WEEK 8 TOP 10: St. Vincent dominant on Homecoming, SEMO South dogfight approaching

Every single team in the Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings won last week. That’s the first time that’s ever happened. Some big wins, some little wins and some medium-sized wins happened in Week 7.

St. Vincent may have taken the biggest win last week, while Poplar Bluff managed to slide by Farmington in a SEMO North Conference battle.

With two conferences decided, and a big conference title matchup incoming, the Week 8 edition of the Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings is here.

__No. 1: Jackson (6-1, LW No. 1)__

Little room to prove anything in Week 7, but the Jackson roster is certainly deep. The Indians got to show a lot of their underclassman talent against Confluence Prep, winning 70-0 at “The Pit” after taking out their starting lineup four drives into the game. Next up for Jackson is a revenge game, facing Holt at home on senior night. After losing to this team last year, Jackson looks to improve to 7-1 with a big game against Holt this week.

__No. 2: New Madrid County Central (7-0, LW No. 2)__

Perryville is one of those hot-and-cold teams that can come on when you least expect it. Fortunately for the Eagles, they put out the flame and held Perryville to 14 points in a 47-14 victory. Still ahead is a matchup between conference champions as they’ll clash with Portageville in Week 9, but the Eagles will look to stay unbeaten with a Week 8 matchup against winless Sikeston of the SEMO North Conference.

__No. 3: Portageville (6-1, LW No. 3)__

After starting the season with a loss, Portageville is now 6-1 following a 49-0 victory against Malden. The Bulldogs look primed for a SEMO South Conference championship, rounding out the top three teams as the third SEMO Conference champion. The conference will come down to a Week 8 contest between Kelly and Portageville, with the Bulldogs getting the hosting nod. While both teams enter with 6-1 records, Portageville looks to take a big win and secure a conference title.

__No. 4: Poplar Bluff (4-3, LW No. 4)__

Poplar Bluff’s 28-14 win against Farmington came on the road, on Homecoming night, in a battle for second place in the conference. While Cape Central’s 35-point win against Farmington shows off more on the schedule, Poplar Bluff took care of business against the Knights in Week 7 to secure the No. 2 position in the SEMO North Conference and finish the season at 3-1 in conference play. The Mules have now won three consecutive games and will look to make it four against Kennett in Poplar Bluff this week.

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

The gap between Cape Central and Poplar Bluff is incredibly small but enough to keep the Tigers at No. 5 for this week. After a dominant 35-0 victory against Farmington in Week 6, Cape Central doubled down on its SEMO North Conference comeback with a 48-8 drudging of Sikeston in Week 7. Back north of the .500 mark for the first time since Week 1, the Tigers are favored to run the table to close out the season. Next up is a matchup with 1-6 DeSoto on the road. While a tough start to the season saw the Tigers begin on a bad note, we’re expecting to see a landslide of momentum for Cape Central entering the playoffs – just like last season.

__No. 6: Dexter (6-1, LW No. 6)__

Dexter narrowly took a rivalry win against Kennett in Week 7, winning 28-14 on the road to improve to 6-1 on the season. There’s always a degree of challenge in taking a road victory in a rivalry matchup, but Dexter did it in fashion against a solid Kennett team. As Dexter’s season record continues to climb, its faced with a tough-but-winnable game against 4-3 Park Hills Central. The Rebels are no stranger to SEMO Conference teams, having defeated Poplar Bluff and Caruthersville while losing to Cape Central. The Dexter Bearcats will look to be the latest team to knock off the Rebels on the road.

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

Scott City took a big-time win against Chaffee in Week 7, winning 56-14 against a Chaffee team that has looked to take advantage of its opportunities in the SEMO South Conference. As the Rams continue to climb in their season record, they continue to prove that they clearly belong in the rankings picture. With just Charleston left on the season schedule after a Week 9 forfeit from Doniphan, a 7-2 record is not just possible but highly likely for an up-and-down Scott City team.

__No. 8: St. Vincent (4-3, LW No. 9)__

On an emotional Homecoming night in Perryville, Missouri, St. Vincent took St. Pius X to the woodshed – as the underdog. The Lancers weren’t initially supposed to be one of the toughest teams on the Indians’ schedule, but St. Vincent entered as a four-point underdog and left the matchup with a 42-6 victory. There are still some big matchups left for the Indians, including a Week 8 matchup with Grandview, but they’re generating some momentum at a big time.

__No. 9: Caruthersville (4-3, LW No. 8)__

Caruthersville slides a spot due to an electric performance from St. Vincent, but there’s little shame in a 54-6 victory against Charleston in Week 7. The Tigers are clearly worthy of their ranked position but have faltered in each of their biggest games of the season outside of an eight-point win against Kennett in Week 4. With their upcoming matchup with 3-4 East Prairie in Week 8, Caruthersville has a chance to prove itself against a solid team. With any luck, Caruthersville could come away from the matchup with another signature win.

__No. 10: Kelly (6-1, LW NR)__

Kelly pulls back inside the rankings after a big win against Hayti. As the Kennett Indians continue to slide, Kelly takes advantage with a 33-0 victory to improve to 6-1 on the year. Here come the Portageville Bulldogs, however, who’ll look to upend Kelly to officially seal their conference championship. Kelly will need a big showing against Portageville to pull off the upset, or to even avoid being swamped by the Bulldogs like so many local teams have this season.