Dexter Bearcats surge to No. 3 in Class 3 media rankings after dominant win

Entering the midpoint of the Missouri high school football regular season, local teams are soaring as high as ever, with one big mover among our Southeast Missouri squads.

After a hefty win over East Prairie, winning 36-0, the undefeated Dexter Bearcats garnered enough votes to rank third in MSHSAA’s Class 3 moving into Week 5.

After losses in front of them by Maryville, Park Hills Central and Southern Boone, the Bearcats zip right up to No. 3 after being ranked sixth entering last week’s action.

That being said, St. Vincent continues to rank No. 2 in Class 1, a spot ahead of the Bearcats albeit two classes lower, ranking the best out of all local teams.

The Indians’ 40-0 halftime lead and 47-7 win over Herculaneum weren’t enough to move the meter, still receiving three first-place votes to Marionville’s six, but it’s still a great honor to be in such a tight race with the reigning state champions.

in Class 2, the Caruthersville Tigers jump up a spot to No. 8 after throttling the up-and-coming Charleston Blue Jays, 34-6, in Week 4 to reaffirm their beliefs of becoming a SEMO Central powerhouse.

Not too far behind Caruthersville, Scott City received a single vote after beating Portageville. Not too crazy, but hey, the Rams are right there.

In Class 5, the Cape Central Tigers got a little bit closer to the top, rising to No. 7 after their monstrous victory at Poplar Bluff.

Seven is the highest Cape Central has climbed this season, continuing to garner more votes every week en route to the middle third of voting in MSHSAA’s second-largest class.

Regionally, Valle Catholic holds steady at No. 4 in Class 2, a position in an area it’s held ever since its loss to St. Vincent at home back in Week 2.

Hillsboro stays at No. 9 in Class 4, while Park Hills Central spirals out of the Class 3 picture, down to the No. 7 position.

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Statewide high school football rankings, as compiled by a 9-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. First-place votes in parenthesis. Panel is made up of Dion Clisso, PrepsKC; Cole Young, PrepsKC; Tom Rackers, Jefferson City News-Tribune; Chris Parker, Ozone Sports; Joe Andrews, Warrensburg Star-Journal; Anthony Crane, KQ2 St. Joseph; J.B. Connoley, NEMOPressbox.com; Cole Lee, semoball.com; Paul Halfacre, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

First-place votes in parenthesis.

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CLASS 6

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

1. Rockhurst (7), 4-0, 86, 1

2. CBC, 3-1, 75, 5

T3. Nixa (2), 4-0, 71, 4

T3. Lee’s Summit North, 4-0, 71, 3

5. DeSmet, 3-1, 51, 2

T6. Blue Springs South, 3-1, 39, 8

T6. Liberty, 3-1, 39, 7

8. Lee’s Summit, 3-1, 26, T9

9. Seckman, 4-0, 17, T9

10. Liberty North, 2-2, 9, 6

Also receiving votes: Joplin (3-1), 7; Columbia Rock Bridge (3-1), 2; Kirkwood (3-1), 2

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CLASS 5

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Cardinal Ritter (9), 4-0, 90, 1

2. Platte County, 4-0, 80, 2

3. Jefferson City Helias, 4-0, 70, 3

4. St. Pius X, 3-1, 61, 5

5. Carthage, 3-1, 54, 4

6. Eureka, 4-0, 39, 7

7. Cape Central, 4-0, 38, 8

8. Capital City, 3-1, 18, 6

T9. Branson, 4-0, 16, 9

T9. Hazelwood East, 4-0, 16, 10

Also receiving votes: Grain Valley (3-1) 10; Republic (3-1), 2; Fort Osage (2-2), 1

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CLASS 4

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Lutheran North (7), 3-1 88, 1

2. Kearney (2), 4-0, 83, 2

3. Smithville, 3-1, 70, 3

4. Hannibal, 2-2, 62, 4

5. Warrensburg, 4-0, 53, 5

6. Kirksville, 4-0, 43, 6

7. Warrenton, 4-0, 30, 7

8. Nevada, 3-1, 19, 8

9. Hillsboro, 2-2, 12, 9

10. Savannah, 2-2, 10, 10

Also receiving votes: Parkway North (3-1), 9; Carl Junction (3-1), 7; School of the Osage (3-1), 6; Ft. Zumwalt South (4-0), 3

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CLASS 3

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Blair Oaks (6), 3-1, 87, 1

2. Seneca (3), 4-0, 84, 2

3. Dexter, 4-0, 60, 6

4. Maryville, 2-2, 52, 3

5. Mt. Vernon, 3-1, 48, T7

6. St. Francis Borgia, 4-0, 47, T7

7. Park Hills Central, 3-1, 34, 4

8. Strafford, 4-0, 25, 9

9. Boonville, 4-0, 24, NR

10. Southern Boone, 3-1, 17, 5

Dropped out: No. 10 Lift for Life

Also receiving votes: Lift for Life (2-2), 16; Knob Noster (3-1), 1

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CLASS 2

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Fair Grove (7), 4-0, 88, 2

2. Bowling Green (2), 4-0, 81, 3

3. Lamar, 3-1, 66, 1

4. Valle Catholic, 3-1, 63, 4

5. Warsaw, 4-0, 59, 6

6. South Shelby, 4-0, 37, 7

7. Lafayette County, 3-1, 33, 8

8. Caruthersville, 4-0, 26, 9

9. Mid Buchanan, 4-0, 15, 10

10. Mountain View-Liberty, 3-1, 10, NR

Dropped out: No. 5 Ava

Also receiving votes: Ava (3-1), 9; South Harrison (4-0), 6; Pembroke Hill (4-0), 1; Scott City (3-1), 1

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CLASS 1

Rank, team, Rec., Pts.

1. Marionville (6), 4-0, 87, 1

2. St. Vincent (3), 4-0, 84, 2

3. Adrian, 3-1, 70, 3

4. Milan, 3-1, 60, T5

5. Tipton, 3-1, 56, T5

6. Van Far, 4-0, 40, 8

7. Windsor, 3-1, 39, 4

8. Marceline, 2-2, 26, T5

9. Ash Grove, 3-1, 17, NR

10. Scotland County, 3-1, 9, 10

Dropped out: No. 9 Salisbury

Also receiving votes: Salisbury (3-1), 7