Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 8:45 PM:
With three weeks in the books, it's time to for the rankings of the area teams to begin. I feel like the sample size after three weeks gives a decent idea of where everybody is and hope to give as unbiased an analysis as I can. As a note, the only schools to be considered for the rankings are schools covered in the Semoball coverage area. Those schools are Cape Central, Caruthersville, Chaffee, Charleston, Dexter, East Prairie, Hayti, Jackson, Kennett, Malden, New Madrid, Perryville, Poplar Bluff, Portageville, Scott City, Sikeston, and St. Vencent. Let's get on with the inaugural rankings for the season.
1) Jackson-The Indians (3-0) have been the best team in SEMO through three weeks with solid play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Their new offense under Coach Eckley has brought about both great passing and running. They play a good Poplar Bluff team at home this Friday.
2) Sikeston-It took a few weeks but the offense finally matched the defense this past Friday for the Bulldogs (3-0) as they blew past Dexter. Getting back primary runningback Chris Word as well as other starters from injury should be beneficial as Sikeston gets into the tough stretch of their schedule heading forward. Look for a good contest between the Bulldogs and Farmington in St. Louis at the Dome Saturday.
3) Cape Central-The Tigers (2-1) took their lumps early in the season being downed by Class 3 power John Burroughs but have responded phenomenally taking a high-powered running attack past St. Charles West and Poplar Bluff. Never one to avoid larger schools, Cape heads north this Friday to take on large class school Ft. Zumwalt East.
4) Caruthersville-Considered the premier small-class team in the area over the last couple of years, the Tigers (2-1) have taken a similar path as Cape Central. Looking to get in good competition early, Caruthersville took a pounding from Mountain View-Liberty but seemed to come back stronger from it. After big wins over district foes Malden and Charleston, the latter with Darrell Monroe sidelined for most of the game, the Tigers have held their mantle as the team to beat in their district. They look to avenge their only regular season loss from last season this week against Dexter Friday at home.
5) Poplar Bluff-The Mules (2-1) saw their first setback after being downed by Cape but have looked the part of a team turning around in the second season of Coach Barrouse's second stint. Look for PB to show their true colors and maybe take a few bumps and bruises when they take on Jackson this Friday.
Personally, I believe there is a big dropoff after the first four teams on this list. However, shoutouts must be given to Scott City and Portageville as two small school teams who have started 3-0. There is still a lot of football to be played but I'll conclude each week with my predictions to be the two teams to face off in each of our area district finals (District 1 in Class 1-5).
Class 5: Rockwood Summit vs Jackson
Class 4: Sikeston vs Cape Central
Class 3: Ste. Genevieve vs Park Hills Central
Class 2: Caruthersville vs Malden (or Charleston)
Class 1: Valle vs Thayer
I appreciate anybody who takes the time to read this and always enjoy to hear other folk's opinions. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
Replies (40)
From the looks of the bluff game, the main problem was just a few plays. Bluff blew big assignments about 3-4 times and cape scored off of those blown assignments. I can see bluff looking to avenge a loss that should have been closer than what the score says
-- Posted by Tigers2638 on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 9:28 PM
My thoughts exactly Sideline. Just one question. Did you mean a big drop-off after the first four teams or the first five teams? If the former, I personally think Poplar Bluff is every bit as good as Caruthersville. I also agree with your district championship match-ups predictions. Portageville is likely to be a spoiler in Class 1 though. Scott City could also be a spoiler in Class 2 and reach the finals against Caruthersville.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 9:36 PM
Preach, I really think there is a dropoff between Caruthersville and PB but another one after that too. I'm not too sure because that Dexter-PB game had all that weather and stopping and starting involved so it is tough to tell just how well both of them should have performed. Otherwise, I would look at the Caruthersville-Dexter game as a barometer for Caruthersville vs PB. All the injuries for Dexter between then and now doesn't help the comparison either.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 9:43 PM
Sideline, we're going to find out alot about PB over the next few weeks. Their next three games are against Jackson, Sikeston, and Cape Central if memory serves. I know they've got a couple of outstanding LB's, esp. #76 T.J. Boner. They've got a really good little running back in Cornelius Timothy as well.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 9:51 PM
Caruthersville played without 6 players against Charleston and still looked pretty solid. 2 were already out for season, and 4 got hurt in the game. Not sure the status on any of the players yet, but i'm sure they will be just fine against Dexter. Who knows though, anything can happen.
