Southeast Missourian Gridiron Guide: Revisiting 'Countdown to Kickoff'

Each week of the high school football season, Southeast Missourian sports editor Tony Capobianco will provide a quick matchup rundown for each of the seven area teams. In the final week of the regular season, I'm doing something different and revisiting our "Countdown to Kickoff" questions from our Gridiron magazine.

Cape Central running back Zai'Aire Thomas runs past DeSoto defenders last week in DeSoto, Mo. Clay Herrell ~ cherrell@semoball.com

__Can Cape Central make another deep run in the playoffs under junior quarterback Deklin Pittman?__

Then: Morgan Diamond was the Tigers’ starting quarterback since his sophomore year in 2020. Now the reins are passed down to junior Deklin Pittman, who will need to maintain Cape Central’s balanced offense. The Tigers will also need junior Zai’Aire Thomas to build on his 1,056-yard, 18-touchdown sophomore season.

Now: If you were to simply flip the Poplar Bluff and Park Hills Central results, the 2023 regular season for the Cape Central Tigers is looking exactly like the 2022 season that ended with a run to the Class 5 semifinals. The only big difference is instead of Deklin Pittman, it's sophomore quarterback Jathan Spain who has been under center since taking over for the injured junior.

“It’s big because Jathan got thrown into the fire and he’s struggled at times,” Tigers head coach Kent Gibbs said. “The thing is he just keeps coming back and he’s easy to coach. He does what he needs to do so the kids like seeing him be successful because he’s such a hard worker.”

Entering Cape Central's matchup against Potosi, Zai’Aire Thomas rushed for 826 yards and 11 touchdowns but also has an extra 343 receiving yards and score to bring the all-purpose total to above the 1,000-yard mark. The real star has been Keyshawn Boyd, who leads the area with 1,203 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

Jackson head coach Ryan Nesbitt talks to his players after a recent game in Jackson, Mo. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

__Can Jackson return to prominence under new head coach Ryan Nesbit?__

Then: The Jackson Indians went from four straight district champions to 6-4 last season. There’s a new head coach, but the athletic identity still remains. After splitting the quarterback duties last year, 2023 is a chance for senior quarterback Adrian Fox to secure the starting position and make it his.

Now: Adrian Fox has been the best quarterback in the area, leading with 1,757 passing yards, and 16 touchdowns against three interceptions entering the Indians' matchup against Festus on Friday. He also rushed for 482 yards and five extra touchdowns.

Jackson started Ryan Nesbitt's first season as head coach with a loss at Edwardsville. Since then the Indians have seemed unbeatable in the Show Me State with seven straight wins. While the Indians dominated Festus last season, winning 52-0 at home, the process is still the same as they head north to face off against a highly-touted team that’s only lost to Valle Catholic and Hillsboro this year.

“It starts with us. We're still trying to grow, we're still trying to get better,” Nesbitt said. “They're a good football team. They've got some things that they're doing really, really well.”

The senior duo of Kai Crowe (765 yards, 8 TDs) and Blayne Harris (501 yards, 6 TDs) also leads the area in receiving. When the Indians aren't soaring through the air, they're dominating the ground game with Jaylon Hampton, who currently has 16 touchdowns and is 114 yards away from 1,000 rushing yards.

St. Vincent quarterback Christian Schaaf looks to pass against Scott City last month in Scott City, Mo. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

__Can senior captains Christian Schaaf and Drake Robinson lead St. Vincent to an elusive eight wins?__

Then: St. Vincent is the only team in the area to return a Semoball Award finalist on both offense and defense. Christian Schaaf was the top passer last year with 1,791 yards and 20 touchdowns while Drake Robinson tallied 119 tackles. The sky is the limit for the Indians with this senior duo leading the way.

Now: The St. Vincent Indians have a chance to repeat as I55 Conference champions with a home win over Jefferson on Friday. Christian Schaaf is not the area's top passer but is still playing well, having thrown for 1,550 yards and 15 touchdowns. He does lead the area with 11 interceptions, which is a concern but eight of those picks came through the first five weeks of the season. Since Week 6, the Indians are riding a three-game winning streak to the most important game of the season.

Drake Robinson still leads the Indians' defense and the area with 117 tackles with one more game to go in the regular season. This time, he's not alone. John Schwartz leads the area with five interceptions, and Carson House is the only other area defender with 100 tackles.

"We noticed that right away in the jamboree," St. Vincent head coach Tim Schumer said. "He just started flashing, making plays like he's really good and he really understands what we're trying to do. He's just a really talented player, he's putting it all together and he's definitely not playing as a sophomore."

The Indians' defense is averaging 16.1 allowed points per game, which is as good as they have been in the past decade. Because most of their wins came against higher-class opponents, the Indians are projected to enter the Class 1 District 2 playoffs as the top seed. Even with a win on Friday, it will take a district championship to get to eight wins.

