Central, Sikeston ready for critical Houck showdown

Cape Central's disappointing season could turn around in a hurry tonight.

In 48 football minutes, to be exact.

Based on scores against common opponents, the Tigers enter tonight's Class 4A, District 1 opener against Sikeston as a slight underdog, but they could gain the upper hand for a berth in the state playoffs with a win at Houck Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Tigers, the defending district champions, beat Sikeston 23-0 last year, but the Bulldogs (5-2) have made great strides this season, beating New Madrid 25-14 and falling just short to Poplar Bluff, 8-6.

Conversely, Central fell to NMCC 28-20 and Poplar Bluff 26-10, but the Tigers are generally regarded as a formidable team that is better than its 3-4 record.

"There's no question about that," Sikeston coach Charlie Vickery said. "Some games they lost, they weren't at full strength. And they've lost to some very good teams."

Because Farmington (6-1) -- whose only loss was 28-13 to NMCC -- is in the mix as well, neither coach would go as far as to say tonight's game will determine the district championship.

But both know a loss could be disastrous.

"One at a time," Brookins said. "You don't go unbeaten if you don't win this week. It will decide the champ to some extent but last year, the Farmington game was the game that decided it."

Not only could tonight's game determine the fate of the postseason, but the winner will stay out of the cellar in the SEMO North Conference. Both Sikeston and Central are winless in the conference, both losing to Poplar Bluff and Jackson.

Defensive modes

Both Central and Sikeston have stout defenses and tonight's game could be a low-scoring affair.

Sikeston hasn't allowed more than 20 points in its last six games, while Central has held four of its opponents to less than 20 points.

Considering neither team has an offensive juggernaut, the game could come down to turnovers and field position.

Central hasn't scored 30 points in any game and has failed to score 20 points since Week 3. The Tigers have averaged just 13 points per contest. Sikeston has played a slightly weaker schedule, but the Bulldogs average 26 points per contest and have scored more than 30 points on four occasions.

The Bulldogs' strength is at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. This year's offensive line is the biggest in school history, but Sikeston will not be at 100 percent tonight as tackle Kevin Keller (6-foot-6, 280 pounds) -- arguably Sikeston's best lineman -- will be out with a knee injury.

That'll make it tougher for the Bulldogs to contain Chris Smith (6-3, 315) and Justin Wells (6-0, 250) on Central's defensive line.

"We're certainly aware of them," Vickery said. "They're very good players and extremely mobile for being such big guys. If you don't try to control them a little bit, you're in for a long night."

The last time Sikeston played at Houck, the Bulldogs won 42-27 on a night when all-state running back Justin Robinson broke Sikeston's school record with 318 yards on 26 carries.