Week 8 Top 10: NMCC debuts, Scott City slides, East Prairie keeps climbing

Conference play is wrapping up quickly, and with many races already decided for the season, we’re rapidly approaching bragging rights season for many local squads.

Jackson finished its season with a thumping of Sikeston on the road, with Cape Central doing the same as both squads rose a spot.

The Perryville squads had blowout victories, while Caruthersville showed its mettle with a crushing win over Hayti.

Charleston lived up to the hype with a narrow road victory over Scott City, while East Prairie made it five of six victories to climb up to No. 8, the highest it’s ever been ranked.

Here are your Semoball Area Football Power Rankings ahead of Week 8 action.

No. 1: Jackson (5-2, LW No. 2)

It’s a return to grace for the Jackson Indians, who finally finished the SEMO North season with another unblemished 4-0 record that included a demolition of Cape Central two weeks ago. After throttling the Sikeston Bulldogs on the road last week, including a big showing in the second half to showcase the team’s depth, the Indians were poised to return to the No. 1 position and do so despite a handful of teams making their cases this year. Ahead of a Week 8 road match against Vashon, Jackson looks prepared to finish the year on a long winning streak ahead of a highly anticipated potential rematch with Seckman.

No. 2: St. Vincent (7-0, LW No. 1)

Once again, a monumental win for St. Vincent set the stage for the undefeated season to continue against Cuba over the weekend. Homecoming is always sweeter when the home turf is defended, but the Indians slip a hair with the meteoric rise of Jackson over the last few weeks. Regardless, name and rank are meaningless for this squad as there’s one title much more important than being the top team among all classes in Southeast Missouri, and that’s the ongoing chase for the Class 1 crown, looking to avenge an ugly loss last season. The closer we get to the postseason, the more ready the Indians look to take on that title.

No. 3: Cape Central (6-1, LW No. 4)

Cape Central climbs up a spot this week, emphasized by an unruly bashing of Farmington on the road as the Tigers rarely looked unsure of the victory. Following two early turnovers, Cape Central never failed to score on a following drive in a 54-14 victory in the battle for the SEMO North No. 2 position. Though the deck is stacked against Cape Central in district play this season, this is the type of squad that somehow always manages to pull a rabbit out of the hat when you least expect it. No team is better when backed into a corner than Cape Central, and that’s been a lesson many have learned over the past few seasons. With two weeks left until postseason play, Cape Central looks to be in good shape to run the table.

No. 4: Dexter (7-0, LW No. 3)

Few teams have fluctuated this season more than Dexter, but that’s not to say that this season hasn’t been a great one so far for the Bearcats. After putting the hurt on Kennett last week, the undefeated season extends to 7-0 as they rapidly chase after an undefeated regular season, and the last big pillar remaining is the Park Hills Central Rebels, the reigning state champions. While the Rebs have spent a long time ranked this season, Dexter has looked every bit the tougher squad and, after a 50-0 loss to Valle Catholic last week, Park Hills Central’s slide reaches an unprecedented point. If Dexter can be pulverizing in this matchup, it’ll show that it’s worthy of its high ranking once and for all with the postseason looming.

No. 5: Caruthersville (6-1, LW No. 6)

It’s back to the No. 5 position for Caruthersville this week after hounding the Hayti Indians last time out, showing that No. 1, It can score big on offense and No. 2, its defense is still one of the most impactful in the area. The Tigers are out to a 6-1 start and continue to rise in the state poll in a Class 2 that feels wide open after a handful of losses at the top. Though a loss to Valle’s stained the undefeated start, the Tigers are still poised to finish the season strong and potentially contend in district play.

No. 6: Perryville (6-1, LW No. 5)

Just like Caruthersville, Perryville’s made out to a one-loss start through seven weeks with a sole loss to a highly ranked state team, and the Pirates just continue to roll this year as last week’s win made it four in a row. Stomping Marquette Catholic on the road, Perryville’s continuing to storm up the charts in Class 4, making a statement after a handful of unimpressive seasons in a row. Not just that, but there aren’t many, if any, teams that set off the radar in Class 4 District 1, feeding into the possibility that we could be following this Pirates team into the postseason.

No. 7: Charleston (5-2, LW No. 7)

Week 7’s victory against Scott City continued what’s been a phenomenal season for the Blue Jays of Charleston who, after finishing last season 2-8, have rolled out to an unprecedented start that’s placed them near the top of the SEMO South with all conference games out of the way. One of the less-appreciated teams in the Class 1 landscape, Charleston’s looking more and more dangerous by the week to contend in District 1 alongside St. Vincent and Hayti, with the road to the top wide open. In an ugly district landscape, the Jays currently sit at No. 4, but the path to the No. 2 or No. 3 positions is an easy one with two favorable games left on the schedule.

No. 8: East Prairie (5-2, LW No. 9)

Charleston’s got a “favorable” game in Week 8? Not according to East Prairie, who’s rolled off three consecutive victories, winning five of its past six games, and holds the crown of the fastest-rising team in Southeast Missouri, courtesy of a handful of impressive SEMO Central victories in a row. The Eagles are looking to be a surefire No. 2 finisher only to Class 3-contending Dexter. If they continue to play like they have over the past few weeks, a Week 8 clash with the Blue Jays might just go their way. In a battle of two explosive 5-2 offenses, the Eagles are hoping the long winning streak can get a little longer.

No. 9: Scott City (4-3, LW No. 8)

Earlier this season, Scott City defeated East Prairie by a fair margin, taking a 22-0 victory against the new-look Eagles to jump out to that famous 1-0 start. But as the season progressed, the Rams started to drop big game after big game, and now they’ve slipped all the way down to the No. 9 position in Southeast Missouri after a shootout loss against Charleston in Week 7. There’s been a lot to learn for an incredibly young Scott City team this year but, in a Week 8 matchup with Chaffee, there’s plenty left to fight for as the Rams look to take a step back in the right direction after back-to-back losses to local powers.

No. 10: New Madrid County Central (3-4, LW NR)

Dedicated fans, and Eagles regulars, will remember New Madrid County Central’s marvelous run up to the No. 2 position last season, a high finish at the end of the season and how much the Eagles lost over the past offseason to get to this point. Yet, despite all of that, there’s been a new hope for these NMCC Eagles over the past few weeks, on a three-game winning streak that’s included victories over Kelly, Kennett and Malden. Taking a well-aging loss to East Prairie earlier this year by three points, the Eagles head into this week’s ranking at No. 10, deservedly so as many of the unranked teams this week are on heavy slumps. In a Week 8 clash with Sikeston, the Eagles have a chance to take down a big “dawg” and progress to .500 on the season.