THE LATEST LINE: MISMATCHES MARK SECOND WEEKEND OF PREP FOOTBALL

If you're an area high school football fan and you went out Friday night in search of a close game, then you came home extremely disappointed.

Blowouts -- many of them total annihilations -- were the rule on the second weekend of the season.

Of the 12 games involving Southeast Missouri teams, only one was decided by less than 15 points.

That lone thriller took place in Sikeston as the Bulldogs withstood a brilliant five-touchdown performance from Charleston all-state running back Larico Coleman to edge the Blue Jays 32-30 in the annual battle between those longtime rivals.

The biggest mismatch took place in Malden as the Green Wave destroyed totally outmanned Hayti 77-6.

Among the other bigger routs were Jackson 37, Vashon 0; New Madrid County Central 42, East Prairie 7; and Gosnell (Ark.) 48, Chaffee 18.

Of course, that kind of thing always happens during certain weekends every season. It's definitely not the rule and, for some of the local squads, the competition figures to pick up in a hurry this week.

For example, Cape Central -- which hasn't been tested in rolling past two overmatched foes -- will receive its first real challenge when the Tigers pay a visit to Blytheville, Ark.

And Jackson, which did defeat a talented Riverview Gardens team in its opener, should be in for a battle on the road against state-ranked Hannibal.

Through two weeks of play, Cape Central, Jackson, Sikeston and Malden are the only 2-0 squads in the area.

We'll find out more about the strengths and weaknesses of the local teams this week.

* The old saying goes `there's no place like home.'

Well, for the first time all season, Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team will finally be able to experience that feeling this week.

The Otahkians, winners of the past four Ohio Valley Conference championships, have played their first 12 matches of this season away from the friendly confines of Houck Field House.

Thursday night, the 1997 Otahkians will make their home debut when they open OVC play against Middle Tennessee State.

Despite fielding an extremely young team, SEMO has gotten off to a solid start. And although not picked as the preseason OVC favorite, the Otahkians figure to have a solid chance of capturing their fifth straight league title.

* On the area high school volleyball scene, defending Class 1A state champion Bell City stamped itself as perhaps the premier team in Southeast Missouri by knocking off three-time defending state champion Bernie Thursday night.

Leopold also staked a claim among the area's elite by winning the Woodland Tournament over the weekend.

We'll learn a lot more about who Southeast Missouri's top teams really are when the annual SEMO Classic Tournament is held Friday and Saturday.

* Charleston High product Matt Whiteside, who had struggled for much of the season, appears to be closing his fifth major-league season with a rush.

The relief pitcher has put together a string of solid performances in recent weeks as a relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian