Rachel Crader is the editor of semoball.com. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May of 2009 before spending the summer covering the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Highlights from Rachel's days in college include having a class down the hall from Chase Daniel and having NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren hold the door open for her at Brady Commons, Mizzou's student center. She spent time covering Mizzou basketball, softball and baseball while working for the Columbia Missourian and is excited to return home to Southeast Missouri to cover local sports for semoball.com.

Rachel has covered three Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournaments for the Southeast Missourian and semoball.com, and she'll see you courtside again this year.

Semoball Football Poll: Cape Central starts on top

Posted Wednesday, August 31, 2011, at 8:55 PM

Just like during basketball season, reporters at newspapers that contribute to semoball will be voting on weekly polls for high school football, softball and volleyball.

The first football and softball polls will be released this week while the volleyball poll will come out for the first time next week.

The football poll, which you can see below, will be released on Tuesday each week. The softball poll will come out on Wednesdays and volleyball will follow on Thursdays.

Cape Central, fresh off a convincing Week 1 win over New Madrid County Central, holds the top spot in the first football poll. Cape Central got three of the five first-place votes.

Two of this week's top 5 teams actually started their seasons with a loss. No. 2 Sikeston fell to Gateway Tech while No. 5 Poplar Bluff lost a tough game to Vashon.

You can check out the football page for all of our Week 1 coverage in one place. The new state rankings are also posted and No. 3 Dexter has made its way into the Class 3 rankings.

So what do you think? Did we get it right? How would you rank the teams?

Team Record Points First-place votes

Cape Central 1-0 22 3

Sikeston 0-1 17 1

Dexter 1-0 15 1

Caruthersville 1-0 13 0

Poplar Bluff 0-1 4 0

Others receiving votes: Hayti 2. Malden 2.

How the rankings are determined:

The sports staff at each of the newspapers that contribute to semoball are given a vote -- that includes the Daily American Republic (Poplar Bluff), Daily Dunklin Democrat (Kennett), Dexter Daily Statesman, Sikeston Standard Democrat and Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau). Each staff is free to determine how they want to complete its ballot, but there are 12 total people that cover sports for those papers all across the semoball coverage area.

Brian Rosener of the Daily American Republic tallies to the votes. A first-place vote is worth five points, a second-place vote is worth four points and so on.

Comments

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I think Caruthersville is the best team around here. Yes better than Sikeston and Cape this year. No, Im not from Caruthersville

-- Posted by Hershisers and Old Fashioned's on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 12:21 PM
Thats funny

-- Posted by CapeTiger20 on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 12:43 PM
Too bad that Cape Central doesn't have any games to prove themselves until districts. They could sit at the top of this poll all season then take two quick losses Weeks 8 and 9 and be sitting at home which I really do think is what happens.

-- Posted by sideline starter on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 12:45 PM
My only beef with the list is that Dexter should not be ahead of Caruthersville. Not sure what your basing that ranking on. Caruthersville beat them last year 41-14 and they are just as good this year if not better. Dexter returns a few more starters but still hasn't warranted a spot above Cville. Also to CapeTiger5, Caruthersville would give Cape and Sikeston all they would want this year, not saying they would win but would not be a blow out by any means.

-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 12:49 PM
I would have the list as follow:

1.Sikeston-Until someone in Semo beats them.

2.Cape Central

3.Caruthersville

4.Dexter

5.Farmington

-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 12:51 PM
Cheesehead, it is based on the fact that Dexter is in a bigger class and played a better opponent Week 1. I'm not saying that they are better than Caruthersville because the Tigers have a really good team this year. Also, it looks like the Dexter paper voted for their team as the best (5 points) and each of the other papers put Dexter at third or fourth (6 points and 4 points) to make fifteen. Meanwhile, it looks like Caruthersvile got three third place votes (nine points) and two fourth place votes (four points). But who knows? My top 5 of the "SEMOBALL" area are

1. Sikeston

2. Dexter

3. Caruthersville

4. Cape Central-not convinced on them

5. Malden

-- Posted by sideline starter on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 12:58 PM
It's no biggie. I guess we will find out who is better between the two when they play later on this year. I a little excited to see what happens when Dexter plays Sikeston this year! Could end up being a good game.

-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 1:02 PM
I agree Caruthersville should be ahead of Dexter. That's how I voted.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 1:12 PM
You people kill me Sikeston lost and you still think they should be ranked 1st. Do i think they are the best in Semo YES but they lost!!

-- Posted by BIGELW on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 1:26 PM
It's a Semo poll. Until someone from SEMO beats them or they lose to an inferior opponent then they should remain at the 1 spot! I mean they could have scheduled a cupcake team but they went after a good team. Who in your mind should be 1?

-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 1:32 PM
Here are my Week 1 votes, which were part of the poll:

1. Sikeston

2. Cape Central

3. Caruthersville

4. Poplar Bluff

5. Dexter

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 2:03 PM
The team I have the most questions about is Poplar Bluff. I remain unsure how they will perform the remainder of the season.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 2:05 PM
Here is my Top 5 this week

1. Cape Central

2. Caruthersville

3. Sikeston

4. Dexter

5. Poplar Bluff

-- Posted by Matt Duckworth on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 2:17 PM
You answered your own question. They should be ranked #1 because they are the best in SEMO. Until someone around here beats them, they are the top team in my opinion even with a loss. Things will begin to shake out in Week 3 when they play Dexter.

