SIKESTON -- A change is on the way for high school football this season.

With the recent switch to Class 5, Cape Central has thrown the district in a redo as this past week, athletic directors and coaches from the Southeast Missouri schools met to decide new district assignments.

Conference assignments were changed as well, but will not be official for a few months.

As far as Sikeston is concerned, Cape Central is dropping from the district but will remain on the schedule as a SEMO North Conference opponent.

"Basically, all we did was substitute Farmington for Cape Central," Sikeston coach Kent Gibbs said. "We put Cape Central in the Farmington slot in the regular season schedule."

Now, the fifth game of the season will be against Cape Central, which is scheduled as a home game for the Bulldogs this season.

West Plains remains in the district, despite efforts from Sikeston athletic director Brent Keefer and Gibbs to remove the Zizzers from the district menu.

"We were kind of hoping to keep West Plains out west," said Gibbs. "Basically, because it's such a long trip."

Keefer added that it just didn't work out to drop the Zizzers from the schedule this season. The Bulldogs' first district contest will be on the road at West Plains this season, followed by a home game against Poplar Bluff and an away game at Farmington to wrap up district play.

Along with the district shakeup, the season will now begin one week earlier, due to the addition of the new playoff schedule. This season, the top two teams out of the district advance to the playoffs, opening up a new playoff scenario.

Gibbs said that the committee is still unsure of what to name the new playoff round, but that it's nearly become like an eight-team district now.

"What we proposed, was to have the first team from District 1 go against the second team of District 2," said Gibbs. "Then the first team from District 2 goes against the second team of District 1."

The playoffs will now begin one week early, due to the change, therefore pushing the first game up a week from it's original start date.

"The first week now will be the jamboree," said Gibbs. "It will be the 22nd of August, and the first game will be the 29th (of August)."

Keefer said that the only thing that may be interfered with over the change, is the soap game.

"More than likely, we'll lose the soap game," said Keefer. "The soap game would be the first Friday of practice, and that's not giving a lot of time to work on things."

Keefer added that as far as the date for practice to begin, all the dates will remain the same.

For Gibbs, now in his second year with the Bulldogs, the schedule may have gotten a little more trying with the change.

"Our schedule has stepped up now obviously," said Gibbs. "Fredericktown was 9-1, and were the district champs. They've got a lot of kids back, and it's going to be an interesting test."

The jamboree is scheduled for Aug. 22, and is scheduled to be played in East Prairie. Sikeston opens regular season play in Fredericktown, followed by a home game against the Charleston Bluejays.

2008 schedule

Aug. 22, Jamboree (at East Prairie)

Aug. 29, at Fredericktown

Sept. 5, Charleston

Sept. 12, Dexter

Sept. 19, at Jackson

Sept. 26, Cape Central

Oct. 3, New Madrid County Central

Oct. 10, at Kennett

Oct. 17, at West Plains

Oct. 24, Poplar Bluff

Oct. 31, at Farmington