Football

Jackson football gears up to face Kirkwood in a high-stakes quarterfinal clash. Both teams boast strong seasons, with Kirkwood seeking a return to its first semifinals since 2016 and Jackson eyeing another berth.

St. Vincent seeks a second straight district title against Crystal City this Friday. With a perfect record and recent dominance, can the Indians continue their winning streak and advance?

The Caruthersville High School football season ended Friday with a defeat at Valle Catholic in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 championship game, which was an anomaly.

The Dexter High School football program is in rare waters this Saturday, as the unbeaten Bearcats (11-0) will battle Lift For Life Charter Academy (7-5) in the MSHSAA Class 3 Quarterfinals.

Jackson and Dexter clinch district titles, advancing to quarterfinals. St. Vincent dominates Van-Far, securing a spot in the district title game. Check out the Week 13 Semoball Area Football Power Rankings.

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. — In a dramatic semifinal clash in the MSHSAA Class 1, District 1 Tournament, Charleston faced a heart-wrenching 36-34 defeat at Crystal City on Friday, Nov. 15. The contest was a whirlwind of emotions, culminating in an overtime showdown that left the Blue Jays (7-4, 4-1 SEMO South) just shy of victory...

On a rare Saturday afternoon, St Vincent defeated Van-Far 49-8 in a Class 1 District 1 battle with the Indians. The win was No. 50 for head coach Tim Schumer, who played for St. Vincent during his high school days.  At 11-0, St. Vincent remains one of two undefeated teams in Class 1. To continue the perfect streak on their way back to the state semifinals is the goal for the St. Vincent seniors...

Jackson football clinches back-to-back district titles with a dominant 49-28 win over Seckman. Quarterback Drew Parsons shines with six touchdowns, setting up a state quarterfinal clash with Kirkwood.

DEXTER — For the first time since 2011, the Dexter football Bearcats are district champions — but they had to earn it. The Bearcats rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to win the Class 3 District 1 championship 28-13 over the Ste. Genevieve Dragons on Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium...

ST. LOUIS — Cape Central wanted to reach higher this season, but on Friday night the Tigers hit their ceiling. They smacked right into it at Cardinal Ritter High School in the Class 5 District 1 Championship with hopes of capturing a third straight district crown. It was a dominant outing from the two-time defending state champion Lions as Cape Central’s special season ended in a 56-14 rout in St. Louis...

An otherwise magical season of Perryville football ended in the frozen tundra of Festus, as the Pirates were sunk in shutout fashion by the Tigers 43-0 in the Class 4 District 1 championship game on Friday, Nov. 15. Their season ended in an emotional loss, but the Pirates did not leave empty-handed. Their second-place district trophy is something they can finally place in their previously empty treasure chest, right next to their 10-win season...

The story of the 2024 Poplar Bluff football Mules, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, could be titled, “A Tale of Two Teams,” but with a reversal of Dickens’ famous opening line, “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.” The worst of times was the start of the season, which saw the Mules begin the first half of their schedule 1-4 with home losses to Farmington and Cape Central...

In one way, tonight’s MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Playoff championship game has an all too familiar feel surrounding it for third-year Dexter High School football coach Chad Jamerson.

Players from Caruthersville, Cape Central, Dexter and Farmington have been selected as finalists as the most outstanding football players in the SEMO Conference. Jermonte Alexander of Caruthersville, Jett Grams of Dexter and Zai’Aire Thomas of Cape Central are in the running to take home the Carr Trophy, given to the conference’s most outstanding player, while Nolan Alford of Dexter, Oscar Dominguez of Caruthersville and Kaesen McClain of Farmington are finalists for the Derland Moore Award as the top defensive players in the conference.. ...

Former United States Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, the architect of the greatest upset victory in American sports, uttered that line to his athletes just prior to his team beating the monumentally favored Soviet Union in 1980, and no coach in Southeast Missouri grasps the emotion of that sentence more so than third-year Caruthersville High School football coach Dom Guglielmo.

Discover which teams are dominating Week 12 as Caruthersville climbs the rankings with a big win and Cape Central narrowly avoids an upset. Get the latest on district finals matchups and power rankings.

Malden Green Wave ends their season with a 36-8 loss to Crystal City Hornets.