-- Posted by sideline starter on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 2:17 PM
Lets see It's the same with the poll in basketball so if you start out ranked number one and loose your first 3 or 4 games against teams not from this area than you should still be ranked #1 until someone beats you that's from around here?

-- Posted by BIGELW on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 2:48 PM
It's just an opinion poll BIGELW. There is never an exact science to it. It's only opinions at this point. Everything will be sorted out in the coming weeks. One loss to a very good out of area team doesn't exempt you from being ranked No. 1.

I remember a few years ago the PB basketball team with the Hansbroughs always had losses, but they lost to out of area teams like Greg Oden, etc. They weren't punished for losing to those teams in the polls, and rightfully so. Now having said that, do I think Sikeston should be No. 1 in the area? Not right now. I think they have too much to work on. Too many kinks to work out. Perhaps if they get rolling and start manhandling people, then I'll change my opinion.

-- Posted by semohoops on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 2:58 PM
i dont think dexter can stay on the field against sikeston or central both schools have A LOT more speed then they have if you went to the contact camps you saw that they were in a different class than those school and i only see the seperation growing seeing as how that was the first time either sikeston or cape had contact with their newly formed teams dexter has been together thats just the way i feel about it

-- Posted by cape222 on Tue, Aug 30, 2011, at 10:41 PM
Cape won, Sikeston lost. Simple Cape is #1, its not ranking the match up between the teams in the area.

-- Posted by CapeTiger20 on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 12:10 AM
What are rankings supposed to represent?

When I rank teams I base my rankings on which teams would likely win head-to-head matchups. I never base rankings on records.

But there is no rubric to indicate whether the rankings are based on talent or record. If the rankings are based on record Charleston should be ranked ahead of Sikeston heading into this week's head-to-head matchup since Charleston is 1-0 and Sikeston is 0-1.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 1:20 AM
PB always has losses early in basketball because we don't play any local teams until after Christmas.

-- Posted by BIGELW on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 7:15 AM
Partly true BIGELW, but you made my point. PB, even with Hansbrough, always had losses, but were always ranked No. 1 despite this. You're not going to rank, say, and undefeated Naylor team over a PB team that is 1-3 are you?

But PB does play local teams. They've always played in the Sikeston tournament before Christmas.

-- Posted by semohoops on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 8:00 AM
Oh my bad i forgot about semo tourney we play 4 games before we play anybody around here. I agree that i wouldn't but semo polls do and that's the point i was gettin at just look at the past rankings there are alot of teams that get ranked ahead of teams that they wouldn't have a chance to beat but because there record is better they get ranked higher.

-- Posted by BIGELW on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 9:27 AM
I agree BIGELW.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 12:48 PM
This is football...you play one game a week, not 5 out of area opponents then come back to SEMO the next week.

Sikeston fans, what gives you the right to be number 1, you are a brand new team that lost, yes you played a big stl school but what if they weren't having a good game or just aren't great this year. I haven't looked at polls for them because I'm just being situational. You lost week 1 and cape won in week 1. Get over it, if you are truly a superior team then you will prove it in the coming weeks by blowing people out. You guys are acting like you should just be anointed the #1 spot because of who you are and what last years team did.

-- Posted by BB-BORE on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 7:03 PM
well said BB-BORE

-- Posted by uptobat on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 8:45 PM
Don't get your panties in a wad BB-BORE. For the record, I don't think Sikeston should be No. 1. They will have to show me a lot more to change my mind. I was just illustrating on how people vote on polls. Whether or not you agree with it is irrelevant. You don't get a vote.

-- Posted by semohoops on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 10:19 PM
Well by BB-BOREs and CapeTiger#5's logic I vote Chaffee ahead of Sikeston because they won big against an inferior team.

-- Posted by Bill Shakespeare on Wed, Aug 31, 2011, at 10:59 PM
Interesting thoughts MakeItRain.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Thu, Sep 1, 2011, at 12:22 AM
I see on some schedules that Cape Central was supposed to play CBC out of St.Louis and now they have a open date this week What happened?

-- Posted by lastride67 on Mon, Sep 5, 2011, at 9:40 AM
It was the CBC out of Tennessee and they dropped the game for some reason

-- Posted by Dustin Ruby on Mon, Sep 5, 2011, at 1:13 PM
They dropped us because they didn't want to travel here. Apparently they don't do the 2 year contracts for 1 home and 1 away game.

-- Posted by BB-BORE on Mon, Sep 5, 2011, at 4:06 PM
It does seem like a long drive.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Mon, Sep 5, 2011, at 11:42 PM
Especially in an economic depression.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Mon, Sep 5, 2011, at 11:43 PM
would have been the same distance either way.

-- Posted by vincebrown on Tue, Sep 6, 2011, at 2:19 AM
The school is right in the middle of Memphis.

-- Posted by BB-BORE on Tue, Sep 6, 2011, at 9:13 AM
Schools were being closed down in Memphis this summer, they didn't show up to the tiger classic one year.

So will central only have 9 games if they don't make it out of districts?

-- Posted by Dustin Ruby on Tue, Sep 6, 2011, at 10:28 AM
This school is definitely not being shut down.

Yes, we will only have 9 regular season games.

-- Posted by BB-BORE on Tue, Sep 6, 2011, at 2:08 PM
I never said it is, but your boy Vince made it sound like football came first, I said schools in Memphis were.

-- Posted by Dustin Ruby on Tue, Sep 6, 2011, at 3:00 PM

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