Prep football preview capsules

Central (1-8) at Jackson (4-5)

Last week: Jackson 27, Rockwood Summit 3; Eureka 49, Central 14.

Last year: Jackson 56, Central 13.

Outlook: Rivals Jackson and Central meet in a Class 5 District 1 game tonight. With a win, Jackson likely would earn a berth in the playoffs as the district runner-up and would play the District 2 runner-up Wednesday on the road. Jackson has strengthened its defensive secondary late in the season with the additions of Adam Zweigart at cornerback and Marcus Harris at safety. Central is a team that prefers to run first and throw second, but Tigers coach Rich Payne said that for his team to be successful, it likely will need to mix in the play-action pass. The pass, he said, is something Jackson has struggled to defend at times this year. Jackson coach Van Hitt has stressed to his defense to watch for quick pitches and for his offensive line to continue to block better by staying low. Hitt said all his players are healthy and ready to go. Payne said Central junior Ray Woldtvedt is questionable after hurting his shoulder last week. Jackson holds a five-game winning streak against the Tigers. The last time Central won the annual rivalry game was in 2002, when it posted a 34-7 victory over the Indians. The Tigers lead the all-time series 56-38-7, but the Indians have won 12 of the last 14 meetings.

Perryville (3-6) at NMCC (7-2)

Last week: Perryville 28, Dexter 6; New Madrid County Central 64, Kennett 7.

Last year's meeting: New Madrid County 20, Perryville 0.

Outlook: Perryville and New Madrid County meet in a Class 3 District 1 contest tonight, which will determine who wins the district. Perryville enters on a high note, winning its first two district games after coming into district play on a six-game losing streak. With wins over Kennett and Dexter, the Pirates already have secured a playoff berth. New Madrid also is 2-0 in the district and has a high-powered offense, averaging 36.7 points per game this season, and posted 64 points and 499 yards rushing against Kennett last week. Running back G'Darius Stevenson leads the ground attack for the Eagles. Perryville also must protect well against the pass and continue to run the ball well after totaling 156 yards on 43 carries last week. The Pirates are powered in the backfield by Josh Perreault, who ran for 133 yards against Dexter, and Brent Roth who caught three passes for 50 yards during last week's win. The last time Perryville won a district title was in 2004.

Festus St. Pius (1-8) at Scott City (4-4)

Last week: Scott City 36, Crystal City 14; St. Pius 51, Grandview 24.

Last year: Scott City 34, St. Pius 14.

Outlook: Scott City and St. Pius meet today in a Class 2 District 2 contest. If Scott City wins, it would be the district champion. Win or lose, the Rams already have secured a playoff spot. At the very minimum, they will be the district runner-up, which earns a spot in the state tournament. Scott City enters 2-0 in the district and looks to remain perfect against a St. Pius team that earned its first win last week against Grandview. The Rams have not won a district title since 1999. Scott City coach Ronnie Jones said that the Lancers spread out on offense and tried to throw the football against his defense last year, and he expects that same approach this year. He said St. Pius threw successfully last week in a 27-point victory against Grandview. Jones has adjusted his lineup as the year has progressed. Doing so has helped his offense to find a rhythm in district play. In the first six weeks, the offense averaged 12.3 points per game. The offense has averaged 43 points the past two weeks. Jones moved Ethan Weatherspoon to center on the offensive line, Clayton Hall from tight end to offensive guard and guard Chris Klinge to receiver.

Hayti (7-1) at St. Vincent (6-3)

Last week: St. Vincent 13, Portageville 0; Hayti 26, Chaffee 0.

Last year: Hayti 64, St. Vincent 20.

Outlook: St. Vincent and Hayti enter the final week of district play with identical 2-0 district records, so the victor tonight will become the district champion and the loser will earn the district runner-up spot in the playoffs. St. Vincent enters riding a five-game winning streak. Both C.J. Pavlovsky and Justin L'Hote have run the ball well for St. Vincent during this stretch. But the St. Vincent offense certainly will be tested this week, facing a speedy Hayti defense that is one the best in Southeast Missouri, giving up just 12.1 points per game. The Hayti offense also is built on speed and has scored an average of 34.5 points per game. Hayti has scored more than 40 points in four of the past five weeks. The teams St. Vincent has faced during its five-game winning streak have a combined record of 7-38. Earlier in the season, St. Vincent lost to two state-ranked opponents, Maplewood and Valle Catholic, and were outscored 88-7. Hayti is ranked No. 5 in the Class 1. Although St. Vincent has wrapped up a playoff spot, it still has not proved it can play with the best teams in the state, but will get a chance to prove that tonight.

Portageville (0-9) at Chaffee (4-5)

Last week: Hayti 26, Chaffee 0; St. Vincent 13, Portageville 0.

Last year's meeting: Chaffee 42, Portageville 7.

Outlook: Chaffee and Portageville meet in a Class 1 District 1 contest tonight. Chaffee looks to end its season on a high note after being eliminated from the postseason last week. Chaffee is 0-2 in the district with losses to Hayti and St. Vincent. The Red Devils have the ability to end their season with a .500 record with a win against winless Portageville tonight. The Bulldogs have not won a game since Oct. 14, 2005. The Chaffee offense must do a better job of holding onto the football. Quarterback Aaron Horrell threw four interceptions last week. The entire offense struggled against Hayti, rushing for just 62 yards and throwing for 73 yards. It was the first time Chaffee was shutout this season.

— Christopher Smith