Week 10: High school FB preview capsules

Festus (5-4) at Central (3-6)

Class 4 District 1, first round

District seeding: (8) Perryville (3-6) at (1) Sikeston (8-1); (7) De Soto (3-6) at (2) Hillsboro (7-2); (6) Farmington (3-6) at (3) North County (6-3); (5) Festus at (4) Central

Last week: Central 24, Festus 15

Last year: Central 21, Festus 20

Outlook: There's no better way to scout a team than to play them.

So Central and Festus should have a complete book on one another after facing each other just six days ago in Festus.

"I haven't played a team back-to-back weeks like this before," Central coach Nathan Norman said. "We've played teams during the regular season and have had to turn around and play them two weeks later, but never back-to-back before."

The victory was a big one for Central, which broke a five-game losing streak and gained the home-field advantage in tonight's game.

"It was a good win for our kids and hopefully builds a little confidence," Norman said.

While Central won home field last week, the stakes are even bigger this time. Week 10 winners advance to Wednesday's district semifinals, while the losers check in equipment.

Festus got a good look at the speed of Central senior running back Chris Martin, who returned from a two-week absence due to a sprained ankle last week and burned the Tigers for 171 yards on 28 carries. Martin scored two of Central's three touchdowns, including a 57-yard scoring burst. Martin now has 798 yards (7.6 yards per carry) on the season.

Senior Jacob Campbell added 42 yards on 12 carries and has a team-leading 826 yards this season.

Overall, Central rushed for 228 yards on 49 carries against Festus. Junior quarterback Dennis Vinson completed 6 of 13 passes for 68 yards, including a 25-yard scoring strike to senior Garan Evans, the Tigers' top receiver on the season with 17 catches for 384 yards. Central finished with 296 yards of offense to Festus' 194.

"We're going to do what works for us," Norman said. "There are a couple of things we're going to add that we think will be beneficial for us. But we're going to stick with the same basic game plan. We do have some things we think we can improve on and tweak that will give us a little bit of an advantage."

A good chunk of Festus' yardage, 82 yards, came in the first seven minutes of last week's game.

Jaden Reddick led Festus' rushing attack with 59 yards on six carries. The remainder of the Tigers had just 62 yards on 31 carries (2 ypc).

"They're physical and have a very good offensive line," Norman said. "They get off the football. They're just a good old-fashioned, physical football team."

Festus quarterback Andrew Hayden completed just 4 of 13 passes for 73 yards and was intercepted twice.

Hayti (3-5) at St. Vincent (5-4)

Class 1 District 1, first round

District seeding: (8) Cabool (0-9) at (1) Portageville (7-1); (7) Crystal City (2-7) at (2) Valle Catholic (7-2); (6) Chaffee (3-6) at (3) Thayer (5-4); (5) Hayti at (4) St. Vincent

Last week: Hayti open; Jefferson 49, St. Vincent 21

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: St. Vincent saw its four-game winning streak end last week, but more importantly the Indians lost a cornerstone player when junior running back/linebacker Alex Winkler was lost to a knee injury.

Winkler was the team's leading rusher on the season and had a team-high 94 yards against Jefferson before going down. He also was a weapon in the Indians' passing game.

St. Vincent had 315 yards offense against Jefferson but was hurt by three turnovers. Senior quarterback Trent Elder completed 12 of 19 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions.

Seniors Trenton Gremaud, who had four catches for 97 yards last week, and Jessie Francis lead the receivers.

Hayti has lost three of its last four game, with its lone win a 22-14 victory against Scott City during that stretch. St. Vincent lost to Scott City 29-20 in Week 2.

Hayti has a balanced offensive attack that averages more than 300 yards a game but has changed its starting quarterback its last two weeks. The Indians moved sophomore Austin Neisler to quarterback and shifted senior quarterback Karnard Humes to a running and receiving role. Neisler has completed 26 of 64 passes (41 percent) for 380 yards and three interceptions in the two games. Humes has been the leading rusher and receiver in both games. He has had 14 carries for 92 yards and eight catches for 154 yards since the switch.

Humes is the team's leading rusher with 518 yards on the season. Junior Demetrius Luster is the team's leading receiver with 24 catches for 432 yards, while senior Maurion Newbill has 19 catches for 286 yards.

Chaffee (3-6) at Thayer (5-4)

Class 1 District 1, first round

District seeding: (8) Cabool (0-9) at (1) Portageville (7-1); (7) Crystal City (2-7) at (2) Valle Catholic (7-2); (6) Chaffee at (3) Thayer; (5) Hayti (3-5) at (4) St. Vincent (5-4)

Last week: Charleston 50, Chaffee 8; Mountain Grove 34, Thayer 14

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: Chaffee is making its second trip to Thayer in three seasons.

The Red Devils saw their first playoff trip in 27 years end with a 47-19 loss to the Bobcats in a Class 1 regional in 2010. Then-senior running back Cameron Carey blistered Chaffee for four touchdowns and 138 yards on just seven carries.

That Thayer team had a better record than the current edition.

"I think we can definitely compete with them," Chaffee coach Charlie Vickery said. "They're a good team, don't get me wrong there, but I think our matchup is pretty good with them."

