ANNUAL CLASHES JUMP START 1997 PREP FOOTBALL SEASON

On paper, the Scott City Rams appear to have everything going their way when they host the St. Vincent Indians tonight.

Scott City has eight offensive and nine defensive starters returning from last year's competitive 4-6 team, while the Indians return only one starter from last season's 9-2 Class 1A playoff team.

But another thing to consider is the Rams haven't scored against the Indians in the two years Paul Sauer has been coach, including last year's season-opening 31-0 shutout.

The Indians may have lost several starters from last year, but their defense appears to be as solid as ever. Last Friday in their Jamboree scrimmage against Class 5A schools Cape Central, Jackson and Sikeston, the Indians kept all three teams scoreless. They also managed a late score against Sikeston.

"I'm proud of the way we played and the kids have every right to be proud," said Sauer of the Jamboree performance. "We played pretty well, now we have to do it for the next 10 weeks."

This game is shaping up as a low-scoring affair because the Rams should also have a strong defense. Scott City coach Terry Flannigan is hopeful the Rams huge edge in experience will put his team over the top.

"Our experience should be to our advantage, but until you do it on the field you can throw that stuff out the window," Flannigan said. "St. Vincent doesn't have near the team as last year, but they're still going to be a tough to beat."

Malden Green Wave at Chaffee Red Devils

Chaffee couldn't have picked a tougher opponent to try to snap its 18-game losing streak against.

The Red Devils will battle defending SEMO Conference Southern Division champion Malden in the two teams' season and league openers. Last year, Malden pounded the Red Devils 44-3 to start the season.

Chaffee, 0-9 last year, returns several players from that team -- including its entire backfield -- and should be looking to put up a better fight this time around.

But Malden, 9-3 in 1996, returns all-state quarterback Josh Blaylock, who led the area in passing with 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns.

"We play three (1996) playoff teams in our first three games," said Chaffee coach Brian Horrell. "It's hard to turn things around with the tough team's we have to play."

Fredericktown Black Cats at Perryville Pirates

Perryville coach Jerry Tucker makes his Pirate coaching debut when his team hosts Fredericktown tonight.

Last year, the Pirates rallied from a 13-0 halftime deficit to win 22-21 on a late score as both teams went on to disappointing 3-7 seasons.

This year, the two squads appear to be just as even entering their opening contest of the season. Perryville may have a slight edge in experience and size, but the Black Cats have some beef of their own.

Fredericktown has five linemen over 210 pounds. The Pirates boasts five over 200 pounds with three starters at least 240 pounds. Tucker likes to run the ball and he appears to have the size to blow opposing teams off the ball.

Charleston Blue Jays at Kennett Indians

Coming off an undefeated 1996 regular-season, which ended with a shocking loss to Country Day (St. Louis) in the playoffs, Charleston should be happy to get the season started against SEMO Conference- foe Kennett.

On the other hand, Kennett (5-5 in 1996) may be cringing.

Last year, Charleston rolled up nearly 500 yards of offense against the Indians in the Blue Jays' season-opening 48-14 win. Running back Larico Coleman scored twice and gained 101 yards on only four carries in the rout.

Coleman returns after an all-state season in 1996, but several other starters from last year's 11-1 team have graduated. Charleston returns only two starters on both sides of the ball.

"We want to win the ball game and set the tempo for the rest of year," said Charleston coach Dan Kesselring. "We'll be starting a lot of kids that haven't played a lot."

Sikeston at Carbondale, Ill.

The Carbondale (Ill.) Terriers already have a game under their belt, but with Sikeston hosting a four-team Jamboree last Friday the Bulldogs should have their first-game jitters out of the way.

Last year it didn't matter, when the Bulldogs rolled up nearly 500 yards in a 62-33 opening-season win. Sikeston running back Mark Blissett got his 1,570-yard season started with a four touchdown, 254-yard performance against the Terriers as Sikeston went on to a 6-4 mark.

Blissett will be back again this year, but Carbondale showed some explosiveness of their own Saturday night in a 27-14 win over Murphysboro in their 1997 season opener. Jason Jackson ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Josh Steed added 134 yards on the ground.