WEEK 12 TOP 10: Scott City upends Eagles, Jackson dominates in district semis

Everyone was active for a Week 11 playoff slate that saw a number of important verdicts in southeast Missouri. Some teams got big wins, while others saw their seasons come to an abrupt end.

Cape Central’s win against St. Mary’s South Side emerged as the biggest win of the week for our top 10 teams, while Scott City went into hostile territory and knocked off the highly-ranked New Madrid County Central Eagles.

Here are the Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings ahead of Week 12 action.

__No. 1: Jackson (9-1, LW No. 1)__

Jackson’s Ryan Nesbitt got his ninth win of the year, the most ever by a first-year Indians coach, and rightly so. His team’s masterful execution of neutralizing the Lindbergh run game led to a 41-13 win against a tough Flyers squad to start off Class 6 playoff action. Next up, however, are the 10-0 Seckman Jaguars seeded first in the district. Jackson fans have a hunch that they’ll emerge from the matchup victorious, but there’s a reason we play the games. The Class 6 District 1 championship will be one to keep an eye on this Friday night.

__No. 2: Portageville (9-1, LW No. 2)__

Just like Jackson before them, Portageville increased its winning streak to nine with a dominant district win in Week 11. Defeating Pierce City 63-6, Portageville secured a spot in the Class 1 District 1 semifinals with a big win. Comparatively, the first-seeded Marionville Comets defeated the same Pierce City squad 31-3 in Week 6. Next up, Portageville will face the historically strong Thayer Bobcats at home. While Portageville goes in both ranked and rated higher than Thayer, don’t write the Bulldogs into the district final just yet. The 6-4 Bobcats could test the Bulldogs if they aren’t careful.

__No. 3: Cape Central (8-3, LW No. 3)__

What a win for Cape Central. St. Mary’s South Side played one of the toughest schedules in the state, and its record was surely no indication of the team’s true strength. Cape Central made note of this and properly did away with the Dragons 21-6 at home. Next up is Farmington, a SEMO North Conference rival that is nothing but familiar with the Tigers after losing 35-0 at Cape Central earlier this year. The Tigers get hosting rights, meaning that the Farmington Knights that knocked off Poplar Bluff on the road last week will have to replicate the feat. This time, the teams will be fighting for a Class 5 District 1 championship.

__No. 4: Scott City (9-2, LW No. 6)__

The highest ranking of the year for Scott City, and for great reason. The Rams are on a seven-game winning streak, and most recently defeated the New Madrid County Central Eagles 70-28 on the road. While the Eagles are certainly shorthanded compared to how they started the year, dismantling is more than adequate to describe how Scott City handled its Week 11 competition. There’s little time to celebrate, as the Rams now have to defend themselves against the famous Valle Catholic Warriors on the road. It’s going to take a Herculean effort from Scott City to win the Class 2 District 1 championship on Friday, but don’t call it impossible.

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

Poplar Bluff had an opportunity to host Cape Central on its home field for the Class 5 District 1 title game but ended up falling short in the district semifinals to a Farmington team that the Mules had already beaten by 14 points going away earlier this season. While certainly a disappointing effort, Poplar Bluff has still clearly put together a strong season that deserves to be ranked among the great teams in the area, but the No. 1 seed’s early exit will certainly leave a sour taste in the mouths of Mules faithful.

__No. 6: New Madrid County Central (9-2, LW No. 4)__

Entering the Class 2 District 1 semifinals shorthanded in the backfield, New Madrid County Central couldn’t keep up with the rowdy Scott City Rams in Week 11. For the second time in as many games played, the Eagles dropped a contest by more than 40 points. After nearly finishing the season undefeated, everything went awry for New Madrid County Central very quickly. Scott City had a chance to win this game on even strength, but with the Eagles shorthanded, it led to an early exit for a New Madrid County Central team that had very high hopes for the postseason.

__No. 7: St. Vincent (7-3, LW No. 9)__

St. Vincent’s 56-6 victory against Russellville did everything expected of the Class 1 District 2 powerhouse in the Indians’ first game of the playoffs. St. Vincent came in with a rather simple path to the district title game but will duel with Van-Far at home this Friday night for the rights to that title berth. The 6-4 Van-Far Indians beat up on Chaffee 46-9 this past weekend, and will now make the trip down to Perryville looking to upend top-seeded St. Vincent.

__No. 8: Dexter (7-3, LW No. 7)__

The Dexter Bearcats knew that the Ste. Genevieve matchup was going to be tough. In all fairness, the Bearcats actually competed right alongside the Dragons in the second half before dropping the Class 3 District 1 semifinal 29-28. Trailing 29-7 late in the first half, Dexter rallied off 21 unanswered points but couldn’t pull back even or ahead of the Dragons. Moving forward, the Bearcats retain a good bit of talent including breakout quarterback Jackson Howard for the 2024 season. One of southeast Missouri’s most dangerous teams will look to keep pushing the envelope next season.

__No. 9: Caruthersville (7-4, LW No. 8)__

It’s definitely not easy to beat Valle Catholic, and it showed last weekend. While Caruthersville put up a few early scores, the Warriors pulled away for a big 56-14 win to move on and face Scott City in the Class 2 District 1 championship game. Caruthersville’s 7-4 season is the best for the Tigers since 2019, and they’ll look to keep moving forward in the future against a district chock full of talent.

__No. 10: Kennett (4-6, LW NR)__

Kennett lost in Week 10 to Herculaneum but re-enters the rankings on the heels of a disappointing Sikeston loss to Festus last weekend. Kennett has the benefit of having already defeated the Bulldogs on the road this season, and will remain ahead of Sikeston because of this. The 4-6 record for the Indians also included wins against Hayti, Doniphan and East Prairie but some tough losses to other SEMO Central opponents including New Madrid County Central, Caruthersville and Dexter.