last four games and have used the run effectively to win. East Prairie has rushed for nearly 352 yards per game in its previous four contests and will look to keep that train rolling in Week 9 against Fredericktown. Ellis isn’t the only runner that will cause damage, though. East Prairie has three other capable runners that back up Ellis. Gaige Gifford has 626 yards on 60 carries this season, along with seven touchdowns. Raleigh Archie has 374 yards on 76 carries and two touchdowns, while John Graham has 331 yards on 66 carries and four touchdowns. Defensively, there are three Eagles that lead the pack. Junior Lucas Moore is the team’s leading tackler, with 66, and has a team-leading seven tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks as well. Archie has 63 tackles, while Ellis has 62. Ellis also has three tackles for loss and three sacks for the Eagles, while junior Nathan Waters adds three sacks. Evan Burrows takes the snaps under-center for Fredericktown. Burrows has 1,358 yards passing on 116 of 172 and 11 touchdowns this season. He also has 47 carries for 101 yards and six scores. Ethan Flanagan and Seth Laut are the two primary receivers for Burrows. Flanagan has 32 receptions for 364 yards and four scores, while Laut has 25 catches for 365 yards and two touchdowns. On-the-ground, Malachi Kyle is the feature-back. He has 83 rushes for 395 yards and nine touchdowns for the Blackcats. On defense, Tristen Casby and Laut are the leaders. Casby has a team-high 78 tackles, while Laut has 72. Laut also has 10 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles.

HERCULANEUM at CHARLESTON

Records: Charleston 4-4, Herculaneum 2-6

Series History: Charleston leads 3-2

Last Meeting: 2018, Charleston won 52-6

Last Week: Herculaneum lost to Valle Catholic 61-14; Charleston lost to East Prairie 36-0

Charleston's Blessin Kimble looks for running room against Sikeston Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Charleston, Mo.
David Jenkins/Standard Democrat

Notes: There was not a whole lot of offense from Charleston in Week 8 against East Prairie. The Bluejays finished with 131 yards of total offense, with senior quarterback Suave Fitzpatrick leading the way. He finished with 87 passing yards on 10 of 23 passing, while also using his feet to gain 38 yards on 11 carries. Fitzpatrick’s primary target is senior wide receiver Blessin Kimble. Last week, Kimble had six catches for 66 yards, bringing his total for the season to 438 receiving yards on 24 receptions and three touchdowns for the Bluejays. Jordan Duncan leads Herculaneum this season. He is 87 of 217 for 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns. Duncan’s leading receiver is Jason Harden. Harden has 29 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Ruder has 28 receptions for 288 yards and three touchdowns as well, which is second on the team. On-the-ground, Austin Huson does the bulk of the work there. He has 95 carries for 396 yards and three touchdowns this season for the Black Cats.

PORTAGEVILLE at HAYTI

Records: Portageville 2-6; Hayti 7-1

Series History: Portageville leads 44-30-3

Last Meeting: 2018, Hayti won 60-0

Last Week: Portageville lost to Perryville 48-6; Hayti defeated Caruthersville 60-0

Notes: In a rare Saturday game, Portageville struggled to get things going against Perryville. The Bulldogs had two rushing yards. Despite an abysmal running game, Thomas Frakes managed to throw for 225 yards on 19 of 31 passing and one touchdown. Alex Winsor caught the lone touchdown pass from Frakes and had 127 receiving yards on five receptions. Senior Jared Crafton had 77 yards on six catches, bringing his total to 378 receiving yards on 28 receptions and three touchdowns this season. The Bulldogs now look to Friday night’s matchup with state-ranked Hayti. A task in itself, Hayti has only been challenged three times since its opening season loss to Thayer, outscoring their opponents 332-122 during that stretch. Adreian Stevenson is one of the many threats that will need attention from the Bulldogs. Last week, he ran 20 times for 105 yards and scored three touchdowns. On defense, he also had five tackles and two tackles for loss.

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