Gridiron guide: Jackson to host 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 ignite 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 predictions are based on computer data via CalPreps and consulting staff opinion.

Festus at Jackson, 7 p.m. Friday

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.

Prediction: Jackson 35, Festus 28

Kelly at Chaffee, 7 p.m. Friday

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 could be quite the thriller.

Taking Scott City down to the wire last weekend before the Rams pulled away late, and getting their first win of the year the week prior, it’s been a quick rise for the Red Devils.

But for Kelly, which has 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 a sure thing.

Chaffee’s youth against Kelly’s experience will see the two collide in Chaffee, 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 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.

If you’re looking for a smashing small-town clash this Friday, look no further. This will 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.

Prediction: Kelly 42, Chaffee 28

Perryville at Cuba, 7 p.m. Friday

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 victory over 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. Vincent 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 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 has made it five wins in a row and is showing no signs of stopping ahead of postseason play.

Going on the road and into Cuba, it’ll be a tough ask for Perryville to do everything it would 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 prediction as the Pirates look to cruise to a victory over Cuba on the road.

Prediction: Perryville 42, Cuba 14

St. Vincent at Jefferson, 7 p.m. Friday

Well in control of its own destiny as it travels to Jefferson, St. Vincent has a de facto conference title game this weekend 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 quarterback 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, a team the Indians defeated 53-0 to open up the season.

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 has rights to the first Quad County Conference championship, and coach Tim Schumer has been adamant in confirming that the Indians are dead set on winning that trophy.

Prediction: St. Vincent 52, Jefferson 21

Scott City at Dexter, 7 p.m. Friday

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.

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 Bearcat 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.

Prediction: Dexter 49, Scott City 14

Kennett at Cape Central, 7 p.m. Friday

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 victories 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 Tigers Stadium, there’s one last opportunity for the Tigers to ignite the fireworks going into a loaded Class 5 District 1 that’ll require every last ounce of effort for Cape Central to win.

Cape’s offensive weapons are deep and sublime, and Kennett will have its hands full looking to stop those guys Friday night as the hosting Tigers enter as major favorites.

Prediction: Cape Central 56, Kennett 0