CARUTHERSVILLE – Third-year Caruthersville High School football coach Dom Guglielmo has preached to his team this season that he wants “fast starts” on both sides of the ball, but the Tigers haven’t always been able to do that. In Friday’s MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 semifinal win over East Prairie at Hopke Field, that wasn’t an issue.

CHARLESTON, Mo. — In a game that started with a sleepy first half, Charleston awoke with a vengeance, unleashing a rapid-fire scoring spree to secure a 50-16 grilling of Chaffee in the Class 1, District 1 Quarterfinal at John H. Marshall Field on Friday, Nov. 8...

Jackson football clinches a district final spot after a 31-14 victory over Lindbergh. Despite midgame struggles, strong defense and standout plays by Drew Parsons and Jaylon Hampton secured the win.

Cape Central edges past Poplar Bluff 28-21 on Friday night, securing a spot in the Class 5 District 1 final. Zai’Aire Thomas shines with 215 yards and three touchdowns, setting up a showdown with powerhouse Cardinal Ritter.

Even as the higher ranked team with home-field advantage, there were initial, internal doubts that the Perryville Pirates could knock out the Class 4 runner-up Hillsboro Hawks. Once senior Chase Richardet intercepted a pass near the end zone and scored a touchdown the other way, there was no longer any doubt...

DEXTER — Survive and advance. That's what the Dexter football Bearcats did as they outlasted the Fredericktown Blackcats 56-20 in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals Friday night at Charles Bland Stadium. Dexter had a bye last week thanks to their top seed in the district. Fredericktown defeated Potosi 23-21 last Friday in the quarterfinals and came to Dexter looking for an improbable upset...

The Dexter High School football program has raced past all comers this season en route to a 9-0 mark.

The Poplar Bluff football Mules have earned a well-justified reputation as road warriors this season. All five of the Mules' wins entering Friday's district semifinal at Cape Central have come on the road, including a three-game winning streak that includes wins at Kennett, Hillsboro and last week's district opener at Farmington...

The Southeast Missouri State football team emerges from their second bye week of the season undefeated in FCS play, leading the Big South-OVC and riding a seven-game winning streak. The bye week came at an opportune time for the Redhawks, who have piled up injuries right next to their stack of victories. SEMO head coach Tom Matukewicz said he took the opportunity to give his players the week off to rest before returning to preparation for their next game...

Caruthersville High School junior linebacker Jackson Napier doesn’t rank atop the incredible Tigers’ squad this fall in tackles. He is second on the team in that important category. However, where Napier does rank higher than anybody else is more important (at least in the bigger picture).

Drew Parsons gears up for a playoff rematch against Lindbergh, marking a full-circle moment since his breakout debut. Can Parsons lead Jackson to defend their district title?

The Poplar Bluff football Mules will follow up their 56-21 postseason victory over Farmington last week with a Class 5 District 1 semifinal showdown at Cape Central this Friday. Poplar Bluff improved to 5-5 on the season with a dominating road victory, with all five wins so far coming on the road...

Half the local high school football teams enjoyed a week off, while the other half advanced through the first round of the MSHSAA playoffs. With six teams playing games on Friday, including four at home, it now truly feels like the playoffs. For everyone outside of Chaffee and St. Vincent, the winner of Fridays will move on and play for a district championship...

Third-year Dexter High School football coach Chad Jamerson has received a lot of kudos for guiding his team to only the fourth undefeated season in program history this fall, as he should. However, he will be the first to say that it takes a village to raise a football program to this level.

HILLSBORO, Mo. — Sikeston’s season ended on a tough note, falling 55-22 at Hillsboro in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 4, District 1 Tournament on Friday, Nov. 1. Though the season ended sooner than hoped, the Bulldogs (3-7, 0-4 SEMO North) flashed potential under head coach Jim May’s guidance, battling through adversity and building a strong foundation for the years to come...

NEW MADRID, Mo. — A month ago, Kelly was humbled by New Madrid County Central, but this past Friday, the Hawks (5-5, 1-3 SEMO Central) exacted revenge, delivering a knockout blow to the Eagles (4-6, 2-2 SEMO Central) with a 36-12 victory. “We faced some adversity, and we played through that and didn’t lose focus,” said Kelly coach Lance Powers. ...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — East Prairie turned the tables on Scott City, avenging an earlier season shutout with a decisive 49-29 victory in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 2, District 1 Tournament on Friday, Nov. 1. Under the tutelage of first-year head coach Ian Penrod, the Eagles (8-2, 3-1 SEMO Central) have instilled a winning culture, and their physical and aggressive style of play was on full display as they outplayed the Rams (5-4, 2-3 SEMO South) in all phases of the game...