Scott City quarterback Mark Panagos runs past Malden defenders earlier this month in Scott City, Mo. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

__With Mark Panagos and Tyson Underwood leading the charge, will Scott City win its first district title since 2019?__

Then: The Scott City Rams had the only two local rushers to top 1,100 yards and 22 touchdowns, and one of them was playing hurt the entire time. Health permitting, seniors Mark Panagos and Tyson Underwood could lead the charge deep into the postseason.

Now: A fully healthy Tyson Underwood has led to 1,002 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in eight games. Despite lingering leg injuries, Mark Panagos has thrown for 1,329 yards and 11 touchdowns and also rushed for 796 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Rams entered the Class 1 District 1 playoffs with an 8-1 record in 2022 and are now going to the Class 2 District 1 playoffs at 7-2. The Rams are still averaging over 41 points per game and allowing 16 points per game, which is as good as they've been in the past decade. Seniors Lawson Graff (83) and Blake Wilburn (82) are the top tackling duo in the SEMO Conference. Ian Weber is right there with 73 tackles and four sacks and Levi Senn leads the Rams with five sacks.

The duo of Panagos and Underwood will power the Rams through the playoffs, but the defense will be what potentially gets them through a bracket that features Valle Catholic and New Madrid County Central.

Chaffee's Carter Cossou, Logan Horton, center, and Shelton Simmons, right, line up as Carson Spies, back left, awaits the snap to start a play in a recent game in Chaffee, Mo.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

__Behind the strength of the seniors, will Chaffee finally make a run towards .500 for the first time since 2017?__

Then: Chaffee returns their leading rusher Carson Spies (1,018 yards, 12 TD) who will also take snaps at quarterback. Carter Cossou (71 tackles) and a healthy Levi McKinnie should boost the Red Devils’ pass rush and give them a chance to win more than twice this year.

Now: A lot of the seniors were limited by injuries last year. Now that they're healthy, they are a big part of the Red Devils going into Friday's homecoming game against Grandview at 4-4.

The Red Devils' schedule was set up well for them to get to this point, as their wins came against Charleston (2-6), Malden (0-8), Hayti (1-6), and a win by forfeit over Doniphan, who canceled its season last week.

Carson Spies leads the Chaffee offense with 732 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, and three passing touchdowns to Blake Yarbro.

The defense is the Red Devils' main strength. Levi McKinnie's move to defensive end has paid off, as the senior has racked up six sacks on the season. Yarbro also has five sacks, and Angel Navarro got to the quarterback three times.

"It's always been my dream position to play DE," McKinnine said. "It just finally worked out in my favor."

Carter Cossou led the defensive unit with 75 tackles, highlighted by a 21-tackle game against Kelly on Oct. 8. However, with him out for the rest of the season with a leg injury, it's up to McKinnine and the rest of the pass rushers to maintain Chaffee's defensive might.

Kelly running back Reese Eftink runs back to the sideline after scoring a touchdown in a recent game in St. Louis. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

__After two straight nominations for the Semoball Awards, can Kelly running back Reece Eftink make it three in a row?__

Then: The senior ran for 1,298 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore and 1,340 yards with 16 touchdowns as a junior. If he can improve on those numbers and carry the Hawks back to their winning ways this year, the award may finally be his.

Now: Statistically speaking, Eftink has taken a step back compared to previous years. The senior running back enters Friday's matchup against Ste. Genevive with 1,013 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, he has 48 tackles, one sack, and one interception.

By the time the season is over, there will likely be as many as four running backs with 20 touchdowns. Portageville running back Jamarion Smith, who was named Offensive Player of the Year at the Semoball Awards this past summer, has rushed for 34 touchdowns in eight games. Despite the good season that Eftink is having, a third Semoball Awards nomination is not a guarantee.

The Hawks are as good as ever and are a win away from entering the playoffs with a 7-2 record, a first since 2020. Securing their fourth winning season since starting the program in 2014 is a success in its own right for Kelly.

Perryville quarterback Rilaynd Graham throws a pass in a recent game in Perryville, Mo. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

__Can Perryville reach .500 for the first time since 2019?__

Then: The Pirates finished the regular season 3-3 after Rilaynd Graham took over as quarterback. A two-game improvement will mean their first .500 season since 2019. Should they double their win total, it will be the Pirates’ first winning season since 2017, which is also the last time Perryville prevailed over rival St. Vincent.

Now: We are eight games into the season and the Pirates are still playing .500 ball with Rilaynd Graham. However, their success comes because of Graham's play. The senior enters Friday's home game against St. Pius X as one of four Southeast Missourian area quarterbacks to throw for over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns.

"It's just been nice to be able to throw the ball," Perryville head coach Brent Roth said. "Obviously, Rilaynd was our quarterback last year, but he didn't start out as a quarterback. So the offense wasn't really catered around him. It was nice to have an offense that was designed around him and it's been working for him."

At 4-4, Perryville has a chance to finish the regular season with a 5-4 record, its first winning season since 2017. The season has been a mixed bag thus far. They have been outscored 179-45 during their four losses but have outscored opponents 172-20 during their wins. Their first win was a 12-0 shutout over Windsor. and the most recent win was a 50-0 blowout over Herculaneum.