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 9:59 PM
I'd still like to see Sikeston against some tougher teams as well. Hard to really gauge them based off who they played. Playing Farmington,Poplar Bluff, and Cape will give me a better idea of how good they are. Should be some good football down the stretch in Semo
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:04 PM
my bias opinion has freddy and SG but i cant argue that PH has a legitimate shot as well!
-- Posted by Perrywinkle on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:12 PM
Dexter is the 1st team sikeston has played this year that was slow enough to where sikeston could run outside anytime they wanted with good success. But I'll wait until the offence runs between the tackles with any kind of consistency before I go crazy over the offence in this game... At some point Sikeston will be forced to run at people. Something to remember about football is that no matter how fast your team is, you cant run away from people forever, eventually someone is going to contain you and make it about line play.
-- Posted by Sonic-The-Hedgehog on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:16 PM
I think you're definitely right about Class 4. That looks like a very accurate assessment.
Class 3 - I would have to include Fredericktown in the mix somewhere.....as bad as I absolutely HATE to say that.
They are the kind of team that can catch their opponents with their pants down and put 2 or 3 scores on the board in a hurry....before they even realize what happened.
-- Posted by zachattack on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:26 PM
Sonic, you think Dexter is that much slower than Charleston or NMCC? I think the issue in those games for Sikeston were turnovers and injuries. Dexter faced a healthy Sikeston team that clearly was just too fast for us. I think Sikeston's biggest problem is their lack of a deep passing game. Kyland Gross is really a RB playing QB. Also, Sikeston's secondary needs to improve for them to win their district.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:30 PM
Freddy is right there with the other two. Losing to PHC made them the odd team out at the moment. But I definitely think that SG will get the one, and PHC and Freddy get the two and three and those teams decide the district...except for unbeaten, state vote receiving Potosi!!! (sarcasm meter overload)
-- Posted by sideline starter on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:31 PM
SG may take a trip to upsetville.....who knows. hahaha
Bleed Green.....5, 4, 3, 2, 1, .....
-- Posted by zachattack on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 10:47 PM
I am seeing the Sikeston Bulldog Offense that really takes off with a quality mobile QB, begin to move the ball again... Kyland opens up so many things plus he is already thrown the ball down the field more than we did last season. He has thrown some pretty decent balls, but I'm just glad we aren't throwing the WR SCREEN/RB IN THE FLATS on every pass play. I mean, technically those are just stretch run plays. As Preacher Man said Kyland isn't really a "TRUE QB", but is making strides each week as he gets snap after snap. I do think we will beat Farmington, but don't know if it will be a lopsided game at all. I look to learn more about the Dogs when i get a chance to see them again in Cape!
I think with WORD, NEWMAN and NICHOLS running the ball Sikeston can keep defenses uncomfortable.
SONIC- Word being back on the field is the guy to run it up the middle. Losing the O-Line we did last season hurts, but these kids are improving each game. I think Sikeston's O-line is the only question mark the rest of the season. If they continue to get stronger, smarter and to the second level like last seasons lineman, Sikeston can win a host of games. The defense is still AMAZING against the run, but showed some major problem areas if we play a passing team. Jackson is the team that I feel could pick us apart if they decide to open up the play book and pass about 60% of the time.
