Week 12 Top 10: Caruthersville grabs huge win; Cape avoids upset

It’s time for the district finals in most classes, and there are a handful of great matchups on hand as we get into some trophy games.

Jackson gets a rematch with Seckman, Dexter faces off with Ste. Genevieve, Caruthersville looks to climb the ladder against Valle Catholic, Cape Central has a daunting foe in Cardinal Ritter and Perryville hopes to knock off Festus.

Safe to say, it’ll be a busy Week 12, with a couple of Class 1 semifinals, too, as St. Vincent and Charleston gear up to grab a spot in the district championship game next week.

Here are the Week 12 updates to the Semoball Area Football Power Rankings.

No. 1: Jackson (8-2, LW No. 1)

Fresh off an impressive closeout against Lindbergh, Jackson is a clear fit at No. 1 going into Week 12 action at Seckman in a rematch of last year’s Class 6 District 1 championship game. There isn’t too much new to report, but Jackson’s defense continues to get better as it matched up against an offense much like the one it faced against Edwardsville in Week 3 and looked much cleaner, limiting the Flyers to just seven points in the victory. Against the Jaguars in the district finals, Jackson’s offense will need to bring its “A” game as it eyes a repeat of last year’s crushing victory.

No. 2: Dexter (10-0, LW No. 4)

Both of our undefeated teams played into this No. 2 spot all season, but Dexter looks to be the best fit after it rolled over Fredericktown last week and St. Vincent looked a little underwhelming against Louisiana. That being said, this list is ever fluid and we could see movements at any time. Going into a district final against Ste. Genevieve, which just knocked off reigning district champion Park Hills Central, Dexter will be tested but is favored to win against an on-the-rise Dragons team with district championship hopes.

No. 3: St. Vincent (10-0, LW No. 2)

St. Vincent slips a spot this week as it fights against Dexter as undefeated small-school powers coming off a 26-0 victory over Louisiana that left a lot of questions for such a strong offense so far. That being said, the old argument of “rest versus rust” comes to mind as the Indians returned from a bye week and still easily won without allowing any points. Going up against a solid Van-Far team coming in with the second-best record in the district, the Indians will certainly be tested, but should find success with a spot in the district finals on the line.

No. 4: Caruthersville (10-1, LW No. 5)

Caruthersville put together an unbelievable showing against East Prairie to eliminate any prior doubt as it stormed into the district finals against Valle Catholic. Taking a 41-6 victory against a streaking Eagles team, Caruthersville is looking better than it has all year as it struts into a rematch with the Warriors on the road, preparing for a battle to the very limit against one of Class 2’s finest squads. It won’t be easy, but there’s nothing keeping the Tigers from making this a real game.

No. 5: Cape Central (10-1, LW No. 3)

Poplar Bluff has been a team on a mission lately, and at home in a district semifinal rematch of the Tigers’ monster performance of Week 4, Cape Central didn’t really look the part as it slipped against the Mules. Going down to the wire with a .500 Mules team, the Tigers slowed down and even looked to be right about on the same level as Poplar Bluff going into Friday’s matchup with Cardinal Ritter. There isn’t a lot of credit going toward Cape Central in this week’s matchup, but the Tigers will nevertheless give it a whirl with a quarterfinal berth on the line.

No. 6: Perryville (10-1, LW No. 7)

Perryville’s victory against Hillsboro is one of the greatest wins the Pirates have put together in a long time, emphasized by a game-sealing pick six from Chase Richardet to put the Pirates back in the district finals with a real shot at knocking off the Festus Tigers. Though Perryville hasn’t been ranked or favored above Festus once all season, the Pirates will travel up Interstate 55 hoping to turn some heads in the Class 4 picture.

No. 7: Poplar Bluff (5-5, LW No. 8)

When it felt like the season couldn’t get any worse for Poplar Bluff, the Mules shot back into the picture like a slingshot, making some big strides with wins over Hillsboro and Farmington to make last Friday’s matchup with Cape Central interesting. Though the Mules didn’t emerge victorious, it was still a heck of a battle, losing 28-21 to end a very interesting 5-5 season that ended much better than it started, with plenty momentum going into the 2025 season.

No. 8: East Prairie (8-3, LW No. 6)

The vibe in the East Prairie locker room changed a little bit following a disheartening loss to Caruthersville to end the season at 8-3, but there’s a lot to build off of following coach Ian Penrod’s first season with his alma mater. Going into Year 2, he’ll retain much of the talent that made the Eagles so special this season as they look to make the rise to becoming one of the top Bootheel squads, and even potentially having a shot in the Class 2 picture.

No. 9: Charleston (7-3, LW No. 9)

The Blue Jays are still fighting for rank in the Class 1 District 1 picture, most recently after demolishing Chaffee to claim a district semifinal appearance against Crystal City, a squad that it stacks up fairly well against. There’s a lot going in the favor of Charleston going into the later stages of district play, but these matches aren’t won on paper. If the Blue Jays can perform like they did in the second half against Chaffee, they should fare well against the Hornets as they aim for a spot in the district championship game.

No. 10: Scott City (5-5, LW No. NR)

Scott City creeps back into the ranked picture following a narrow loss to the East Prairie Eagles in the district quarterfinals and the Kelly Hawks’ hefty loss to Valle Catholic in last week’s district semifinals. The Rams have a lot to learn from this upcoming offseason, but they benefit heavily from their deep youth and rising coaching staff. There’s room to grow and still highlights they can look back on at the end of this season as the Rams hit reset and prepare for a big 2025.