Southeast Missourian Gridiron Guide: Scott City’s and Kelly’s conference clashes highlight Week 7 schedule

The season is beginning to wind down, and conference play is nearing its end as a handful of local teams are still vying for bragging rights within conference play.

The biggest game of the week is set to take place in Scott City as the Rams play host to the rapidly rising Charleston Blue Jays who’ve set the SEMO South on fire of late.

Kelly plays host to East Prairie, a team such as Charleston that has come out of nowhere to become one of the toughest schools in the SEMO Central and is expected to give Kelly a real challenge in Benton.

Jackson and Cape Central are projected to end SEMO North play on a high note, while the Perryville squads are both expected to win running away as they often have this year.

Lastly, Chaffee’s winless season is heating up as the Red Devils enter this week as a two-score favorite against a small-school St. Louis squad with local ties.

All predictions are based on computer data via CalPreps and consulting staff opinion.

Charleston at Scott City, 7 p.m. Friday

This is the top game of the week, and for great reason. It’s two SEMO South risers that have a lot of hope this season, but little possibility at contending for the conference title.

Nevertheless, Scott City hosts Charleston in a battle of 4-2 teams that have proven to be better than expected this season, with both squads boasting some stellar defenses and some potent offenses.

Scott City possesses one of the top running backs in the area with the stellar Rustyn Underwood, who is No. 1 in rushing yardage in the SEMO Conference through six weeks.

Similarly, Trez Clark of Charleston has made a splash in his senior year as a Blue Jay, transferring over from Sikeston and bursting out to a great start, now with over 700 yards this season.

Scott City has struggled to guard speed this season, dropping a tough one to Hayti’s pass-centric offense and another to a magnificent Caruthersville squad commandeered by the efforts of receiver Jermonte Alexander.

Charleston possesses a lot of talent that could keep Scott City on the ropes, but the defense the Rams bring into this one could, or should, be the deciding factor.

If Scott City has any hopes of defending its crown as a Bootheel power, this game will play a big role.

Otherwise, Charleston could finally make its stance as a major up-and-comer in the SEMO South and put the area on notice once more.

Prediction: Scott City 21, Charleston 17

East Prairie at Kelly, 7 p.m. Friday

Part of another exciting SEMO Conference slate, Kelly’s duel with East Prairie is a battle of expectations as Kelly’s early hopes to become a force in the SEMO Central runs into one of the year’s top stories.

Coach Ian Penrod has East Prairie firing, now 4-2 through six weeks, having won five of the past six games to create some serious momentum, flying up the SEMO Central leaderboard.

Running back Tavion Ware ranks third in the SEMO Conference with 824 rushing yards, part of a hard-nosed offense that’s given many teams fits this season.

For Kelly, it’s been an unnatural year for the offense. The passing attack has been solid, but the running game needs to pick up the pace to defeat East Prairie in this one.

Skyler Still is the leading rusher for the Hawks, and it comes by a fair margin. Though they can put up points, the Hawks often get into shootouts and have trouble coming out on top.

East Prairie’s finally built an offensive heartbeat, and that’s been Kelly's biggest downfall this year. The Hawks’ greatest scoring output this season has been just 34 points.

This should be an exciting matchup, but the confidence level in East Prairie continues to ramp up.

Prediction: East Prairie 28, Kelly 20

Chaffee at Veritas Christian, 7 p.m. Friday

We say it every week, but this time it’s for real: Chaffee really does have a great shot to win this week, and it’s actually heavily favored.

Going on the road and into Veritas Christian, the winless Red Devils have a chance to shake the monkey off their backs and finally end a long drought against a 1-4 Veritas squad coming off a bye.

It’s been anything but an ordinary year for Chaffee, especially coming off a .500 season, but there have been plenty of bright sides.

The Red Devils have been competitive in many of their losses, and now possess a chance to get a true road win to end the arduous start to the season.

Junior quarterback Leyton Hanback and the Chaffee offense are slowly gaining momentum, and Friday could be the day they finally set it off and get in the win column.

Prediction: Chaffee 28, Veritas Christian 14

Cape Central at Farmington, 7 p.m. Friday

For undefeated Cape Central, the loss against Jackson last time out leaves a sorry taste in the mouths of many as sights are refocused on the final conference game of the year.

Going into enemy territory at Farmington, it’s a battle for No. 2 in the SEMO North as Cape Central looks to right the ship and put the hurt on Farmington.

After being dominated on offense against Jackson, the Tigers have an opportunity to break out against a Farmington defense that hasn’t been particularly impressive this season.

The running back tandem of Zai’Aire Thomas and Keyshawn Boyd was stymied against Jackson last weekend, so the two should be angry going into Farmington.

If Cape comes in with that hungry mindset, a 3-1 and No. 2 finish in the SEMO North is right there for the taking, as the Tigers look to put a bow on what’s been a great conference run in spite of the disappointing performance against Jackson.

Prediction: Cape Central 42, Farmington 24

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

The final undefeated team in the Southeast Missourian coverage area, No. 1 St. Vincent has been more than up to the task all season long, and that’s included some tough opponents.

Going toe-to-toe with 3-3 Cuba this weekend, there’s little expectation for a tight game as St. Vincent stands atop the Quad County Conference and has shown little sign of struggle within its conference.

Nick Buchheit has taken over as the top passer in Southeast Missouri, and for great reason. Not only does he have the arm to sling it downfield, but he’s got one of the best receiving corps in the area, too.

Receiver John Schwartz recently rose to the top of the receiving leaderboard with 487 yards through six weeks, not to mention his four interceptions this season.

It shouldn’t take too much to push St. Vincent over the edge Friday, moving it one step closer to the conference championship, the first in the newly founded QCC.

Prediction: St. Vincent 52, Cuba 7

Perryville at Marquette Catholic, 7 p.m. Friday

Crossing over the state border and into the Land of Lincoln, Perryville’s got a shot to make it 6-1 on the season against a Marquette Catholic squad that’s scored 23 points all season.

This isn’t the toughest opponent on Perryville’s schedule by a long shot so the Pirates should roll on the road against an MC squad that’s winless to this point.

It’s been many moons since Perryville has even sniffed this good of a start, so it’s a time to enjoy the present for the Pirates as they continue to push forward in the QCC.

What’s been a phenomenal year so far in Perryville is only expected to continue, both for the Pirates and their friendly rivals at St. Vincent.

Against Marquette Catholic, it should come as no surprise that the Pirates are heavy favorites to take this one and jump out to that 6-1 start to the season for lots of green grass ahead of it.

Prediction: Perryville 49, Marquette Catholic 3

Jackson at Sikeston, 7 p.m. Friday

It’s the last game of the conference season for the Jackson Indians, and it comes against the team Jackson has had its way with for quite some time.

The Bulldogs of Sikeston haven’t defeated Jackson since 2012, just a few years removed from the final four days at the turn of the 2010s, and it hasn’t been particularly close lately.

Going on the road and into the Dawghouse, Jackson’s already clinched its seventh consecutive SEMO North title after obliterating Cape Central on the road last week.

Sikeston showed signs of improvement against Poplar Bluff, but that won’t be enough to keep it in the realm of Jackson as the Indians anticipate a 29th consecutive win in conference games.

The last time Jackson lost a conference game was in Week 6 of 2017, a de facto SEMO North title game at Poplar Bluff.

With that streak on the line for the final time in 2024, Jackson enters this one as a major favorite, looking to make it 5-2 for the season.

Prediction: Jackson 56, Sikeston 7