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SD DISTRICT PREVIEW: Sikeston aims to turn its season around against North County; Kelly looks for first district win in program history against Charleston
SIKESTON AT NORTH COUNTY
Records: Sikeston 2-7; North County 4-3
Series History: Sikeston leads 3-2
Last Meeting: 2018, Sikeston won 32-30 in the Class 4, District 1 Tournament
Last Week: Sikeston lost to Kennett 53-14; North County defeated Windsor (Imperial) 56-20, on Oct. 9.
Notes: The postseason is finally here, and for Sikeston, it’s time to wipe the record clean and start fresh. They can do just that with a win over North County, on the road, in the first round of the Class 4, District 1 Tournament. The Bulldogs have found some success through the air this season, behind sophomore quarterback Joseph Heckemeyer. Heckemeyer has thrown for 1,008 yards on 75-of-180 passing, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. Struggles surrounded the sophomore signal-caller at the start of the year, as he managed to throw for 100 yards twice through the first five games while only completing 29 of his 74 passing attempts (39 percent). However, since Week 6 against Jackson, everything has seemed to flip for not only the quarterback but the receivers. Heckemeyer has over 150 yards in two of his last four games and a career-high 211 yards against Potosi in Week 7. Senior Daniel Lawrence has 197 yards receiving on 17 catches during this recent stretch to go along with one touchdown, while junior C.J. Posey has six catches for 121 yards and one score. Both Lawrence and Posey have over 200 yards receiving this season, with Lawrence accumulating a team-best 298 on 23 catches. Posey has 237 yards receiving on eight receptions and two touchdowns. As for the running game, senior Lontas McClinton is the feature-back for the Bulldogs. He has 72 carries for 413 yards and two touchdowns this season and had nine rushes for 72 yards and a 27-yard touchdown last week against the Eagles. McClinton did not play against Kennett in Week 9. There were no stats available on North County.
CHARLESTON AT KELLY
Records: Charleston 1-4; Kelly 7-2
Series History: Charleston leads 4-2
Last Meeting: 2019, Charleston won 24-10
Last Week: Charleston lost to New Madrid County Central 60-20; Kelly defeated Affton 28-0.
Notes: Kelly earned the No. 2 seed in the Class 2, District 1 Tournament after ending the regular season with a 7-2 record. The Hawks will look to add more history to its impressive season, against Charleston, in the first round of the district tournament. A win for Kelly would be the first since the school started playing varsity football. Last week, the Hawks shut out Affton 28-0 and did so behind a stingy defense, along with an impressive night on the ground. Kelly allowed 129 yards of total offense to Affton and was outstanding in third-down efficiency, allowing one conversion the entire night, out of nine chances. Seniors Keaton Fitzgerald and Alex Swope led the way on defense, finishing with 12 and 11 tackles, respectively. Junior Hunter Johnson had nine, while fellow junior Brent Sell added eight of his own. In the backfield, senior Evan Urhahn had another banner night, while junior Bryce Phelps also contributed to the action. Urhahn had 127 yards rushing, on 21 carries, and two touchdowns, while Phelps had 82 yards on nine rushes and one score. As for Charleston, it hasn’t been the greatest season. The Bluejays fell to New Madrid County Central in Week 9, 60-20. They finished the season 1-4 and had to cancel five games due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sophomore Rico Coleman accounted for over 100 yards of total offense for the Bluejays last week. He threw for 94 yards, on 10 of 22 passing, and two touchdowns and ran for 60 yards on eight rushes. He was the leader in both of those categories. Sophomore Fletravion Stanback was the team's leading receiver, with three catches for 34 yards and one score, while sophomore Roylandus Wiley had two catches for 29 yards and one touchdown. Altogether, Charleston had 300 yards of total offense.
SCOTT CITY AT NEW MADRID COUNTY CENTRAL
Records: Scott City 5-4; NMCC 5-4
Series History: Scott City leads 5-1
Last Meeting: 2019, NMCC won 52-14
Last Week: Scott City lost to Windsor 53-8; NMCC defeated Charleston 60-20
Notes: Last season, New Madrid County Central had its year end at the hands of Scott City. The Eagles will now look to get their revenge against the Rams in the first round of the Class 2, District 1 Tournament at New Madrid County Central High School. This NMCC team is different than last year's team, with more weapons for head coach Tyler Fullhart to utilize. Last week, against Charleston, senior running back Quazavion Jackson burst for 141 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns in a lopsided victory, bringing his season total to 931 yards on 113 carries. Junior Corvel Williams also added to his strong season, with seven carries for 73 yards and a pair of scores. For the second-straight week, junior Shamar Williamson impacted the game on all three levels. Williamson caught two Matt Riley touchdown passes and had two catches for 75 yards while adding a 70-yard kickoff return for a score and a 40-yard interception return as well. Behind-center, Riley has had a breakthrough season for the Eagles. He completed eight of his 12 passes last week for 128 yards. He threw two touchdowns and had one interception and now has 1,811 yards passing on 75-of-137 passing, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for the year. Just like it isn’t the same NMCC team, it’s also not the same Scott City team, either. Sophomore Devin Keller is the leader of the offense and has put together a good season. Keller has thrown for 1,360 yards on 85 of 184 passing, 14 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions this year. He doesn’t just survey the field, though. Keller can also do work with his feet, as he's the team’s leading runner heading into the postseason, with 614 yards on 61 carries and seven scores. As for his options on the outside, freshman Mark Panagos is Keller's favorite target, catching 31 passes for 670 yards and seven touchdowns for the Rams this season.
PORTAGEVILLE AT CARUTHERSVILLE
Records: Portageville 2-7; Caruthersville 2-4
Series History: Caruthersville leads 44-13-3
Last Meeting: 2019, Caruthersville won 48-6
Last Week: Portageville lost to Crystal City 34-32; Caruthersville lost to Hayti 58-6
Notes: After a two-game winning streak, Portageville lost back-to-back games to end the regular season. Last week, against Crystal City, the Bulldogs totaled 292 yards of total offense, led by freshman quarterback Mason Adams 129 passing yards. He completed 10 of his 21 passes and one touchdown. Senior Cameron Hollingshead had two catches for 76 yards and the lone score, while junior Alex Winsor had three catches for 16 yards. Winsor also added eight carries for 82 yards, while sophomore Bryce Hunt had 11 rushes for 59 yards and two touchdowns.