-- Posted by straightswaggin on Sun, Sep 9, 2012, at 11:29 PM
Guys if you haven't noticed Dexter is SLOW... And yes I would be willing to bet that both NMCC and Charleston are much faster than Dexter not necessarily better but definitely faster
-- Posted by Sonic-The-Hedgehog on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 1:02 AM
Sideline, Well potosi has been my dark horse in the hunt for the Class 3 district. I thought they would be better than last year, but getting state ranking votes? -sarcasm off- They will be getting into their tougher schedule now.
What does Dexter's remaining schedule look like? I think they play PHC later too. Will be a tough game for the Bearcats. Still a good shot of being #4 rank.
Two remaining games for FredMo look tough to me: MRH & Ste Gen. Potosi may end up being like the PHC game, a close one. They tend to play well at home.
Ste Gen should win out, I think they played their toughest opponent. FredMo and PHC "could" give them a game.
PHC still has STG, MRH & Dexter. Each is possible loss, but I think the Dexter game will be close and PHC pulls out a win.
Class 3 Dist 1 looks REAL interesting right now....
-- Posted by mojo3 on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 7:59 AM
Mojo, I'm selling the stock I had in Dexter like crazy. They lost so much from last year and are nursing so many injuries at key positions that I just do not think it is their year. I'd like to see them get it turned around but I see them with a 5-6 seed in the district and that Potosi may steal the 4 due to their schedule. I think the district is a three team race at the end of the day.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 11:20 AM
Sonic, I guess we will find out as Dexter has yet to play Charleston and NMCC. If we beat them both, that will show maybe we're not as slow as you think. I believe Sikeston will make most teams they play against look slow.
Mojo3, Dexter's remaining schedule is Caruthersville this Friday night, then Kennett after that. Then we play NMCC, PHC, Charleston, and end with Malden. We'll see how it goes. Inexperience and injuries have really hurt us, but the team is playing hard and getting a little better each week. Hopefully, we can still grab the #3 or #4 seed in the district.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 11:23 AM
Preach,
Just looked at Potosi's schedule, their next four are all good teams, but the last two are NC and DeSoto. DeSoto hasn't had a good season so far. Looks like we've got the potential for several 5&4 teams in the district!
-- Posted by mojo3 on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 11:46 AM
Mojo3, I think you're exactly right. Dexter will keep getting better and I think we will give Caruthersville a good game, maybe even pull off the upset against them or PHC. Of course, it would be good if Caruthersville decided to rest Monroe Friday night, but as the Tigers showed against Charleston, they are still a great team without him.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 12:03 PM
I didn't say Charleston was better only faster and considering what sikeston does well on offence that would make dexter who I promise is slower than both new madrid and charleston a better matchup for Sikeston
-- Posted by Sonic-The-Hedgehog on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 12:16 PM
I'm from Dexter and I promise you that NMCC and Charleston are much faster than Dexter. Still love the heart of the Cats but beating either one of them or both will be a chore. I can understand giving up 28+ points occasionally but the Cats do it on a consistent basis including the last few years when they were really good. Too much youth and inexperience right now but I've said it once and I say it again that Coach Pix will have them playing solid football by the end of the year and set the foundation for some good teams the next couple of years.
-- Posted by sonny6killer on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 1:33 PM
i dont see potosi beating NC, but i didnt see PH beating freddy. if park hills and freddy are that close in talent level and potosi is as good (or should i say "bad") as i think they are, i only see them winning one game. they will only beat desoto, but it'll be a big win for sure.
-- Posted by Perrywinkle on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 4:08 PM
Like I said, at the end of the day, it's going to be a three team race and Ste. Gen, PHC, and Freddy are competing to get just about the most important #1 seed in the area.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 4:15 PM
What are you talking about?????
Potosi is friggin' AMAAAAAZING. They whipped Perryville like state champs.
-- Posted by zachattack on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 4:46 PM
Great analysis sideline...I agree that Cape has definitely beefed up their schedule...Just hope they can stay healthy till districts...That is a "tough" schedule...I also agree that Jackson is back but that Junior class has "always" been very tough...My favorite time of year! I'll go back into hibernation when basketball rolls around..