Thayer had a four-game winning streak snapped by unbeaten Mountain Grove last week.

The Bobcats' offense is directed by junior Mitch Webber, who completed nine of 25 passes for 178 yards last week against Mountain Grove. Thayer rushed for 39 yards on 21 attempts.

An increased role of the passing game has been a trend for the Bobcats this season.

Webber, the son of Bobcats coach Billy Webber, has completed 69 of 147 passes (47 percent) for 1,050 yards.

"He does a good job and is pretty elusive," Vickery said. "He makes good decisions."

His top target is junior Levi Hargrove, who has 40 receptions for 602 yards. Junior Shelby Barton is next with just 14 catches for 207 yards, but he led the Bobcats last week with four receptions for 101 yards. Peyton Risner added two catches for 73 yards.

Hargrove had more of a running role last week with six carries for a team-high 27 yards. He had just one catch for 3 yards. Senior Jacob Alford, the team's leading rusher on the season, had eight carries for 24 yards. Alford has 688 yards rushing (5.2 ypc) on 132 carries this season. No other Bobcat has more than 45 carries or more than 140 yards rushing.

Hargrove leads the team defensively with 105 tackles.

The schools have one common opponent in Hayti. Thayer defeated Hayti 21-6 in the first week of the season, while Chaffee lost to the Indians 34-8 in Week 3.

Chaffee's offense is guided by sophomore Peyton Montgomery, who has passed for 1,231 yards. He's completed 86 of 192 attempts (45 percent). Senior Layton Tenkhoff is his top target with 30 catches for 531 yards. Tenkhoff has caught seven of the team's 13 touchdown passes.

Junior Charlie Montgomery is the Red Devils' top rusher with 278 yards (3.9 ypc).

Perryville (3-6) at Sikeston (8-1)

Class 4 District 1, first round

District seeding: District seeding: (8) Perryville at (1) Sikeston; (7) De Soto (3-6) at (2) Hillsboro (7-2); (6) Farmington (3-6) at (3) North County (6-3); (5) Festus (5-4) at (4) Central (3-6)

Last week: Herculaneum 40, Perryville 20; Cardinal Ritter 24, Sikeston 16

Last year: Sikeston 58, Perryville 0

Outlook: The Pirates lost six of their last seven games to sink to the No. 8 seed and now face a monumental task in top-seeded Sikeston, which has been ranked as high as No. 4 in Class 4.

De Soto managed to escape the bottom spot with the combination of a 42-28 victory over Potosi and a Perryville loss to Herculaneum in Week 9.

Sikeston won't be in a pleasant mood to boot after suffering its first loss last week to Cardinal Ritter.

The Pirates must contend with a Sikeston running game that has churned out big yardage behind senior quarterback Kyland Gross and junior running back Chris Word. Gross has 1,293 yards rushing, while Word has 706.

"They're big and physical, and have a lot of speed and a lot of talent," Perryville coach Mike Wojtczuk said. "We got to play the hand we're dealt and do the best we can."

Sikeston fumbled six times against Cardinal Ritter, resulting in four turnovers.

"If they turn the ball over, we've got to try to make something out of them," Wojtczuk said. "Any time we get a break, we're going to have to take advantage of it."

Perryville will be playing without senior Lucas Hotop and junior Dylan Zahner, who both were ejected from last week's game and are ineligible according to MSHSAA rules.

Scott City (4-4) at Jefferson (4-4)

Class 2 District 1, first round

District seeding: (8) East Prairie (0-9) at (1) Caruthersville (6-2); (7) St. Pius (2-7) at (2) Malden (7-2); (6) Grandview (4-5) at (3) Charleston (7-2); (5) Scott City at (4) Jefferson

Last week: Scott City open: Jefferson 49, St. Vincent 21;

Last year: Did not play

Outlook: The Rams can match last year's win total and advance to the district semifinals with a win tonight.

Scott City had an open date last week after losing its previous three games. The Rams have scored a total of 29 points in the losses, which have come to Portageville, Hayti and Living Word Christian.

Scott City senior running back Travis Phillips eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in his last outing and has 1,038 yards (5.0 ypc) this season. Senior fullback Zach Haynes is second on the team with 296 yards.

Senior quarterback Jonathan McFall has passed for 593 yards and rushed for 247. Ryan Fortner leads the Rams' receivers with 16 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Brett Dirnberger also has more than 200 yards receiving.

Jefferson, which uses a Wing-T offense, is a first-year varsity program that has is seeking at least a .500 season. Jefferson defeated St. Vincent last week, while Scott City defeated the Indians in Week 2.

Its only loss of more than seven points came against Class 1 power Valle Catholic.

Jackson (6-2) bye

Class 5 District 1

District seeding: (1) Jackson (6-2) bye; (2) Rockwood Summit (6-3) bye; (5) Poplar Bluff (5-4) at (4) Vianney (4-5); (6) Seckman (2-7) at (3) Fox (4-5)

Outlook: Indians will host the winner of Poplar Bluff vs. Vianney on Wednesday. The Indians have the home advantage throughout district play.

-- Jeff Breer, Southeast Missourian