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Our prep football glance gives vital information for our local teams entering their weekly matchups. Learn your team's opponent, go-to players and the series history between the two every Thursday throughout the season.
Hayti at Charleston
Records: Hayti (0-1); Charleston (0-1)
Series History: Hayti leads 7-4
Last Meeting: 2012, Charleston won 20-14
Last Week: Charleston lost to Sikeston 24-6; Hayti lost to Thayer 16-7
Outlook: Charleston's offense was held to only 67 yards against rival Sikeston as the speedy Bluejays could never get to the edge. Running back Rontavious Clark led Charleston with 20 yards on 6 carries while top returning back, Robert Bogan gained only 2 yards on 11 carries. Charleston's Mike Kellum passed for 29 yards. Defensively Charleston played well, but were worn down by the bigger Bulldogs. Hayti stayed close to state-ranked Thayer but had trouble moving the ball against the Bobcats. New coach Neal Cruce is trying to find depth on a team with only 28 players and senior quarterback Austin Neisler is out with a collarbone injury. Senior Dylan Riddick leads a deep running back crew as the offensive line is still learning new schemes implemented by Cruce. The Indian defense looks strong, holding the potent Thayer attack to just two touchdowns and are led by safety Demetrius Luster.
Dexter at Poplar Bluff
Records: Dexter (0-1); Poplar Bluff (1-0)
Series History: Poplar Bluff leads 51-20-6
Last Meeting: 2012, Poplar Bluff won 14-7
Last Week: Dexter lost to Ste. Genevieve 42-7; Poplar Bluff defeated Union 31-14.
Outlook: Dexter had a rough start to the season against powerful Ste. Genevieve, allowing 435 total yards, including 338 on the ground. That doesn't bode well for the Bearcats as they will have to contain Poplar Bluff junior running back Bi Nguyen (5-6, 140), who rushed for a school record 320 yards against Union. Dexter must also be able to stop sophomore quarterback Kameron Misner who completed 6 of 8 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another. Dexter's offense was led by the capable Peyton Pollack. The junior signal caller rushed for 108 yards and threw for 89 yards despite being hounded by the Ste. Genevieve blitz. Senior DJ Dowdy and sophomore Ethan Stevens each caught 3 passes but this week they will be working against a Mule defense that allowed 171 yards through the air against pass-happy Union.
Portageville at Kennett
Records: Portageville (1-0); Kennett (0-1)
Series History: Kennett leads 32-11
Last Meeting: 2012, Portageville won 27-7
Last Week: Portageville defeated St. Pius X 39-21; Kennett lost to Fredericktown 27-20
Outlook: Behind two sophomores, Portageville jumped out to a 25-0 lead in just under 7 minutes against St. Pius X and held on for a 39-21 lead. Sophomore quarterback Jon Garrett Kellams tossed three touchdown passes in the game and has very capable receivers in Hunter Cook and Ben Story. Daniel McCray is the feature back in the wishbone set used a majority of the time by the Bulldogs and the sophomore excelled rushing for two touchdowns. He also recovered a fumble and returned it for another touchdown. Kennett lost a tough game to Fredericktown where turnovers hurt the Indians. Backup quarterback Akeem Nelson showed the potential for big plays rushing for one touchdown and passing for another. Kennett allowed four rushing touchdowns against Fredericktown.
Chaffee at St. Pius X
Records: Chaffee (1-0); St. Pius X (0-1)
Series History: Chaffee leads 3-2
Last Meeting: 2012, St. Pius X won 16-8 in overtime
Last Week: Chaffee defeated Grandview 58-15; St. Pius X lost to Portageville 39-21
Outlook: Chaffee's explosive offense scored early and often against Grandview, piling up 308 yards of offense in a 44-7 halftime lead. For the game, Chaffee had 392 yards of offense including 89 rushing yards and 126 passing yards from quarterback Peyton Montgomery. The Chaffee defense allowed only 138 yards and only 20 rushing yards on 23 attempts. St. Pius X
fell behind early to Portageville, trailing 25-0 early in the game before mounting a comeback that came up short.
East Prairie at Grandview
Records: East Prairie (0-1); Grandview (0-1)
Series History: East Prairie leads 4-1
Last Meeting: 2012, Grandview won 44-12
Last Week: East Prairie lost to Perryville 26-12; Grandview lost to Chaffee 58-15
Outlook: East Prairie saw some positive signs in their opening week loss and will be looking to snap a 19-game losing streak. Their last win came at Grandview on Sept. 2, 2011. Quarterback Brett Ellis was 9 of 15 passing for East Prairie while freshman Deverance Jones finished with a touchdown catch and 82 receiving yards. Grandview was only able to manage 138 yards against Chaffee last week with only 20 of them being rushing yards. Grandview allowed 58 points, 44 in the first half and that included two returns for touchdowns.
2013 SEMO CONFERENCE STANDINGS
North W L CONF PF PA
Jackson 1 0 0-0 47 13
Poplar Bluff 1 0 0-0 31 14
Sikeston 1 0 0-0 24 6
Farmington 0 1 0-0 27 70
Cape Central 0 1 0-0 7 28
Central W L CONF PF PA
Caruthersville 0 1 0-0 28 60
Kennett 0 1 0-0 20 27
Dexter 0 1 0-0 7 42
Charleston 0 1 0-0 6 24
New Madrid 0 1 0-0 0 12
South W L CONF PF PA
Chaffee 1 0 0-0 58 15
Portageville 1 0 0-0 39 21
Malden 1 0 0-0 12 0
Hayti 0 1 0-0 7 16
Scott City 0 1 0-0 0 13
East Prairie 0 1 0-0 12 26