Gridiron primer: A look at upcoming football schedules

The calendar has turned to May and the spring sports season, as well as the 2023-24 school year, is beginning to wind down.

However, with the recent releases of fall schedules for the 2024-25 school year, one can not help but look forward beyond the dog days of summer and into the 2024 high school football season.

The 2023 football season has largely been a successful one for most of the schools within the Southeast Missourian coverage territory. Every team took a step forward with more wins than the previous year, the biggest improvement coming from Chaffee, who jumped from two to five wins. St. Vincent, Jackson, and Cape Central each won district championships, two of which finished the year in the state semifinals.

For St. Vincent, their district title was the program’s first since 2009. Meanwhile, Cape Central went to the state semifinals for the second straight season and has the formula to potentially make it a third straight campaign.

With an eye toward the future, here is a look at each team’s upcoming schedule:

Cape Central

Last Season: 10-4, Class 5 District 1 champions, Class 5 semifinalist

Coach: Kent Gibbs

Storylines: Cape Central went to the state semifinals for the second straight season, and behind the running back duo of Keyshawn Boyd and Zai'Aire Thomas (both Semoball Awards finalists) the Tigers have the formula to potentially make it a third straight campaign.

__Schedule__

8/30, vs. New Madrid County Central, 7 p.m.

9/6, at St. Charles West, 7 p.m.

9/13, vs. Sikeston, 7 p.m.

9/20, at Poplar Bluff, 7 p.m.

9/27, vs. St. Dominic, 7 p.m.

10/4, vs. Jackson, 7 p.m.

10/11, at Farmington, 7 p.m.

10/18, vs. Lift for Life, 7 p.m.

10/25, vs. Kennett, 7 p.m.

Jackson

Last Season: 10-2, Class 6 District 1 champions

Coach: Ryan Nesbitt

Storyline: The Jackson Indians returned to their district title winning ways during Ryan Nesbitt’s first season as head coach. The Indians feature a young but potent offense in running back Jaylon Hampton and quarterback Drew Parsons, who will have a reliable target in Semoball Awards finalist Kai Crowe.

__Schedule__

8/30, at Cardinal Ritter, 7 p.m.

9/7, vs Cahokia (Ill.) at East St. Louis, 1 p.m.

9/13, vs. Edwardsville (Ill.), 7 p.m.

9/20, vs. Farmington, 7 p.m.

9/27, vs. Poplar Bluff, 7 p.m.

10/4, at Cape Central, 7 p.m.

10/11, at Sikeston, 7 p.m.

10/19, at Vashon, 2 p.m.

10/25, vs. Festus, 7 p.m.

St. Vincent

Last Season: 9-4, Class 1 District 1 champions, Class 1 semifinalist

Coach: Tim Schumer

Storyline: It was a long time coming for St. Vincent, who won a district championship for the first since 2009. The Indians enter 2024 with a new quarterback and new defensive leaders, but will at least return Semoball Awards finalist John Schwartz, who led the area with seven interceptions.

__Schedule__

9/06, at Valle Catholic, 7 p.m.

9/13, at Perryville, 7 p.m

9/20, vs. Herculaneum, 7 p.m.

09/27, at Hayti, 7 p.m.

10/04, vs. Bayless, 7 p.m.

10/11, vs. Cuba, 7 p.m.

10/18, at Grandview, 7 p.m.

10/25, at Jefferson, 7 p.m.

Scott City

Last Season: 9-3

Coach: Brian Beaubien

Storyline: Scott City won nine games for three straight seasons. With a new head coach and eight seniors, can the Rams make it four straight? The Rams need to fill the holes left by their 12-man graduating senior class.

__Schedule__

8/30, at East Prairie, 7 p.m.

9/6, vs. Kelly, 7 p.m.

9/13, vs. Hayti, 7 p.m.

9/20, at Portageville, 7 p.m.

9/27, at Malden, 7 p.m.

10/4, vs. Caruthersville, 7 p.m.

10/11, vs. Charleston, 7 p.m.

10/18, vs. Chaffee, 7 p.m.

10/25, at Dexter, 7 p.m.

Chaffee

Last Season: 5-5

Coach: Jack Altermatt

Storyline: With a team built on a 13-man senior class, Chaffee had their first winning regular season since 2017. A lot of progress was made in Jack Altermatt’s second season as head coach, but Year 3 will be a true test of his program.

__Schedule__

8/30, at Grandview (Hillsboro), 7 p.m.

9/6, vs. Charleston, 7 p.m.

9/13, at East Prairie, 7 p.m.

9/27, vs. Principia, 7 p.m.

10/4, vs. Confluence PAC, 7 p.m.

10/11, vs. Doniphan, 7 p.m.

10/11, at Christian, 7 p.m.

10/18, at Scott City, 7 p.m.

10/25, vs. Kelly, 7 p.m.

Kelly

Last Season: 6-4

Coach: Lance Powers

Storylines: The Kelly Hawks finished above .500 for the sixth straight season, an impressive feat in the program’s 10-year history. Hopes are high as the Hawks return 13 seniors including quarterback Skyler Still.

__Schedule__

8/30, vs. Charleston, 7 p.m.

9/6, at Scott City, 7 p.m.

9/14, at Rolla, 11 a.m.

9/20, vs. Kennett, 7 p.m.

9/27, at New Madrid County Central, 7 p.m.

10/4, vs. Dexter, 7 p.m.

10/11 vs. East Prairie, 7 p.m.

10/19 at Soldan-Sumner, noon

10/25 at Chaffee, 7 p.m.

Perryville

Last Season: 4-6

Coach: Brent Roth

Storylines: A two-game slide spoiled what was a promising season and one that saw the Pirates winning more games (4) than any previous season since going 5-5 in 2019. The Pirates return their leading tackler and Semoball Awards finalist Keleb Huber.

__Schedule__

8/30, vs. Fredericktown, 7 p.m.

9/6, at DeSoto, 7 p.m.

9/13, vs. St. Vincent, 7 p.m.

9/20, at Bayless, 7 p.m.

9/27, at Grandview (Hillsboro), 7 p.m.

10/4, at Jefferson (Festus), 7 p.m.

10/19, vs. Herculaneum, 1 p.m.

10/25, vs. Cuba, 7 p.m.