WEEK 10 TOP 10: New top small school crowned, Cape Central rising again

As we enter a bye week for many of our local teams, there’s plenty of regular-season drama to reflect on.

There are some important scorelines to go over from Week 9, the most important of which comes from the big battle between the SEMO Central and SEMO South champions.

Here are the Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings ahead of Week 10 action (and inaction).

__No. 1: Jackson (8-1, LW No. 1)__

Against one of the toughest schedules in the area, second only to Poplar Bluff, Jackson finishes the regular season with a record of 8-1 after a handful of big wins. Last Friday, Jackson went to Festus and handily defeated a Tigers team ranked 60th in Missouri with a 42-14 win – and that was with both sides of the ball claiming that they could have played better. Moving into a bye week, the top-ranked team in the area has some time to reflect and improve before taking on Lindbergh in a district semifinal.

__No. 2: Portageville (8-1, LW No. 3)__

Portageville went on the road and took a somewhat unbelievable 43-0 victory at New Madrid County Central, a team that went into the game ranked above Portageville. The Bulldogs surpassed all expectations and didn’t just stop there. Handing the Eagles their first loss of the season, Portageville takes the crown as the top small school in southeast Missouri exiting the regular season, and second only to Jackson. The Bulldogs will be off for Week 10 before taking on Pierce City in a Week 11 district quarterfinal. Portageville is officially the top-ranked team in Class 1 now, in case you didn’t notice.

__No. 3: New Madrid County Central (8-1, LW No. 2)__

Just like that, the last undefeated team in the area has fallen. New Madrid County Central fell victim to a streaking Portageville team and has slipped to the No. 3 spot. In reality, the gap between the Eagles and Cape Central is small as well, with the three-loss record for the Tigers coming against much stronger competition. This being said, if New Madrid County Central can get past Valle Catholic in district play, the Eagles should be able to do some damage in the postseason and solidify why they’ve been ranked so high this season.

__No. 4: Cape Central (6-3, LW No. 5)__

Cape Central won its fourth consecutive game last time out, and now enters the Class 5 playoffs with plenty of momentum under its wings. Just like last season, the Tigers are well-prepared to make a state playoff run. Due to tiebreaking procedures, the Tigers lose the top spot in the district to Poplar Bluff because of head-to-head protocols, but that won’t stop this Cape Central team from fighting for a district title. Cape Central hosts Mehlville on Friday night in a district quarterfinal to open up the postseason.

__No. 5: Poplar Bluff (5-4, LW No. 4)__

Poplar Bluff drops a spot after a tough loss against Hillsboro. While taking a quality loss in the process, the Mules failed to execute in a big spot and dropped a home matchup with Hillsboro that Cape Central had previously aligned much closer in. While the Mules defeated the Tigers earlier this season by a slim margin in overtime, the teams have been on different trajectories ever since. However, because of a tiebreaker procedure, Poplar Bluff took over the top spot in Class 5 District 1 and will host each of its playoff games. Barring any setbacks, the two teams should be on pace to meet in the district championship.

__No. 6: Scott City (7-2, LW No. 6)__

Scott City had a bye week in Week 9 because of a previous Doniphan forfeit but now enters a Week 10 district quarterfinal matchup with East Prairie. In a loaded Class 2 District 1 field, Scott City finished with the No. 3 seed to first-seeded Valle Catholic followed by New Madrid County Central. The Rams will look to contend for a district title, but it’ll begin with a matchup against a 3-6 East Prairie team before likely facing off against New Madrid County Central next week.

__No. 7: Dexter (7-2, LW No. 7)__

Some sources claim that the Bearcats’ 78-point performance against Malden is the most in school history. While our hard-working stats department can neither confirm nor deny this claim, there’s something to be said about the depth of Dexter if the Bearcats are scoring that many points in one game. While it doesn’t really push the envelope by any means, with many teams putting up big scoring performances against Malden this season, it verifies what we’ve been looking at from Dexter all season long. The Bearcats are off this weekend, taking on either Ste. Genevieve or Fredericktown in a Class 3 District 1 semifinal next Friday.

__No. 8: St. Vincent (6-3, LW No. 8)__

The Indians defeated Jefferson in Week 9 to complete a conference championship season after beginning the year 0-2. Having won six of seven games since then, St. Vincent continues to streak through its schedule and has now claimed the top spot in Class 1 District 2. While attention to St. Vincent as a state contender has taken a backseat to the powerful Portageville Bulldogs, the Indians are ranked No. 7 in Class 1 and will look to contend for a district title at the very least.

__No. 9: Caruthersville (6-3, LW No. 9)__

Caruthersville’s 54-0 shutout against Hayti puts the 2023 regular season to a close, finishing with a 6-3 record ahead of the state playoffs. The Tigers are part of the loaded Class 2 District 1, taking the No. 4 seed in the district behind a host of great local teams. To begin the playoffs, the Tigers will host the fifth-seeded Kelly Hawks who are once again ranked in the local top 10.

__No. 10: Kelly (6-3, LW NR)__

The No. 10 turnstile continues to roll, and the Kelly Hawks have once again made their way back into the rankings despite a 35-0 loss to Ste. Genevieve last Friday. The Hawks will take part in a talent-thick Class 2 District 1 that has five teams ranked in the Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings. While the path ahead of the Hawks is full of tough competition, that’s no reason to put them out of the picture. They’ll look to fight to a strong finish, beginning with a road game at fourth-seeded Caruthersville on Friday.