Missouri Media Rankings, Oct. 14: Caruthersville on rise, district races heating up

Cape's Zai'Aire Thomas (right) shrugs after a touchdown during a Friday, October 11, 2024 game between the Farmington Knights and the Cape Central Tigers at Farmington High School in Farmington, Mo. Cape Central defeated Farmington, 54-14.

Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

We’re rapidly approaching the postseason, and many local teams are still receiving state recognition, with a few more on the cusp of getting votes.

At the very top, once again, St. Vincent is receiving four first-place votes in Class 1 as the race against Marionville battles on.

Nothing new to report there, at all. It’s been neck-and-neck all season, and it feels as if no team is going to budge as long as both of them keep on winning.

In Class 3, it’s still the Dexter Bearcats at the No. 3 position, largely added by a loss from last week’s No. 4 Maryville, dropping the Spoofhounds to No. 6.

After losing 50-0 to Valle Catholic, the nearby Park Hills Central Rebels have slipped from No. 7 to 9 ahead of the Rebels’ matchup with Dexter in Week 8.

In Class 2, Caruthersville’s made its way all the way up to No. 7 in the state after back-to-back impressive wins over tough Bootheel teams.

Coming from unranked after Week 5’s loss to Valle Catholic up to that No. 7 position is quite the feat, but the No. 3 Warriors still await the Tigers in district play.

Cape Central’s staying firm at No. 8 in Class 5, which shouldn’t disappoint Tiger fans too much after only slipping two spots after a hefty loss at home to Jackson.

Dismantling Farmington told us a lot about the Tigers, but there’s a long road to glory for Cape Central with such a talented district, with the No. 1 Cardinal Ritter College Prep Lions looming tall.

Jackson now has two district mates, undefeated No. 8 Seckman and Lindbergh, receiving votes while the Indians sit at third in the district standings after seven weeks.

The Indians need to finish in the top two to secure a bye and avoid playing in Week 1 of the district tournament, with the extra home game heavily minimizing the possibility of a home quarterfinal.

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Statewide high school football rankings, as compiled by a 9-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. First-place votes in parenthesis. Panel is made up of Dion Clisso, PrepsKC; Cole Young, PrepsKC; Tom Rackers, Jefferson City News-Tribune; Chris Parker, Ozone Sports; Joe Andrews, Warrensburg Star-Journal; Anthony Crane, KQ2 St. Joseph; J.B. Connoley, NEMOPressbox.com; Cole Lee, semoball.com; Paul Halfacre, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

First-place votes in parenthesis.

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CLASS 6

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

1. CBC (5), 6-1, 84, 1

2. Nixa (3), 7-0, 80, 2

3. Lee’s Summit North (1), 7-0, 79, 3

4. De Smet, 6-1, 60, 4

5. Blue Springs South, 5-2, 47, 7

6. Lee’s Summit, 6-1, 46, 6

7. Rockhurst, 5-2, 36, 5

8. Seckman, 7-0, 31, 8

9. Columbia Rock Bridge, 6-1, 11, NR

10. Park Hill, 5-2, 9, NR

Dropped out: No. 9 Liberty North, No. 10 Liberty

Also receiving votes: Liberty (4-3), 6; Troy Buchanan (7-0), 4; Liberty North (4-3), 1; Lindbergh (6-1), 1

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CLASS 5

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Cardinal Ritter (9), 6-0, 90, 1

2. Platte County, 7-0, 81, 2

3. St. Pius X, 6-1, 69, 3

T4. Carthage, 6-1, 57, T4

T4. Jefferson City Helias, 6-1, 57, T4

6. Eureka, 7-0, 46, 6

7. Branson, 7-0, 35, 7

8. Cape Central, 6-1, 28, 8

9. Grain Valley, 5-2, 14, 10

10. Hazelwood East, 6-1, 7, NR

Dropped out: No. 9 Republic

Also receiving votes: Capital City (5-2), 5; Ft. Zumwalt North (7-0), 5; Republic (5-2), 1

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CLASS 4

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Lutheran North (7), 6-1, 88, 1

2. Kearney (2), 7-0, 83, 2

3. Kirksville, 7-0, 66, 3

4. Smithville, 5-2, 59, 4

5. Warrenton, 7-0, 46, 5

6. Nevada, 6-1, 37, 7

T7. Hannibal, 4-3, 36, 6

T7. Warrensburg, 6-1, 36, 8

9. Savannah, 5-2, 21, 9

10. School of the Osage, 6-1, 8, NR

Dropped out: No. 10 Festus

Also receiving votes: Pleasant Hill (5-2), 7; Festus (6-1), 3; Orchard Farm (7-0), 3; Parkway North (5-2), 2

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CLASS 3

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Blair Oaks (7), 6-1, 88, 1

2. Seneca (2), 7-0, 83, 2

3. Dexter, 7-0, 67, 3

4. St. Francis Borgia, 7-0, 59, 5

5. Mt. Vernon, 6-1, 54, 6

6. Maryville, 4-3, 43, 4

7. Strafford, 7-0, 38, 8

8. Southern Boone, 5-2, 23, 9

9. Park Hills Central, 5-2, 15, 7

10. Lift for Life, 4-3, 8, NR

Dropped out: No. 10 Boonville

Also receiving votes: Boonville (5-2), 6; John Burroughs (5-2), 5; St. Clair (5-2), 3; Richmond (5-2), 2; Knob Noster (5-2), 1

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CLASS 2

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Fair Grove (6), 7-0, 87, 1

2. Bowling Green (3), 7-0, 83, 2

3. Valle Catholic, 6-1, 68, 3

4. Warsaw, 7-0, 67, 4

5. Lafayette County, 6-1, 48, T5

6. Mid-Buchanan, 7-0, 39, 7

7. Caruthersville. 6-1, 23, 9

8. Brookfield, 7-0, 18, NR

9. South Shelby, 6-1, 15, T5

10. Mountain View-Liberty, 5-2, 14, NR

Dropped out: No. 8 South Harrison, No. 10 Ava

Also receiving votes: Centralia (5-2), 11; Pembroke Hill (7-0), 10; Lamar (4-3), 6; South Harrison (6-1), 4; Ava (5-2), 2

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CLASS 1

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Marionville (5), 7-0, 87, 1

2. St. Vincent (4), 7-0, 84, 2

3. Adrian, 6-1, 72, 3

4. Tipton, 6-1, 61, 4

5. Windsor, 6-1, 52, 5

6. Van-Far, 6-1, 41, 6

7. Ash Grove, 6-1, 35, 7

8. Milan, 5-2, 28, 8

9. Salisbury, 6-1, 25, 9

10. Westran, 5-2, 9, 10

Also receiving votes: Marceline (3-4), 1