VALLE, ST. VINCENT COLLIDE IN 1A DISTRICT SHOWDOWN

While other high school football teams position themselves for their final district games next week, the Class 1A, District 1 will likely be decided tonight in Perryville.

Two parochial powers -- Valle of Ste. Genevieve and St. Vincent of Perryville -- will once again duel for the district crown the two schools have traded back and forth since 1993. Last year, in a game between two state-ranked teams, St. Vincent won 23-15.

Valle is 6-2 and comes in as the No. 3 team in 1A. St. Vincent, the defending district champ, is also 6-2.

Despite the state ranking, injuries have hampered the Warriors the past few weeks. Because of a broken little finger on his non-throwing hand, quarterback Joe Rozier hasn't played offense the last two weeks in surprisingly competitive victories over winless Park Hills (16-12) and Chaffee (35-16). But Rozier, who has played defense during the injury, is expected to start behind center against the Indians.

"Joe's our team leader so he'll probably play some, but I'm not sure how much," said first-year Valle coach Joel Sumner. "He's still not completely healed up yet."

Sophomore quarterback Ben Arnold has filled in for Rozier and is also expected to see action. Fullback Matt Greminger is also expected back in the lineup after battling through injuries. Once again, Greg Lottes will start in place of top rusher Nick Fallert, who's out for the season with a broken ankle.

Considering the Warriors haven't won that convincingly the last two weeks, Sumner is glad the Warriors didn't play the Indians a week or two early.

"St. Vincent has a very good team and they're well coached," Sumner said. "It's probably fortunate we're getting a couple people back from injuries."

After losing 10 starters from last year's team, St. Vincent was hardly expected to contend for another district title. But the Indians have shown improvement each week after opening the year with a 12-3 loss at Scott City.

"After the first ball game, I didn't think we'd be in this situation," said St. Vincent coach Paul Sauer. "But we talked to the kids each week about taking another step up the ladder and they've done that. We've put ourselves in a situation where I think we have a pretty good shot of winning this thing."

Other thoughts to consider in this rivalry:

* The home team has lost this game the past four years.

* The last time St. Vincent beat Valle at home was during the 1985 season.

* If St. Vincent wins, it would mark the first time since 1986 that Valle has not won a district football title in consecutive years. The Warriors were denied district titles from 1984-1986.

* With district realignment next year, this will be the last time these two rivals play each other until at least the year 2000.

Scott City (6-2) at Malden (5-3)

After dropping their opening district contest last week, the Rams only chance to salvage the district and SEMO South Conference crowns will be to win at Malden.

The Green Wave, despite two forfeit losses to conference teams Chaffee and Hayti, still have a chance to win the SEMO South and are the front-runners for the district title.

Both squads have played Dexter and Caruthersville this season. Malden won both games comfortably, while the Rams went 1-1 with a 26-6 home loss to Dexter.

Last year Malden won 39-7 and all-state quarterback Josh Blaylock returns for the Green Wave again. Blaylock has thrown for 894 yards and an area-leading 11 TDs. Terrell Mathies takes care of most of the Green Wave ground work with 910 yards rushing and 10 scores.

Scott City will need big games from running back Howie Stubenrauch (654 yards, 10 TDs) and quarterback Lance Amick (690 yards, seven TDs).

Perryville (3-5) at Farmington (3-5)

Both the Pirates and Knights have shared four common opponents so far, and both went 1-3 against those teams.

Fredericktown was the only winner for the two, while Windsor, Hillsboro and Ste. Genevieve all provided resounding losses. Perryville was outscored by the four teams a combined score of 56-104. Farmington was outscored 70-111, but did play Hillsboro tough in an 18-14 loss.

After a rough game last week against state-ranked North County, Perryville halfback Ben Kohm should go over the 1,000-yard mark. Kohm, the fourth-leading rusher in the area, has 990 yards and 11 TDs.

The Knights have a more balanced offense and can throw the ball when they need to behind the arm of quarterback Mike Thebeau.

Last year Perryville won 35-8.

Charleston (4-4) at Fredericktown (1-7)

Both teams are coming off surprisingly competitive games.

Fredericktown played state-ranked Ste. Genevieve tough before falling 33-15, while the Blue Jays struggled past winless Park Hills 28-20.

With the area's leading rusher, Larico Coleman, Charleston should get past the Black Cats. Coleman has comprised over half of the Blue Jays' offense with 1,319 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns.

Jeremy Penwell leads the Fredericktown offense. Penwell has 779 yards rushing and has also thrown a touchdown pass. Receiver/kicker Luke McKinnis is the Black Cats' top scorer with five TDs and 44 points.

Last year Charleston outscored the Black Cats 44-34.

Chaffee (1-6) at Hayti (1-7)

(Saturday)

The game these two teams -- and their fans -- have been waiting for has finally arrived.

One of these struggling teams -- either the Red Devils or Indians -- will come away with a win. Despite their records, the two teams have yet to earn a victory on the field. Both clubs earned a forfeit victory over Malden early in the year because the Green Wave used an ineligible player.

Last year Hayti won 26-13, but the Indians' roster has dipped below 20 players this season and they haven't played a competitive game yet. Quarterback Aaron Gurley has thrown for 333 yards with nine interceptions and only one score. Darrell Lawrence leads the offense with 440 yards rushing.

Chaffee, on the other hand, has been competitive at times and appears to be shaking free of injuries that hampered the Red Devils throughout the season. Quarterback Matt Graham is coming off a big game against state-ranked Valle of Ste. Genevieve and leads the Chaffee offense with 487 yards passing.

A win for the Red Devils would mark the first gridiron victory at Chaffee for second-year coach Brian Horrell.

PREP FOOTBALL

Cape Central at Poplar Bluff

Jackson at Sikeston

Scott City at Malden

Charleston at Fredericktown

New Madrid Co. Central at Caruthersville

Dexter at Kennett

Perryville at Farmington

Valle at St. Vincent

Saturday's Game

East Prairie at Portageville

Chaffee at Hayti