-- Posted by crackerjack on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 6:20 PM
Appreciate it Bullet. Glad you could come back around for two months.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 6:22 PM
Sideline, you seem like you know a lot about the game and the teams. I agree with all your top 5. I'm a Jackson fan so I hope we can keep this winning up. It's nice when the whole semo north conference is competitive. Good luck this weekend versus Farmington. Hope you can hand them their third loss.
-- Posted by Gary Pinkel on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 6:42 PM
Appreciate it redhawk11. I'm glad to see you guys as a competitive team again and think you got a heck of a coach in Eckley. I'd like to see you go 8-1 (that one being against Sikeston of course).
-- Posted by sideline starter on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 6:44 PM
Haha hopefully the players just take it one game at a time. Poplar Bluff will be a challenge.
-- Posted by Gary Pinkel on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 7:57 PM
I agree redhawk11 one game at a time. I think that's how they are looking at it as well. If I remember right PB had a couple of really fast kids last year. I'm not sure if they are back this year. One of them I think his number was 1 was very fast. I'm glade that we have so many talented teams in the area. Helps prepare them for state.
-- Posted by oldschoolbballer on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 8:39 PM
Agreed that the SEMO Conference North helps each other get prepped decently for potential playoff runs. Sikeston plays all four of their conference games in a row starting this week.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Mon, Sep 10, 2012, at 10:59 PM
A quick question for you sideline. I was just wondering if Scott City or Portageville continue to win and Poplar Bluff goes into a mid-season slide (as they very well could considering their tough upcoming schedule), could one of those teams break into the Top 5? I know I'm probably re-igniting the small school vs. large school debate, but I was just wondering about your thoughts on it. Maybe other semoballers would like to weigh in on this question to.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 3:29 PM
It all depends Preach. What kind of criteria would then need to be considered for the top five? Are we going to base it strictly on the talent of the team as it is currently on the field like this one here? Obviously under that format, larger schools have an advantage and it almost becomes the SEMO Conference North power rankings. I could amend my criteria to note achievement so if a Portageville or Scott City were to get to 7-0 or 8-0 or go unbeaten in conference or something even against an easier schedule, they could get some love. Maybe I could just do a regular top five and a Small School Top Five underneath. Another thing I have considered is just doing a top five once every three weeks so you'd have one after Week 6 and Week 9 and after playoffs. Maybe I would do some sort of different thing in the other two weeks, spotlighting a team we aren't talking about or doing a player poll or something. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about it yet. I'd say gut-feeling as much as anything. Things will obviously change a bit week to week.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 3:40 PM
Sideline, I realize from first-hand experience how tough it is to make some of these calls. So many factors have to taken into consideration as you said. But I think at the end of the day, wins and losses have to count for something. To me, an undefeated or one-loss small school should sometimes be given consideration above a big-school with 4-5 losses. Esp. if that small school has been beating bigger schools or just flat out dominating their competition.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 3:48 PM
I agree Preach. If Portageville or Scott City is winning their games 35-14 week after week, they definitely have a shot of getting in. However, both being 3-0 without really "dominating" a game that makes you stop and go "Wow, I'm surprised that score was that lopsided" makes me want to keep a team like Poplar Bluff in there. If Portageville had played Malden like Caruthersville did, things would be different. I just need more convincing that their wins aren't a product of their schedule and they look like a team that can make the finals of and win their district.
-- Posted by sideline starter on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 3:53 PM
We're on the same page sideline. I agree that neither team is Top 5 just yet. Of the two, I think that Portageville is on it's way and is the better team. The Dawgs have also played a decent schedule too. I have to say though that the Rams have surprised me.
