High school football capsules for Week 7

Malden (5-1) at Chaffee (6-0)

Last week: Malden 53, Hayti 14; Chaffee 54, East Prairie 32

Last year: Malden 46, Chaffee 22

Outlook: The Class 1 state-ranked Red Devils get their first true challenge when a perennial thorn in the side visits, and the winner will claim the SEMO South Conference title. Chaffee, ranked No. 9 and off to its first 6-0 start since 1969, has not accomplished that feat since 1979.

The Green Wave has won the last four meetings and 12 of 13 since the turn of the century, and the games generally have not been close. The average final score: Malden 35, Chaffee 10. The Red Devils did interrupt the domination with a 24-14 victory in 2008.

Malden is on a four-game winning streak after suffering its only loss to state-ranked Caruthersville in Week 2.

"They've got a lot of weapons," Chaffee coach Charlie Vickery said. "They've got speed, and they've also got bulk in the backfield that can run over you or run around you."

Both teams own wins over conference opponents Portageville, Hayti, Scott City and East Prairie.

The Green Wave has been opportunistic and shown a penchant for strong second halves in its five wins.

Malden created five turnovers in a season-opening, 12-0 win over New Madrid. In Week 3, the Green Wave trailed Portageville by five points in the fourth quarter but closed with an 18-0 run. It also only led Scott City 14-7 at halftime before pulling away for a 42-7 win.

Malden, which has a large offensive line, is primarily a running team but will play-action pass to keep teams honest.

"They run a ton of offensive formations, and like most good offenses they try to take advantage of what the defense is allowing them, to do, and with the weapons they've got, they can do multiple things," Vickery said.

Sophomore Chapen Riley (6-2, 193), a second-year starter, directs the Green Wave offense. Junior Dremond Robinson (5-6, 165) is the team's leading rusher and most explosive, while sophomore Nick Thompson (5-11, 218) is a power back.

Senior Gunner Jones, the top receiving threat, is out for season with an injury.

Chaffee's spread offense is averaging 416 yards and 46.5 points per game.

Red Devils senior Jimmy Golden has a team-high 551 yards rushing (6.8 yards per carry), with junior quarterback Peyton Montgomery second with 451 (8.4 ypc). Montgomery has completed 59 percent of his 112 attempts for 869 yards. Senior Devon Yahn leads the receiver with 315 yards (17 receptions), followed by seniors Layton Tenkhoff (285, 22) and Charlie Montgomery (210, 21).

Central (2-4) at Sikeston (5-1)

Last week: Central 59, Farmington 21; Jackson 49, Sikeston 0

Last year: Sikeston 25, Central 21; Central 17, Sikeston 14 (district semifinal)

Outlook: The teams split a pair of games last year, with Sikeston outscoring Central 39-38 overall. The Tigers came away the bigger of the two victories, upsetting the Bulldogs in the second meeting in the Class 4 District 1 semifinals.

"I'm preaching to my kids, 'They've had you targeted on their bulletin board for a year. Believe me. You knocked them out,'" Central coach Nathan Norman said.

The Tigers are coming off a season-high 59 points -- 52 in the first half -- against Farmington, while Sikeston suffered its first loss in surprising 49-0 thumping at Jackson.

Senior running back Mikey Jones has rushed for 480 yards in the three games since missing Week 3 with a knee injury. Jones has 722 yards on the season.

Sikeston's first five wins came against teams currently .500 or below. Jackson does not fit that description, and the Bulldogs were routed

Central and Sikeston are 7-7 against each other since 2000, but the Bulldogs have won five of the last seven.

Central senior tight end/linebacker Jacob Boerboom missed last week's game due to injury and again is questionable.

Scott City (1-5) at Hayti (1-5)

Last week: Portageville 33, Scott City 14; Malden 53, Hayti 14

Last year: Hayti 22, Scott City 14

Outlook: The Rams will attempt to snap a three-game losing streak against a program that has had its way in recent years.

Hayti has won the last six meetings and is 12-1 against the Rams since 2000. The Rams' lone win during that span was a 28-19 victory in 2006.

The Rams have struggled to rush the ball this season, and those problems continued last week with 54 yards on 25 attempts vs. Portageville. Freshman quarterback Braden Cox did throw for 142 yards, completing 12 of 22 attempts. Senior Zach Carlyle was his top target with seven catches for 95 yards. For the season, Carlyle has team-leading totals of 18 catches for 277 yards.

