Semoball

WEEK 3 FOOTBALL: SEMO North play kicks off; Malden-Charleston game canceled

Check back for updates as we countdown to kickoff.

Conference play opens in the SEMO North this week with two games while the SEMO South game between Malden and Charleston has been canceled.

Charleston is 1-0 in conference play after beating Chaffee 36-6 last week, tied with Kelly and Portageville.

Scott City hosts Hayti in the only other matchup of SEMO South teams. Hayti is coming off a 48-12 loss to Portageville.

In the SEMO North, defending champion Jackson (0-2) hosts Farmington (1-1) while Cape Central (1-1) is on the road for a third straight week, this time at Poplar Bluff (0-2).

Dexter opens conference play at New Madrid Central, which beat East Prairie 64-6 and is tied with Kennett atop the SEMO Central standings. Caruthersville also opens at Doniphan, which coming off a 45-6 loss at Kennett.

RANKING AREA TEAM

In past years the Semoball Power Rankings took all of the area football teams and ranked them using a formula that combined a team's MSHSAA playoff point total plus bonus points for wins against other area teams, road wins and state rankings.

Here's how the top 10 teams look based on that system with their previous ranking from last week.

TEAMW-LPTS.PRE
Charleston2-056.82
Portageville2-056.76
Kennett2-055.53
Kelly2-054.511
St. Vincent2-054.27
Caruthersville1-148.24
Scott City1-147.11
Sikeston1-141.815
Cape Central1-140.85
New Madrid1-138.812

{Updated SEMO Conference and district standings can be found here. https://www.semoball.com/highschool/football}


SCHEDULE

Friday’s Games
Cape Central 14, Poplar Bluff 7
Caruthersville 44, Doniphan 14
New Madrid 33, Dexter 7
Jackson 47, Farmington 7
Scott City 55, Hayti 0
Charleston def. Malden, forfeit
Portageville 72, East Prairie 20
Kennett 52, Sikeston 7
Saturday’s Games
Kelly 26, Chaffee 14


Here's a preview of area games this week:

Sikeston at Kennett

The Bulldogs (1-1) will look to build off the momentum from last week’s 18-point second-half comeback when they travel to Kennett (2-0).

The teams are 4-4 in their last eight meeting with the Indians winning four straight in the series since the Bulldogs won a 37-30 overtime thriller in 2017. Kennett has outscored its opponents 81-28 this season while Sikeston has been outscored 81-59. The Indians will surely be keeping a watchful eye on Bulldogs’ quarterback Jacob Heckemeyer. The senior ran 19 times for 202 yards with five rushing touchdowns in the second half last week. Kennett will look for its playmakers to continue making big plays, including Will Gaines and Caleb Duncan, who broke free for a 66-yard touchdown and returned an interception for a touchdown, respectively, last week.

Cape Central at Poplar Bluff

The Tigers (1-1) hope to be able to bounce back from a 47-7 loss to No. 7-ranked Hillsboro in their opening SEMO Conference matchup.

The Mules are coming off a loss to Valley View (Ark.) to start the season 0-2 for the first time since 2007.

Poplar Bluff will be hungry for victory, but Cape Central looks to extend the Mules' losing record to 0-3.

Farmington at Jackson

For the first time since 2015, Jackson (0-2) is entering Week 3 winless.

The Indians dropped out of the state media rankings following a blowout loss to Class 5 No. 3 Francis Howell last week.

Jackson opens SEMO Conference play against Farmington on Friday at home and looks to avoid an 0-3 start.

Dexter at NMCC

Dexter (0-2) will look to rebound from a disappointing loss, while New Madrid County Central (1-1) is riding high after a blowout win.

The Eagles have won four consecutive games in the series, including a 56-41 shootout last season, but the Bearcats won four straight before that. Dexter is hopeful it can get some key players back from injuries, but either way will have its hands full with the quarterback-wide receiver combo of Chris Grissom and Jadis Jones. Both have made early claims as the best players at their respective positions in the SEMO Conference. Jones has nine catches for 213 yards and three touchdowns through two games this season. The standout junior and prized basketball recruit had also returned an interception and a punt for a touchdown. Grissom has already thrown for seven touchdowns versus just one interception for 411 yards while completing 72 percent of his passes.

Portageville at East Prairie

Things won’t get any easier for East Prairie (0-2) this week when Portageville (2-0) comes to town.

The Bulldogs hold a 3-2 advantage in the past five meetings, including a 30-24 win last season. Portageville has a great one-two punch in running back Jamarion Smith and quarterback Mason Adams. Smith is a dangerous weapon. The dynamic junior has broken the century mark in both games so far this season while rushing 47 total times for 270 yards and five scores. He also threw a 70-yard touchdown and return a kickoff 80 yards last week against Hayti (0-2). Adams has thrown for three touchdowns while running for two. Sam Hayes is averaging 11 tackles per game this season and proving to be a force for the Bulldogs’ defense.

Hayti at Scott City

The Rams (1-1) reached the red zone four times in a loss to Class 1 No. 8 St. Vincent, but were unable to capitalize on optimal field position in a 36-22 loss.

The Indians also struggled last week, falling to Class 1 No. 10 Portageville 48-12 to start the season 0-2 for the first time since 2013.

Both teams will be hungry for a victory when they meet Friday on the new turf at Scott City High School.

St. Vincent at Perryville

The Indians opened their season at 2-0 for the first time since their state championship-winning season in 2004, and look to keep rolling against cross-town rival Perryville on Friday night.

Perryville (0-2) has struggled in the first two weeks of the season, scoring just seven points in the Pirates' first two games.

St. Vincent hopes to extend its winning streak over the Pirates to five games with a victory this week.

Chaffee at Kelly

The Red Devils (0-2) showed improvement last week despite a big loss to Charleston, and hope to get things rolling along on the road against Kelly on Saturday.

The Hawks (2-0) were dominant on both sides of the ball against Malden last week, rolling to a 36-0 shutout in their SEMO South Conference opener.

Chaffee will need to bring its A-game against the Hawks on Saturday if the Red Devils hope to pick up a victory.

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