-- Posted by Preacher Man Fan on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 4:02 PM
I watched the Portageville/Malden game earlier. I think Portageville is MUCH improved from last year but, I think they will struggle against Hayti and New Madrid, and quite possibly Scott City. Not saying they can't win those games but that will definitely be their test for the season.
-- Posted by Cheesehead. on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 5:17 PM
I tend to agree with sideline when ranking teams. Who would win on the field of battle? That is how national polls are conducted. You may have undefeated Boise State, but nobody would ever rank them ahead of an Alabama or LSU or in hoops if you had a Murray State team that is 25-1, nobody in their right mind would rank them ahead of a national power with 5 or 6 losses. There are times when a smaller school can no doubt compete with a large school, but as sideline said you have to be convinced with a statement win that makes people take notice. Now having said that, it might be interesting to have a small school ranking while also continuing the overall ranking that you currently do.
-- Posted by semohoops on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 5:27 PM
in high school sports....polls are for egos
meaningless
if you want in, WIN
-- Posted by sawdust49 on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 7:34 PM
Well, there is always that.
-- Posted by semohoops on Wed, Sep 12, 2012, at 8:25 PM
Menu
With three weeks in the books, it's time to for the rankings of the area teams to begin. I feel like the sample size after three weeks gives a decent idea of where everybody is and hope to give as unbiased an analysis as I can. As a note, the only schools to be considered for the rankings are schools covered in the Semoball coverage area. Those schools are Cape Central, Caruthersville, Chaffee, Charleston, Dexter, East Prairie, Hayti, Jackson, Kennett, Malden, New Madrid, Perryville, Poplar Bluff, Portageville, Scott City, Sikeston, and St. Vencent. Let's get on with the inaugural rankings for the season.
1) Jackson-The Indians (3-0) have been the best team in SEMO through three weeks with solid play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Their new offense under Coach Eckley has brought about both great passing and running. They play a good Poplar Bluff team at home this Friday.
2) Sikeston-It took a few weeks but the offense finally matched the defense this past Friday for the Bulldogs (3-0) as they blew past Dexter. Getting back primary runningback Chris Word as well as other starters from injury should be beneficial as Sikeston gets into the tough stretch of their schedule heading forward. Look for a good contest between the Bulldogs and Farmington in St. Louis at the Dome Saturday.
3) Cape Central-The Tigers (2-1) took their lumps early in the season being downed by Class 3 power John Burroughs but have responded phenomenally taking a high-powered running attack past St. Charles West and Poplar Bluff. Never one to avoid larger schools, Cape heads north this Friday to take on large class school Ft. Zumwalt East.
4) Caruthersville-Considered the premier small-class team in the area over the last couple of years, the Tigers (2-1) have taken a similar path as Cape Central. Looking to get in good competition early, Caruthersville took a pounding from Mountain View-Liberty but seemed to come back stronger from it. After big wins over district foes Malden and Charleston, the latter with Darrell Monroe sidelined for most of the game, the Tigers have held their mantle as the team to beat in their district. They look to avenge their only regular season loss from last season this week against Dexter Friday at home.
5) Poplar Bluff-The Mules (2-1) saw their first setback after being downed by Cape but have looked the part of a team turning around in the second season of Coach Barrouse's second stint. Look for PB to show their true colors and maybe take a few bumps and bruises when they take on Jackson this Friday.
Personally, I believe there is a big dropoff after the first four teams on this list. However, shoutouts must be given to Scott City and Portageville as two small school teams who have started 3-0. There is still a lot of football to be played but I'll conclude each week with my predictions to be the two teams to face off in each of our area district finals (District 1 in Class 1-5).
Class 5: Rockwood Summit vs Jackson
Class 4: Sikeston vs Cape Central
Class 3: Ste. Genevieve vs Park Hills Central
Class 2: Caruthersville vs Malden (or Charleston)
Class 1: Valle vs Thayer
I appreciate anybody who takes the time to read this and always enjoy to hear other folk's opinions. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
Replies (40)