WEEK 13 TOP 10: Jackson stomps Seckman in district title, Portageville thrashes Thayer

As the teams continue to get whittled down, more of them emerge as the year’s most successful teams. Some of these teams are still dominating the competition, while others are starting to face their toughest competitors of the season.

Jackson, Portageville and St. Vincent all won big this past week. Cape Central maintained the game against Farmington and came away with a district title, but Scott City fell to Valle Catholic on the road.

Here are your Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings for Week 13.

__No. 1: Jackson (10-1, LW No. 1)__

It’s rarely easy to beat an undefeated team in the postseason, but Jackson sure made it look like it was. After being seeded under the 10-0 Seckman Jaguars, the Indians made the trip north to Seckman High School and soundly defeated the hosts 55-21, including a 48-0 halftime lead. The mantra has been simple lately: if you want to beat Jackson, you better not be one-dimensional. The run-heavy Jaguars even threw up some passes in that first half, but two of them almost went the other way. Jackson is playing its best ball of the season, and it’ll gladly host Christian Brothers on Friday in a Class 6 quarterfinal game.

__No. 2: Portageville (10-1, LW No. 2)__

Portageville handled the Thayer Bobcats with little issue. Last week, I wrote about the potential challenge that Thayer could pose after defeating local powerhouse St. Vincent earlier this season. However, a 49-8 victory for the Bulldogs put to bed any possible chance that the Bobcats could challenge Portageville in a district semifinal. Next up, the Bulldogs travel out west to take on the undefeated, 11-0 Marionville Comets. Marionville is ranked the No. 2 team in Class 1, and Portageville the top-ranked squad. This is, without a doubt, one of the most important games in Portageville football history. A win on Friday could make the Bulldogs a clear favorite for the Class 1 title.

__No. 3: Cape Central (9-3, LW No. 3)__

Cape Central began the season 2-3. Since then, the Tigers have won seven consecutive games and are now officially the back-to-back Class 5 District 1 champions thanks to the defensive masterpiece that Kent Gibbs has strung together. Cape Central took down Farmington 37-13 at home in a Week 12 district championship game to reclaim its district title and advance to a Class 5 quarterfinal. However, there’s little time to celebrate as the Tigers are going on the road for the first time this postseason, set to face off against the Eureka Wildcats. It’ll be a tough task for Cape Central, but the Tigers are no strangers to multiple-score underdog wins.

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

The Poplar Bluff Mules were idle for Week 12 play after losing a Class 5 District 1 semifinal matchup to the Farmington Knights. Farmington lost to Cape Central, 37-13, in Week 12 as the Cape Central Tigers took the district championship. The Mules, however, raised a spot because of a large Scott City loss against Valle Catholic.

__No. 5: Scott City (9-3, LW No. 4)__

Scott City slips a spot in the Week 13 rankings because of a disappointing, season-ending loss to Valle Catholic in the Class 2 District 1 championship game. After so soundly defeating New Madrid County Central, Scott City had an opportunity to knock off the top-seeded Valle Catholic Warriors but couldn’t keep the pace, losing 43-7 to end another strong season for the Scott City Rams, continuing the program’s streak without a district title dating back to 2019.

__No. 6: St. Vincent (8-3, LW No. 7)__

St. Vincent moves forward a spot after handily taking down Van-Far in Week 12, winning 42-6 to advance to the Class 1 District 2 title game. The Indians are back in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2006 and will be shooting for their first semifinal berth since their 2004 state championship season against the 8-3 Crystal City Hornets on Friday night in Perryville, Missouri.

__No. 7: New Madrid County Central (9-2, LW No. 6)__

New Madrid County Central was idle for Week 12 action following a blowout loss to Scott City in Week 11. Scott City lost to Valle Catholic, 43-7, in Week 12 as the Warriors came away with the district championship after dropping down from Class 3 before the start of the season.

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

The Dexter Bearcats were idle during Week 12 after being eliminated in a 29-28 loss to the Ste. Genevieve Dragons in Week 11. Last week, top-seeded Park Hills Central defeated Ste Genevieve 52-13 to claim the Class 3 District 1 championship, setting up a quarterfinal matchup with St. Francis Borgia.

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

Caruthersville was inactive for Week 12, losing to Valle Catholic in Week 11 to end a productive season for the Tigers. Last week, Valle Catholic defeated Scott City 43-7 to win the Class 2 District 1 championship, moving the Warriors into a quarterfinal matchup against Lift for Life Academy.

__No. 10: Kennett (4-6, LW No. 10)__

Kennett was inactive in Week 12, having lost to Herculaneum 32-26 in Week 10. After the Black Cats lost to Park Hills Central, the Rebels went on to win the Class 3 District 1 championship, 52-13, in Week 12 against Ste. Genevieve to move into a Class 3 quarterfinal game against St. Francis Borgia.