Southeast Missourian Gridiron Guide: Week 5

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. Due to the timing of the Gridiron Guide, Thursday matchups are excluded, which is why Kelly was left out last week and Perryville is being excluded this week. But don't worry, the Pirates have their very own preview.

__Cape Central at Jackson__

The rivalry we have all been waiting for arrives on Friday at The Pit. Jackson's (3-1) only loss came against an opponent outside the state and has defeated Cape Central (2-2) seven straight times.

However, Tigers sophomore quarterback Jathan Spain believes that this year can be different.

"I think we have a pretty good shot this year," Spain said.

The Tigers prevailed over Park Hills 48-41 last week to even their record. Running back KeyShawn Boyd led the Tigers with 219 rushing yards on 18 carries and four touchdowns against the Rebels. Boyd now has 775 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. Wide receiver Carter Armstrong also enjoyed a breakout game despite only catching two passes. Both receptions led to touchdowns for a total of 106 yards.

"We have some of the best offensive players in the state," Spain said. "KeyShawn is a difference maker. He makes every defense have to change their approach to him"

Jackson is full of offensive weapons. Running back Jaylon Hampton has rushed for 485 yards while averaging 7.5 yards per carry on a team-high 65 attempts. Senior quarterback Adrian Fox has a 58.7% completion percentage, and 1192 passing yards with a 8:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has also shown mobility with 259 rushing yards over four games. His connection with senior wide receiver Kai Crowe has led to 534 yards and five touchdowns, including the Indians’ longest score of the season against Farmington, which went for 80 yards.

A win for the Indians would help secure the SEMO North at 4-1, with a head-to-head advantage over Farmington. A win for the Tigers would put them back into contention.

Regardless of the outcome, the event will go down as the biggest regular season game in Cape Girardeau County.

"Last year there were thousands of people at the game," Spain said. "At 'The Pit' it's going to be the same type of atmosphere but it's going to be geared towards Jackson. It's going to be interesting."

__St. Vincent vs. Valle Catholic__

After evening their record with a 40-0 win at Herculaneum last week, the St. Vincent Indians return home looking to turn the tide on one of the area's most one-sided rivalries.

St. Vincent host Valle Catholic, a Class 2 juggernaut who rebounded from its season-opening loss to Seckman with three straight wins by a combined score of 141-6. If that's not enough, the Warriors have a 16-game winning streak over the Indians. Head coach Tim Schumer was in middle school the last time St. Vincent defeated Valle Catholic.

"It's just a mindset thing when you play a team like Valle," Schumer said. "You want to go in and make sure that the game isn't over before it starts. You want to make sure you're in a good frame of mind to where you can come out and play your best game."

St. Vincent and Valle are no longer in the same conference, meaning this matchup doesn't have to be on the schedule. Schumer keeps the Warriors on the schedule as a way to gauge how good the Indians can be.

"It's a tough, good game against a very well-run program that we kind of use as a measuring stick to see where we are at in terms of how far we want to be able to go with this team," Schumer said.

The Indians have a chance as long as Christian Schaaf is under center. Over the past two games, the senior quarterback has a 6:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 500 yards passing, which would put him among the top five quarterbacks in the area.

"He's progressed and he's getting better," Schumer said. "He's done a phenomenal job with taking care of the football."

__Scott City vs. Malden__

After falling to rival Portageville 56-32 last week, the Scott City Rams have a favorable opportunity to rebound with a win against 0-4 Malden at homecoming on Friday.

Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives from the Rams' offense, especially in the second half. Mark Panagos threw for a season-high 396 yards and four touchdowns, raising his season total to 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior receiver AJ Hayden broke out with 128 yards and two touchdown passes, which was the most he has ever scored during a game.

“Our connection was there,” Hayden said. “He hit me, I caught the ball and kept going.”

Hayden and Jackson Gloth each lead the Rams with three receiving touchdowns, while Tyson Underwood and Torrin Johnson each have one.

Underwood and Panagos continue to be the rock of a Scott City that is geared towards the run. The senior duo combined to rush for 754 yards and eight touchdowns, six of which came from Underwood.

The Rams are 4-0 against the Green Wave since 2020.

__Chaffee vs. Hayti__

The Chaffee Red Devils have the opportunity this week to do something that they haven’t done since 2017, improve their record to over .500.

In Jack Altermatt’s second season as head coach, the Red Devils’ offense improved slightly from 14.7 points per game to 15.8. However, the improvement on defense, dropping from allowing 35.5 ppg in 2022 to 22 this year, is a major reason why they are 2-2.

So far this season has been predictable for Chaffee. The teams that defeated the Red Devils have a combined record of 7-1, while the teams they prevailed over are a combined 1-7. Next up for Chaffee is a home matchup with 0-3 Hayti on Friday.

Outside from a passing touchdown to Blake Yarbro against Kelly on Sept. 8, the Red Devils’ primary attack is through the ground. Quarterback Carson Spies and fullback Carter Cossou each scored two rushing touchdowns to lead Chaffee to a 28-14 win at Malden on Sept. 15. Spies has been the Red Devil’s primary offensive asset and will have a major impact against the Indians.

__Kelly at Principia__

Kelly travels to Principal looking to go 5-0 on the season, which would match the Hawks’ win total from last season (5-5).

A big reason why the Hawks have gotten off to a hot start is junior quarterback Skyler Still, who has completed an impressive 32 of 48 attempts for 435 yards and eight touchdowns. He also rushed for 196 yards and six touchdowns on 31 carries, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. A big reason behind his versatility is his physical transformation, adding approximately 25 pounds of muscle to his frame and experiencing a notable growth spurt, now standing at 6 feet, 1 inch tall.

“I feel better about my body and I am more confident on the field,” Still said. “I feel like I can give some hits on offense. The weight room is a big part of football, and I’m going to keep pushing myself every day to put our team in the best position possible.”