"The Man" is waiting for the Scott City Rams. In the meantime, the Rams must take care of business against some of the boys.

Scott City hosts Grandview at 7:30 tonight in week one of Class 2A District 2 play. Scott City is 6-1 and ranked sixth in the state in Class 2A. Grandview is 2-5.

"Our motto this year is, `to be the man, you have to beat the man,'" Scott City coach Terry Flannigan said. "We have to beat Grandview and Crystal City, and then we get a shot at the man."

"The man" is Charleston, a mere 2-4 this season, but battle-tested against a tough schedule and a winner of four consecutive District 3 titles before falling short last year.

"They're the top dog right now," Flannigan said. "(But) I told the seniors, you can't let somebody sneak up on you. We started Tuesday's practice poorly, and I think they saw a side of me they hadn't seen before."

Grandview lost 47-0 against Class 1A powerhouse St. Vincent last week, while Scott City scored 51 first-half points in a 51-8 romp over Hayti.

Brandon Delrosa, a 290-pound lineman, will not play for Scott City due to grade problems. The suspension, based on Scott City -not state - policies, will be reevaluated in two weeks.

"We're not taking a single team for granted," Flannigan said. "It's district time and everybody's 0-0. Anytime a team comes in and knows they're an outside threat, you have to respect them."

Chaffee at St. Vincent

Chaffee has not faced a 1A team all year long, but that will not make St. Vincent any more of a welcome sight when the Class 1A District 1 competitors meet at 7:30 tonight at St. Vincent.

Chaffee is 0-7. St. Vincent is 7-0 and ranked fourth in the state in Class 1A.

St. Vincent is a heavy favorite in the district, which also includes 0-7 Hayti.

"A realistic goal for us is to get into the third quarter with a chance," Chaffee coach Brian Horrell said. "Because with a 7-0 team, there's tremendous pressure."

Getting there is the problem. St. Vincent features an opportunistic defense, an explosive running game led by running back Bryan Meyer and great depth.

Dexter at Fredericktown

This could be the game of the night and the game to decide which team might be able to challenge New Madrid County Central in Class 3A District 1.

Kickoff is at 7:30 tonight.

Dexter (4-3) has won four in a row. Fredericktown, which last won a district championship and finished over .500 in 1983, is 2-5 against a killer schedule.

Last week, the Black Cats lost to North County, one of the state's best Class 4A teams, 36-7.

"The thing you fight is the confidence factor," Fredericktown coach Kent Gibbs said. "Somebody asked if our schedule is going to help us. Well, I don't know how much it's going to help us to get pounded the week before the playoffs."

Both teams like to run. Dexter has rotated running backs because of injury problems, using Daric Montgomery, Chase Kennedy, Ryan Greer and Chris Gerecke as ballcarriers.

The passing of Fredericktown quarterback Luke McKinnis has provided a complement to running back Jeremy Penwell in the season's second half.

Crystal City at Charleston

Health is perhaps the most important factor for all of us.

For Charleston, it most certainly will determine whether a Class 2A District 2 championship is a possibility this year.

Quarterback Jason Ward (ankle) and Kevin Brown (knee) who were sidelined in losses to Malden and Dexter, are back in the starting lineup for tonight's game against Crystal City. Kickoff is at 7:30.

Charleston, which had a bye last week, is 2-4. Crystal City is 3-4.

"Being hurt has really put a sock into our normal schedule," Charleston coach Dan Kesselring said. "If we would have been full-strength going into Malden and Dexter, we'd be sitting here 4-2."

Ward makes the biggest difference. Without him, the Blue Jays could not run their option attack.

But Ward may not be able to run with normal abandon.

"We're still questioning Jason's ability," Kesselring said. "He's still favoring it."

Windsor at Perryville

Perryville gets a golden opportunity for payback when it begins Class 4A District 2 play against Windsor at 7:30 tonight.

Windsor defeated Perryville 20-0 last year, but the teams have gone in different directions this year. Perryville is 6-1 and Windsor is 4-3.

"They're still big up front," Perryville coach Jerry Tucker said. "Their option attack is very effective and their defensive ends and middle linebackers are strong."

Perryville has won five in a row since losing to Ste. Genevieve in the second week of the season. The Pirates are known for having one of the most physical running teams and run defenses in the area.

"We're going to line up and run the ball," Tucker said. "We're confident, but we also know Windsor's a good football team and Hillboro (Perryville's District 2 opponent next week) is a good football team."