High school football: Bonus points help Kennett, Malden braces for NMCC

POPLAR BLUFF — The Kennett High School football team went through the pain of a 42-7 loss to Poplar Bluff last Friday night.

But, the Indians have been richly rewarded.

Under the auspices of the Missouri State High School Activities Association football playoff system, Kennett received bonus points for playing Poplar Bluff.

Kennett�s Tyquavious Jones hands the ball to Marquiese Pittman during a high school football game in Poplar Bluff dated Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. Photo by D�Courtland Christian, Daily American Republic)

Those points helped Kennett move into fourth place in Class 3 District 1, despite having just a 4-4 record.

“It sure helped us,” Kennett head coach Andrew Webster said. “We have a better chance of hosting than going on the road.”

The final points of the season will be awarded after completion of Kennett’s game at powerhouse Valle Catholic Friday.

More than likely, Kennett (with its 31.22 points) will play fifth-seeded Herculaneum at home on Friday, Oct. 27, at Metz Cherry Stadium.

Herculaneum (3-5) finishes the season this Friday at strong Class 1 Crystal City (6-2) team. The red-and-black Blackcats have 29.93 points.

Despite Valle Catholic’s championship pedigree, Kennett won’t get any bonus points should it prevail.

In the MSHSAA playoff system, the top-two teams in a six-team district receive first-round byes.

Park Hills Central is the top seed right now with 44.16 points, with their total helped by games versus Class 5 Poplar Bluff and Cape Central. The Rebels defeated the Mules, 34-13, on opening night Aug. 25.

Dexter, despite having a better record than Park Hills Central at 6-2, is second with 40.38 points. The Bearcats blanked Class 4 Sikeston 22-0 on Friday, Sept. 1.

Park Hills Central defeated Dexter 44-10 this past Friday, so the head-to-head variable swung in favor of the Rebels.

“It’s great to get that bye,” Webster said. “You get healthy for the second round.”

The last time Kennett had an opening-round bye was during the 2021 season, which ended with a 51-14 district championship loss to Park Hills Central.

It appears if things stay on course, No. 3 Ste. Genevieve (5-3) will play host to sixth-seeded Fredericktown (1-7) also on Oct. 27. The Dragons have accrued 38.96 points. The black-and-gold version of Blackcats have just 17.98.

In Friday’s loss to Poplar Bluff, the Mules passing attack was on display as Jay Edmundson threw for two TD passes, and finished the game going 9-of-10 for 174 yards. He also rushed for another score as the team amassed 371 total yards.

Wide receivers Romeoh Wontor and Darius Graham moved up all-time receiving lists at Poplar Bluff, including Wontor surpassing 1,000 yards in his career. Graham now sits third in all-time receiving yards with 1,599.

“When we made mistakes (in coverage), they capitalized,” Webster explained.

Meanwhile, Kennett was limited to 77 passing yards and 52 more rushing. Caleb Duncan scored the Indians’ lone TD on a 4-yard TD run. Jack Morrison caught four passes for 38 yards.

Malden’s future

MALDEN — Malden has been placed in a seven-team district, which means only top-seeded Valle Catholic will be awarded a first-round bye.

Valle Catholic dropped back to Class 2 after a few tough seasons in Class 3 dealing with St. Mary’s of St. Louis and Park Hills Central.

The Warriors currently lead Class 2 District 1 with 63.32 points.

That means seventh-seeded Malden (12.45) would play at New Madrid County Central (56.82, 8-0) on Friday, Oct. 27.

Other first-round match-ups would pit East Prairie (27.93) at Scott City (39.46) and Caruthersville (36.91) at Kelly (39.18). The top-five teams in this sandpaper-rough district have winning records.

The Green Wave’s losing skid hit 21 games after a 40-14 loss to Hayti on the Indians’ Homecoming night.

Receiver Quentin Kilgore and quarterback Quamareous Farmer connected on two second-half TD passes for Malden.

However, it was a case of too little and too late since Hayti was already up 26-0 at halftime. Freshman Trenez Lane added a two-point conversion.