It’s been a long winter, feeding into an exciting spring that’s carried us into the summer once again, and as we close in on the new school year, there’s excitement in the air once again as high school football is upon us.

Whether it’s the old-timers at the tailgate talking about the teams of yore or the kids playing toss off to the side of the field, there’s something special about football in Southeast Missouri that makes the fall so memorable.

With the upcoming 2024 season, there’s plenty at stake for all kinds of local teams. Talent gained, talent lost, new coaches, breakout seasons, quarterback controversies – the cycle continues.

The coaching carousel brought us some excitement this offseason, with Jim May of Scott City heading to Sikeston while the venerable Ian Penrod departed his post at Portageville to coach his alma mater at East Prairie.

It’ll undoubtedly be a year to remember for local football fans, and it starts now as the practices kick off in early August ahead of Opening Day on August 30.

So, with all that being said, it’s the preseason edition of the Semoball Area Football Top 10 Rankings.

No. 1: Jackson, 10-2 Last Season

It’s got to get boring seeing the Indians at the top of the rankings every year for the average football fan, but it comes with great reason. Against the top teams in the area, Jackson hasn’t lost a regular-season conference game since 2017, and it’s come largely at the hand of the high motor Jackson carries along with a talent pool unlike any other. The area’s lone Class 6 school, Jackson ventured to a quarterfinal last season, nearly knocking off runner-up Christian Brothers. Returning Drew Parsons, a rising star at quarterback, along with an experienced offensive line, an elite receiving corps led by senior Kai Crowe and arguably the best running back in Southeast Missouri in Jaylon Hampton, the Indians look to make up for a youthful on-the-rise defense largely hurt by graduation with some offensive fireworks this season.

No. 2: Cape Central, 10-4 Last Season

If you like a hard-nosed, effective option attack with a heavy emphasis on the running game and getting your halfbacks involved in the action, look no further, because this is your school. Cape Central made headlines for its semifinal appearance in 2022, but it turned even more heads by repeating that effort by running it back in 2023. Albeit losses to powerhouses both times, we’re seeing a changing of the guard with the Tigers of late as the squad is making its name known statewide, and it’s come at the hand of two of the best backs in the state. KeyShawn Boyd and Zai’Aire Thomas collectively burst onto the scene last year, with the pairing rushing for roughly 3,500 yards in the 14-game 2023 season as the Tigers diced up local competition. Returning both these names for a big 2024 season, the presence of Deklin Pittman as Cape’s starter once again could help open up new opportunities for a Central attack this fall as the Tigers hope to go one step further, having appeared in just one state championship all-time while never having emerged victorious.

No. 3: Dexter, 7-3 Last Season

Where there are question marks all across the Bootheel, in come the Dexter Bearcats, looking to be the flavor of the new year as the project crawls to life. Senior quarterback Jackson Howard, prepared to lead a Dexter team that roared to life last fall and, despite an early playoff exit, finished the year with one of the best records in the area and maintained an elite cast that helped the Bearcats reach new heights a year ago. Similar to Jackson, Dexter has a lot of offensive talent that should help make up for a few key defensive losses, namely the exit of Rhyder Williams, who finished as a top-10 defensive player in the area at the Semoball Awards with eight interceptions last season. Howard sees three of his starting offensive linemen return this season while top targets Logan Pullum, Lee-Michael McDonald and Nolan Alford all return for their last dance in a senior-heavy offensive masterpiece.

No. 4: Poplar Bluff, 5-5 Last Season

Welcome to Exhibit A of Southeast Missouri’s question marks, perhaps the largest of them all. It’s the Poplar Bluff Mules, and the question is this: When you lose two generational wideouts and one of the best defensive players in recent Bootheel history, on top of hiring a brand new head coach, how fast can you return to form? Jeff Mannon’s answer: Sooner than you may expect. Senior starting quarterback Jay Edmundson is primed to lead a young, largely inexperienced offense back into relevance against a loaded schedule that ranked among the toughest in Missouri last season, but it’s certainly not impossible. Framed against what was a disappointing year for the Mules in 2023, followed by the exit of longtime coach Dave Sievers, it’s the start of a new era for Poplar Bluff, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

