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WEEK 3 TOP 10: St. Vincent, Scott City making waves after huge wins
The second week of high school football action was as successful as you could ask, with all nine of the top nine teams in this week’s rankings taking wins.
No. 1 Jackson got back on track with a high-intensity win at East St. Louis, winning big over Cahokia with a monstrous first half.
Cape Central doubled down on its immense defensive efforts with another shutout, winning 35-0 at St. Charles West to make it two weeks without allowing a point this season.
But the biggest headline of all came out of Class 1, with the St. Vincent Indians going on the road and knocking off the mighty Valle Catholic Warriors in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, billed as one of the week’s top games and living up to the hype.
Entering Week 3’s rankings, there’s been a big shakeup near the top, with the Class 1-contending Indians rising as high as they ever have for Week 3.
Here’s how the Semoball Area Football Power Rankings shake out ahead of some big matchups this weekend.
No. 1: Jackson (1-1, LW No. 1)
The controversial No. 1 pick from last week got a statement neutral-site victory over Cahokia this past weekend, smashing the Comanches with a 30-point halftime lead and holding on to win 49-26, further earning the title of the top local team with a major dismantling of one of Illinois’ biggest up-and-comers. Despite some unbelievable offensive talent from the Comanches, Jackson’s defense looked staunch and prepared for a tough test. In Week 3 play against Edwardsville, Jackson will get one last major test out of this Death Row season-opening schedule before beginning conference play in Week 4.
No. 2: Cape Central (2-0, LW No. 2)
Cape Central proved it deserved a spot at the table among the area’s strongest teams, never allowing the St. Charles West Warriors to score, let alone enter the red zone. The Tigers bring a tough defense into the upcoming conference slate, and their offense only complements that intense back end. Cape proved it can hang both slinging the ball and running, with Zai’Aire Thomas opening the game up with two receiving touchdowns while KeyShawn Boyd added two over the ground. A conference-opening matchup with Sikeston could get ugly this Friday if Central plays up to its billing, with the Tigers eyeing a potential third consecutive shutout to open the 2024 season.
No. 3: St. Vincent (2-0, LW No. 5)
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice – well, I’m not going to be fooled twice. A few weeks ago, St. Vincent was getting no love in this ranking, and that was a critical oversight. Now that the Indians have upset one of the top teams in Class 2 (call it an upset or not, it doesn’t matter) it’s come time for St. Vincent to get some love of its own. The Indians are anticipated to rank among the top two teams in the media poll on Monday night, and a 24-7 victory over the Warriors of Valle Catholic was the driving force behind it. Retaining the majority of its defense that kept it in just about every ballgame on last year’s schedule, the Indians have surrendered just seven points entering a Mayor’s Cup matchup with Perryville this Friday. With another impressive performance this weekend, the Indians could rise even higher.
No. 4: Dexter (2-0, LW No. 3)
If anything, Dexter impressed this past weekend. Dropping a spot because of the unbelievable efforts of St. Vincent at Valle Catholic, the Bearcats were hardly a slouch as they hosted the Sikeston Bulldogs for Homecoming and had their way and then some. A 42-point halftime lead over the up-and-coming Bulldogs gave way to a 49-7 final, proving that the Bearcats are one of the top forces in all of the Bootheel this fall. Matchups with New Madrid County Central and East Prairie these next two weeks give Dexter a chance to compound its momentum before a Week 5 duel with Class 4-ranked Southern Boone back on home soil.
No. 5: Poplar Bluff (1-1, LW No. 6)
You want to impress en route to pulling back into the top five? How about a win against a team from St. Louis’ toughest conference? Poplar Bluff went on the road and into the home of the Chaminade Red Devils. It was close, but the Mules eked out an impressive 14-12 win over a Metro Catholic Conference team to prove that they’re still a serious contender among our local teams and shouldn’t be taken lightly. New coach, new weapons – doesn’t matter. This one should steer the Mules back in the right direction after a crushing Week 1 loss against Valley View of Arkansas. You ought to keep an eye on Poplar Bluff as the next few weeks unfold, opening conference play on Friday against Farmington at home.
No. 6: Caruthersville (2-0, LW No. 4)
Against Malden in second-week action, Caruthersville got a hot start on offense and maintained a steady effort en route to a huge 53-18 win on the road, albeit a little more dramatic a score than they would have liked, with coach Dom Guglielmo saying “They wanted to do more against Malden.” Nevertheless, it’s still a big win that reflects well on the efforts of the Tigers’ headmen, with Caruthersville still expected to be ranked in Class 2 this week as it prepares for a big Week 3 tilt with Carlyle High School of Carlyle, Illinois.
No. 7: Scott City (2-0, LW No. 10)
There was a lot of movement between Week 1 and Week 2. Word on the street is that Scott City wasn’t particularly excited about slipping down two spots after its win over East Prairie. The response was simple: The Rams demolished Kelly at home last weekend in the annual “Green Up” game to not only put away rival Kelly 35-13 but leapfrog in front of the Hawks to get right back into the fold with some of the Bootheel hopefuls. As the season continues to heat up, a Week 3 duel with Hayti should allow the Rams a chance to get some offensive rhythm after a couple weeks of hard-fought battles with tough local opponents.
No. 8: Perryville (2-0, LW No. 8)
It’s hard to move up in the rankings these days. Perryville was a slight underdog entering its road matchup with DeSoto, but after a huge first half from the Pirates, it was more than enough to close out a 31-28 win over the Dragons. Perryville’s reputation certainly rises from this matchup, but the win by Scott City directly counteracted some of that momentum. As the Pirates enter a Week 3 matchup with St. Vincent in a Mayor’s Cup matchup at home, Perryville faces what should likely be its toughest test of the season. If the Pirates can impress in a gruesome matchup against their cross-town rivals, there’s plenty in store for Perryville this fall against a quite favorable schedule.
No. 9: Portageville (2-0, LW No. 9)
One of the Bootheel’s top risers last season, Portageville has been quite impressive despite a hefty loss from last year’s squad. Still undefeated through two weeks, taking down Hayti 34-6 at home, the Bulldogs have put away much of the doubt that surrounded this squad entering the season, but the question remains of how they can match up with some of the rising powers that surround them in the local scene. After taking mighty wins over Scott City and Kelly last season, Portageville’s still got a few chances on the schedule this season to prove that it can still hang with the big boys after a handful of early wins.
No. 10: Kelly (1-1, LW No. 7)
One of the downfalls of early matchups with power teams: It’s hard to really tell which team is going to finish the season better off. For Kelly, it’s a talented squad with so much upside that it’s hard to really quantify. Scott City just played better in Week 2, slamming Kelly in the second half en route to a hefty 35-13 win in one of the Bootheel’s biggest on-the-rise rivalries. Moving into a Saturday matchup with a 1-1 Rolla squad, Kelly’s still yet to show that it can live up to the potential hype that it entered the season with, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that we haven’t seen the best out of these Hawks just yet. While they bottom out at the floor of this list, with a win this weekend, they could shoot right back into the mix as we crawl back into conference play.