Menu
Southeast Missourian Gridiron Guide: Jackson hosts Festus in thrilling season conclusion
It’s the final week of the regular season, and there are still some exciting matchups left on the docket back home.
Jackson plays host to an excellent Festus team at “The Pit,” looking to awaken the red sea once again in front of a packed house for senior night.
Chaffee hosts Kelly in a battle of former SEMO South rivals, with the Scott-Mississippian Red Devils side looking to pull off a big-time victory over Kelly.
With districts on the horizon, there’s a lot to be excited about, so take a gander at the final matchups of the year as we prepare for the start of postseason play.
All projections are based on computer data via CalPreps and consulting staff opinion.
Festus at Jackson, 7 p.m. Friday
Projection: Jackson 35, Festus 28
The top game of the week, with two top-30 teams in the state doing battle at “The Pit” as Jackson looks to make it a sixth consecutive win on home turf.
The Tigers have put together a heck of a season so far, 7-1 going into Friday with just one loss coming from a Week 7 game against De Smet Jesuit, and Jackson is well within striking range.
Festus would be Jackson’s top win of the year, and with how Jackson’s defense has been playing since a Week 4 humbling against Farmington, the Indians have plenty of momentum.
Back at the start of the year, the Indians were receiving votes at the bottom of Class 6 while the Festus Tigers have been a fixture in the Class 4 poll for a while now, going undefeated up until recently.
Just Jackson’s third home game of the season, the Indians have spent much of the year as road warriors, and even so it’s been quite the strong season after starting the year 1-2.
Led by the ascending Drew Parsons, who’s looking more comfortable slinging the ball by the week, the Indian offense will bring a lot of pressure to a Festus team that’s faced plenty of similarly great teams.
This should be an exciting back-and-forth contest, but we’re giving the Indians the edge Friday night.
Kelly at Chaffee, 7 p.m. Friday
Projection: Kelly 42, Chaffee 28
It’s the end of the year, and Chaffee’s never looked more competitive. But against a Kelly squad fresh off a demolition of Soldan a week ago, this quick be quite the thriller.
Taking Scott City down to the wire last weekend before the Rams pulled away late, and getting its first win of the year the week prior, it’s been a quick rise for the Red Devils.
But for Kelly, who’s fought off some midseason demons with an explosive showing against Soldan International Studies on Saturday, there’s now some momentum going into Week 9.
At the start of the season, the idea was that Kelly would take this one running away. But this week, it’s not so sure.
Chaffee’s youth against Kelly’s experience will see the two collide in Chaffee on Friday night, and while Kelly looks to be a narrow favorite, there’s plenty to look forward to.
Grant Burleson has become one of the top receivers in Southeast Missouri thanks in part to the arm talent of Skyler Still, helping Kelly build up some confidence through the air.
Meanwhile, Logan Horton continues to rise up the rushing ladder for Chaffee as he quickly nears the 1000-yard rushing mark for the season.
If you’re looking for a smashing small-town clash this Friday, look no further. This’ll be one of the best games in the area for Week 9, as Kelly will have to fend off a rampant Chaffee attack primed for another big breakout.
Perryville at Cuba, 7 p.m. Friday
Projection: Perryville 42, Cuba 14
Perryville’s last chance at a Quad County Conference title comes down to Week 9, as it’ll take a Perryville win and a Jefferson win against St. Vincent to make for a three-way tie.
Cuba’s faced off against some tough squads, and against St. Vincent on the Indians’ Homecoming game, it got crushed under the weight of a steamrolling St. V’s squad.
Against Perryville, it’ll likely face that same pressure, being hit from both sides as the rushing dominance of Barrett Wheeler pairs pleasantly with the connection between quarterback Kayd Luckey and wideout Chase Richardet.
One of the biggest surprises of the year was how proficient that the Perryville attack has become, with the return of Wheeler helping to dictate an offense to an unstoppable rhythm.
After crushing Herculaneum on Homecoming last Saturday, Perryville’s made it five wins in a row for itself and is showing no signs of stopping down ahead of postseason play.
Going on the road and into Cuba, it’ll be a tough ask for Perryville to do everything it’d like to against a Wildcats squad that’s been plenty competitive at times this year.
But Perryville’s stopped at nothing when it comes down to taking care of business this season, with its one loss coming to rival Class 1 No. 1 St. Vincent by just four points.
For that reason, it’s a comfortable projection as the Pirates look to cruise to a regular season-ending victory over Cuba on the road.
St. Vincent at Jefferson, 7 p.m. Friday
Projection: St. Vincent 52, Jefferson 21
This is the conference title for St. Vincent, well in control of its own destiny as it travels to Jefferson this weekend for a de facto conference title game against the Blue Jays.
The Indians have been frankly unstoppable in clear conditions this season, scoring seemingly at will as the passing attack led by passer Nick Buchheit can simply run over opposing defenses.
Though the rushing attack hasn’t been the kindest to the Indians this year, that has been far from the focus as the exceptional receivers have been more than enough to cut through rival defenses.
In a class dictated by contending opponents, St. Vincent finally claimed the top spot in the media poll this week, and for great reason: Even when the odds are stacked against it, St. Vincent has been dominant all year.
Jefferson comes in with a 5-3 record, fresh off a crushing loss to Ste. Genevieve last week, who the Indians similarly defeated 53-0 to open up the season, just the tip of the iceberg.
Back in Week 6, Perryville lived up to the task by dispatching Jefferson on the road in a 42-36 win, and now St. Vincent will look to do the same to secure the conference crown.
With a win, it’s rights to the first Quad County Conference championship, and coach Tim Schumer has been adamant in confirming that the Indians are deadset on winning that trophy.
Scott City at Dexter, 7 p.m. Friday
Projection: Dexter 49, Scott City 14
Last season, this was the opening game of the season. At the time, when Dexter defeated Scott City at home, we wrote about it being an “upset.”
Since then, there’s been a lot of movement. Dexter is now one of the top teams in Class 3, Scott City has a new coach and Dexter is now a heavy favorite as the two meet again.
Once again playing in Dexter for the second consecutive year, the Rams go on the road for the final game of the regular season looking to fend off a Bearcats squad with eyes on an undefeated season.
Dexter’s got one of the best passers in Southeast Missouri in Jackson Howard, one of the best rushers in Jett Grams and even the leading sacker in Nolan Alford.
There’s a laundry list of reasons as to why Dexter’s been so phenomenal this year, and Scott City will get a full, unbridled effort out of the Bearcats for the final matchup of the regular season.
If Jackson Gloth and Rustyn Underwood can make plays on offense, maybe this could end up being quite interesting, but for now we’ve got Dexter in an explosive showing.
Kennett at Cape Central, 7 p.m. Friday
Projection: Cape Central 56, Kennett 0
It’s the final game of the regular season for Class 5-contending Cape Central, and it comes against a winless foe in Kennett.
It’s wrong to speak in absolutes, so we’ll just say this: Cape Central has a pretty good chance of winning this one.
After back-to-back wins over competitive teams in Farmington and Lift For Life, there’s another air of confidence about the Tigers as they enter the postseason flaming hot.
Hosting the Indians for “Pink Out” night at Tiger Stadium, there’s one last opportunity for the Tigers to ignite the fireworks going into a loading Class 5 District 1 that’ll require every last ounce of effort for Central to win.
Cape’s offensive weapons are deep and sublime, and Kennett will have its hands full looking to stop those guys on Friday night as the hosting Tigers enter as major favorites.