CHARLESTON, SIKESTON TO LOCK HORNS FOR 155TH TIME TONIGHT

In terms of history and tradition, football games don't come much bigger than Sikeston and Charleston.

The Bluejays and Bulldogs will be playing their 115th game against one another tonight at Charleston's Marshall Field.

But forget about the history, both teams just want to get into the win column. Sikeston suffered a 30-3 loss to state-ranked Jackson last week, while Charleston fell 19-6 to a strong Kennett squad.

"It's just another game to me, but our kids really get fired up for it," said Charleston coach Brent Anderson. "It's an important game for us. It's not a do-or-die situation, but we do feel like we have a good chance to win the football game."

It should be a classic battle of speed vs. size as Sikeston has one of the largest offensive lines in school history, while Charleston figures to have faster players at the skill positions.

"I think they're pretty typical of a lot of Charleston teams that we've seen in the past," said Sikeston coach Charlie Vickery. "They're very dangerous and they have a lot of skill people. They're going to present a lot of problems for us."

Sikeston defeated Charleston 38-26 last year.

Chaffee at Fredericktown

Neither team has a lot of depth, so this game could come down to which team wears down first.

And since Fredericktown, which knocked off Crystal City 49-18 last week, will have a distinct size advantage in the trenches, the Blackcats who are looking for their first back-to-back winning seasons in 37 years would have to be considered the favorite when the two teams hook up in a 2 p.m. Saturday contest.

Both teams are coming off wins and are built around their quarterback and a running back.

For Chaffee, running back G.P. Glueck is coming off a 170-yard performance, while Travis Hanback threw for 108 yards despite having several passes dropped.

Fredericktown, last week, was led by quarterback Clay Hendrix who rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Fullback Steve Francis is also a big running threat.

The teams did not play each other last year.

Scott City at Portageville

The Rams had some huge question marks going into the season, namely its offensive backfield.

Well, after Marcus Klund ran for 214 yards last week and Brad Glenn for more than 150, it's safe to say that the Rams are more than capable of running the ball behind their talented offensive line.

Scott City is coming off a huge 40-33 win over Malden last week and found itself ranked eighth in Class 2A after the first AP poll.

Scott City's success is bad news for Portageville which was absolutely crushed by Gosnell, Ark. 43-7 last week. Like almost every other game that the Rams will play this year, Scott City will be the clear favorite in Week 2. The Rams knocked off Portageville 44-6 last year.

Perryville at Ste. Genevieve

After losing to state-ranked Waynesville 38-0 in Week 1, the Pirates will be looking to get back on track in Week 2. But Perryville plays arguably the toughest schedule in Southeast Missouri and it doesn't let up this week when the Pirates have to play the traditionally tough Dragons on the road.

Ste. Genevieve edged the Pirates 25-22 last year in a game where a kickoff return and a punt return for touchdowns proved to be Perryville's demise.

The Dragons defeated Valle of Ste. Genevieve 17-6 last week.

St. Vincent at Brentwood

In a 7 p.m. contest, the Indians will be looking to back up their No. 2 state ranking when they take on the Eagles

The Eagles forfeited last week due to the heat. They were scheduled to play North Callaway, but Brentwood hadn't practiced when the heat forced school to let out early and coach Bob Penn didn't feel his team was prepared enough to play.

Brentwood was 4-5 last season.

St. Vincent is coming off a 22-19 victory over Park Hills.

The SEMO news service provided some information for this story.