Senior Gordy Bradley leads the Rams with 325 yards rushing (3.9 ypc).

Jackson (5-1) at Battle of Columbia (5-1)

Last week: Jackson 49, Sikeston 0; Battle 38, South Callaway 33

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: The Indians have plugged this Class 4 first-year program into what was an open week on its schedule a year ago.

Battle High School opened this year, giving Columbia, Mo., three public high schools. It's student body -- currently only freshman, sophomore and junior classes -- has been formed from students that attended, or would have attended, Rockbridge and Hickman.

The Spartans are a bit of an odd match for the tradition-rich Indians, "but it beats the heck out of having a bye," Jackson coach Brent Eckley said. "I was not a fan of it last year."

The Spartans have put together a good record but are facing their first Class 5 opponent in Jackson. Battle has three wins against Class 2 schools -- Butler, Carnahan and South Callaway. It also has beaten Class 3 East Kansas City and Class 4 Gateway. Battle has been consistent offensively all season. It averages 43.2 points a game with a season-low 27 in its loss to Class 4 Hannibal.

Freshman Brevinn Tyler directs the Battle offense at quarterback. Junior running back Nash Sutherlin (5-10, 165) is the main weapon in the Spartans attack. He rushed for 178 yards on 21 carries in last week's win against state-ranked South Callaway.

"He's explosive," Eckley said.

Freshman receiver Jaevon McQuitty provided a game-winning 48-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter.

Jackson scored 116 points combined over its last two games -- vs. rivals Central and Sikeston -- in winning the SEMO North Conference title. Eckley and his staff have been aware of the possibility of a letdown against a nonconference opponent halfway across the state.

"We talked to our kids about it a little bit, but this is an opportunity for us the next two weeks to play against teams from central Missouri, and there will be other people that will be watching us, so it's an opportunity to earn some respect from a different area of the state," said Eckley, whose team will host Hickman in Week 8. "We need to push forward, and we've got other goals we can check off the list by continuing to improve."

The Indians are averaging 456 yards of offense and 40.5 points.

Quarterback Dante Vandeven leads the Indians with 606 yards rushing. Vandeven rushed for three TDS and passed for two more in Jackson's rout of Sikeston. He has completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,072 yards, thrown for 10 TDs and rushed for 12. His top receiver is senior Taylor Henson, who has 20 receptions for 365 yards and three TDs.

Senior Garrett Miller is second with 411 yards rushing (14.6 ypc) despite only 10 carries since Week 4, when senior running back Colten Proffer returned from an ankle injury. Miller, who scored two TDs last week -- one on a punt return -- has been used primarily at linebacker. Proffer has 449 yards total offense -- 280 rushing and 169 receiving -- over the last three games.

The defense is coming off its first shutout since 2010.

St. Pius (4-2) at St. Vincent (4-2)

Last week: St. Pius 50, Cuba 6; St. Vincent 40, Crystal City 24

Last year: St. Vincent 14, St. Pius 9

Outlook: St. Vincent enters on a three-game winning streak, and St. Pius has won its last four.

St. Vincent has won the last five meetings and nine of the last 10.

St. Pius averaged 17.5 points in its first two games -- losses to Portageville and Chaffee -- and 47 over its last four. The Warriors have not scored less than 44 points in wins against Grandview, Jefferson, Herculaneum and Cuba.

St. Pius sophomore quarterback Mickey Karoly is a dual threat, completing 50 percent of his passes and is the team's second-leading rusher. Senior running back Chris Filer leads the ground attack with 455 yards, according to stltoday.com. Junior Isaiah Hennessey leads the receivers with 15 catches for 314 yards.

Perryville (2-4) at Park Hills (6-0)

Last week: Ste. Genevieve 67, Perryville 0; Park Hills 34, Potosi 0

Last year: Park Hills 35, Perryville 0

Outlook: The Pirates are on a four-game skid and face another formidable challenge in the Rebels, ranked No. 9 in Class 3.

Over the past four weeks, the Rebels have beaten Fredericktown, Maplewood, Ste. Genevieve and Potosi by a combined 115-20. Those four teams have beaten Perryville by a combined 176-12.

Park Hills is directed by quarterback Hunter Courtois. DJ Buckhanan leads the Rebels with 753 yards (6.7 ypc) rushing, while Daniel Marler is second with 423 (5.4).

-- Jeff Breer