Poplar Bluff surges with a key win, setting the stage for a major clash between Caruthersville and East Prairie in the postseason. Discover who's climbing the Semoball Area Football Power Rankings.

James Unterreiner originally wanted to play running back when he got into football. Instead, his physical growth slotted him in the trenches. Now, it's where he thrives, as a part of the offensive line that has provided the protection for the undefeated St. Vincent Indians...

CARUTHERSVILLE – Third-year Caruthersville High School football coach Dom Guglielmo entered this season wanting his young athletes to grasp the opportunity that lay ahead of them this fall, and here it is November, and there is little debate that the Tigers have done just that.

Kennett's season ends with a 30-14 loss to reigning champs Park Hills Central.

The Cape Central Tigers dominated Webster Groves 42-7 in the Class 5 District 1 quarterfinals on Friday behind a powerful run game and physical defense, setting the stage for a semifinal clash against Poplar Bluff.

Fifteen years ago, Tara Porter was a first-team all-state basketball player at Greenville High School. Porter now finds herself on the other side of the bench as she is in her third season as the team trainer for all sports, including football, at Poplar Bluff High School...

FARMINGTON — The Poplar Bluff football Mules continued their Road Warriors tour in the 2024 season with a 56-21 trouncing of the Farmington Knights Friday night in the opening weekend of the Class 5 District 1 playoffs. The Mules improved to 5-5 on the season, with all five of their wins coming on the road, but none of the others were as dominating or decisive of their win at Farmington...

It’s been a long time coming for the Perryville football team. With a pair of touchdowns on the ground from Barrett Wheeler and another two scores from the air from Kayd Luckey, the Pirates grounded the Windsor Owls 26-8 to advance further in the Class 4 District 1 playoffs on Friday, Nov. 1...

Members of the Caruthersville High School football squad are going to spend Friday evening reading the schematics thrown at them by their counterparts at Portageville High School, as the two teams open the postseason in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 Playoffs. However, the senior Tigers spent time on Thursday reading in a more impactful manner.

Discover the top high school football stat leaders in the Semoball area through Week 9. From passing and rushing to tackling and interceptions, see who's dominating the field this season.

Since 2004, the Perryville football team has gone 0-10 more times (2) than above .500 (1) prior to the 2024 season. So one can imagine the surprise of the Pirates finishing the regular season 8-1 with the No. 2 seed in the Class 4 District 1 playoffs surpassed the expectations of everyone outside of the players and coaches themselves...

Since the start of training camp, Scott City head coach Brian Beaubien’s primary focus has been preparing the Rams for the playoffs. Regardless of whether they win or lose during the regular season, progress was the purpose. Now, the playoffs are here. Everything the Rams worked for will be applied on Friday, Nov. 1, at East Prairie...

On what has been a disappointing 11th season of Kelly High School football, one player has emerged to make 2024 memorable. Senior wide receiver Grant Burleson finished the regular season leading the SEMO Conference with 728 yards and eight touchdowns. Not only that, he has also secured his place as the Hawks' all-time leading receiver...

The Poplar Bluff football Mules are riding high after a 3-1 finish to the regular season into a Class 5 District 1 showdown with Farmington this Friday. Following a 36-28 road win at Hillsboro last week, the Mules finished 4-5 on the year with a 4-1 road record. Considering the Mules went 0-4 at home, Poplar Bluff may feel more comfortable as the visitors in Farmington...

Since first stepping on the gridiron for the Cape Central High School football program ahead of the 2021 season, both Deklin and Gavin Pittman have had many people stick by their side throughout their journeys. But none have been closer to the two than each other...

Every year since 2019, the Southeast Missourian publishes an annual football preview magazine forecasting the upcoming season for our seven (soon to be eight) local high school teams. That comes with questions that are asked in August but answered at the end of October. With the playoffs upon us, let's revisit those predictions and see how far off, or on the mark, we were...