No. 5: Kelly, 6-4 Last Season

If you couldn’t tell based on the flow of the rankings last season alone, it was a wishy-washy 2023 for the Kelly Hawks, who rushed out to a great record early but had a serious problem staying in the big games. Whenever it came time to prove it against the best teams in the area – your Portagevilles, Scott Cities and Caruthersvilles – Kelly just didn’t have the juice. But this new Hawks squad has a lot of that same energy from last year, and headed by senior quarterback Skyler Still, whose dual-threat talent already makes him one of the top preseason SEMO Conference quarterbacks, there’s hope yet in Benton ahead of a telling 2024. Losing the sensational Reece Eftink, who garnered over 1,000 yards in the rushing game last year, Rylan Krauss looks to plug that hole while returning Grant Burleson in the receiving game, one of the better receivers in the SEMO South last season. Luckily for Kelly, there’s a lot of returning defensive talent, with both Krauss and Burleson moving into senior leadership roles while Jayden Magee looks to have a breakout junior season.

No. 6: Caruthersville, 7-3 Last Season

Caruthersville was one of the most impressive teams among the big rises last season, and it helped them get out to a great season and even a massive win over Kelly in the playoffs before running into the runner-up Valle Catholic in the district semis. Now, with a retooled offense and the return of senior quarterback Ryan Guest, the Tigers are in a better position than ever to turn some heads in the Bootheel as they play a favorable schedule with some tough teams with an all-around great look. One of the biggest sleepers of the 2023 season, the Tigers will be one of the top teams to watch in 2024 as they look to make their big break with the two-way talent of Jermonte Alexander at wideout and defensive back along with some outstanding line play.

No. 7: Portageville, 10-2 Last Season

Another talking point. Ian Penrod led Portageville to something very foreign for the program, pulling off a 10-game winning streak that nearly resulted in a state title had the Bulldogs slipped by Marionville on the road, but then hit the door and placed the Bulldogs in an interesting predicament. With the departure of Jamarion Smith, one of the greatest running backs we’ve seen in a while around these parts, there’s a gargantuan-sized pair of shoes to fill as Portageville searches for new heroes in the 2024 season, and as good as Antonio Hickenbottom will be stepping into the halfback role, it isn’t exactly going to restore the Bulldogs to their former glory just yet, especially with the departure of Mason Adams at quarterback as well. Timothy Hamilton is the Bulldogs’ top returning target statistically, while Huston Partin and Xayvion Bogan return great experience in the Bulldog secondary.

No. 8: Scott City, 9-3 Last Season

The loss of Jim May is going to be a hard one to stomach for Scott City fans, but there’s a lot to be excited about. That includes, but isn’t limited to, the outstanding edition of a phenomenal new head ball coach in Brian Beaubien out of the Volunteer State, coming in from the Nashville area to coach the Rams. There’s some turnover on offense, but a young core and some rising talent could give Scott City the boost it needs to still contend within its conference, including the newfound quarterback talent of junior Jackson Gloth along with the senior two-way talent of Lane Holder at skill positions both offensively and defensively. While optimism isn’t through the roof, there’s still plenty of reason to believe that Scott City could hang around with some of the big boys this season, looking to find its footing once again among the area’s finest.

No. 9: Sikeston, 2-9 Last Season

Here’s the biggest hot take of the preseason, and it’s one that shouldn’t really be surprising. For years now, Sikeston has held one of the biggest talent pools in Southeast Missouri, with a deep and rooted history of football success but without the wins to show for it. Now, they’ve got a legendary and, more importantly, proven ball coach in Jim May, who turned Scott City into a small-school powerhouse over the last two decades. The Bulldogs didn’t rely too much on the passing game last year, instead leaning heavily on the run game while Luke Gadberry plugged in at quarterback toward the end of the season. The veteran May will surely look to open up the passing game with a plethora of exciting athletes, including senior wideout Kendarrious Love, at his disposal. Sikeston maintained one of the top defenses in Southeast Missouri last year, giving many local squads fits. Their biggest returner, Gadberry, will focus mostly on defense Pierce Baker will switch over to quarterback in the new May offense.

No. 10: Perryville, 4-6 Last Season

Making an appearance in the top 10 late last year, Perryville’s got the signs of a program on the rise, making a big rise with some talent at the skill positions. With the return of some big playmakers in Chase Richardet at wideout and Barrett Wheeler in running back, there’s hope yet for a Pirates offense that lost its quarterback in Rilaynd Graham but has an active quarterback competition heading into the season. Perhaps the biggest returner of all, however, is their Semoball Defensive Player of the Year finalist in Kaleb Huber, who was one of the top tacklers in all of Southeast Missouri last season as one of the area’s best linebackers and could be a tremendous link toward making the Pirates a contender in the I-55 Conference along with being a big riser in regional respect.