#1 (T) – Festus Tigers
Friday nights have become a challenge to track five A-list contenders at once, missing the good tactic of focusing on one tilt’s pregame show/starting lineups, or showing up to read paper edition programs in the bleachers at 6:30 PM. It is a clumsy system that The Geek is still working on, convinced that the best time to enjoy Friday Night Lights recaps is on Saturday mornings, before the NCAA and NFL take things over. It’s harder to be impressed by DeSoto defeating Perryville while you’re watching Dak Prescott dive into the end zone for Dallas. In fairness, this has become an impossible season in which to nail the injury news. Heck, Jefferson County media still has Parker Perry’s tale subtly wrong in some ways – but Mississippi Magazine will not divulge such scoops.
First things (tied for) first – Mississippi Magazine scrambled to fix a brother-bobble that had R-6’s defense thumping “Preston” Ross instead of Auston Ross last Friday night, regrettably viewed in the Saturday’s early version of Friday Night Scores & Analysis before we could address the snafu. The site’s whole staff hates it when absent student-athletes are presented as having seen the gridiron. We certainly hope the Rosses didn’t think TGG had the Highway A Game phoned-in while keying on the Fox and Seckman soap opera – those folks are treasured MSHSAA Group supporters. We mislabeled “Cody Reese” as serving as Friday’s second-banana quarterback for Hillsboro too, as usual. But it turns out that the Hawks have to stick with starter Aidan Fleming as a full-timer, at least temporarily, due to yet another injury prognosis which has struck Leon Hall that’s gone public in interviews. The recap has been updated to reflect that the ’26 Hawks are right in the injury curse’s crosshairs. They’re going out like Pistons in foul trouble!
It makes the Tigers and Hawks’ lights shine brighter that they are 6-2 against a tough menagerie of other opponents, with Festus fielding a backup QB while at least three of the Hillsboro Hawks’ starters became nicked up. What’s so fascinating about Hillsboro’s broad ensemble cast of playmakers is that the ailing Ross and Trey Zimmerly might be the “IT guys” on average teams, just like the absent Gus Drinen at Festus, yet they are surrounded by fine athletes who provide competition for touches. But it remains troubling for the Hawks that Hillsboro’s seven-plus developing scoring threats have gotten whittled down to only a handful of speedsters. It reminds viewers that Week 5’s 20-0 outcome could have just been a warmup between the two blood rivals, restrained not just by each school’s injury cases, but by overbearing regular-season referees. It isn’t weird for 20-0 to turn into 31-28 in a rematch.
FHS head coach A.J. Ofodile was unusually outspoken following Friday’s win, telling MyMoInfo that it “makes absolutely no logical sense” that 4-1 Sikeston, with its three wins over Small School lightweights, could already have an inside track to leading District 1’s standings all the way, ahead of 4-1 Hillsboro and its nemesis FHS alike. Is Sikeston the “Perryville 2024” of this season, scheduling itself into a District Finals run? Sikeston could find other ways to shake up the playoff race without winning a single district game.
It’s hard for Tanglefoot to celebrate tied-#1 rankings. There is simply a crowd at the top of the Power Poll, with the huge litmus tests to come! Once Festus has met Hannibal, and St. Pius X and Hillsboro have each met Farmington, we’ll have a sharper picture of where each team stands … and whether Northwest’s body of work will keep poking at Highway A’s in October.
#1 (T) – St. Pius Lancers
Aw heck, St. Pius the Tenth. It almost happened. It almost happened, here and now, right in midseason, before the Varsity Lancers faced the ultimate gauntlet of Farmington + Vianney + Valle, and even after Festus and Northwest combined for a 50-point victorious margin over the Hillsboro Hawks and McCluer North Stars last Friday. St. Pius pigskin could be soon to rank atop the Dirty Dozen.
The Gridiron Geek has been methodically weighing St. Pius X for undisputed #1 in the Jefferson County Power Poll, certainly not because Hill Valley defeated Class 2 while Midmeadow Lane conquered Class 4. It’s because Gibson Southern, the opponent the Lancers lost to 37-21 in Week 1, was actually in Week 2 when the Titans had all sorts of issues trying to dismiss Hill Valley’s greatest-ever lineup. Viewers can’t dismiss the fact that Evan Eckrich’s squad went bananas at Gibson Southern, taking a 13-3 lead until home-cooked referees and the Week 1-2 disadvantage weighed on them, in light of the Titans’ unreal achievements in Indiana this midseason. GSHS is vying to become the “Blair Oaks” of Indiana-3A in earnest by matching its form from 2025’s campaign, “passing the test” by whipping the Big School powerhouse (that’s what they call them in the Pocket League) Heritage Hills 42-35 as recounted by the Evansville Courier & Press in a paywalled but preview-able item from last weekend. The Titans have gone unbeaten since losing 31-27 to 6-0 Floyd Central, a 5A that has since outscored its opponents 211-35.
Gibson Southern could beat St. Mary’s. Recall, St. Mary’s isn’t really a Class 5-sized school to begin with. Pattonville would be outrushed at least 2.5-to-1 by GSHS. Week 1’s Lancers fought the toughest opponent of anyone in the Dirty Dozen so far. More important is the fact that the Lancers performed so well, it took 100 flags and unlucky mishaps to deny them. The close fight put St. Pius pigskin on the national radar.
It feels premature to break historical Large Schools > Small Schools protocol and rank SPX #1 in the Dirty Dozen right this second, with Festus, Northwest, and Seckman soaring off outstanding efforts in Week 5. But that’s tenable news for Hill Valley if you step back and think about it. Jeff County’s season is longer in this decade than it ever was before – we’re no longer just District also-rans, we’re State contenders! The MSHSAA season itself is 15 weeks, more than enough time for St. Pius X to take over the rankings via any kind of noise-making against a truly tremendous trio of October opponents. This is still the early season insofar as Hill Valley’s fresh contenders are concerned. Give it the time to get percolating.
The Geek will give what is hopefully 2026’s final round of advice to SPX’s coaching staff in this week’s Friday Night Predictions. But it is only the fun and weird circumstances of Lutheran St. Charles’ visit in Week 6 that would drive the blog to get so presumptuous! Everyone is trying to think of ways in which Friday’s home team can grab a comfortable win, with all of the depth-and-development benefits of a blowout victory, without embarrassing a guest NFL-alum, or minting another distraction such as the Jefferson County Leader focusing on run-it-up complaints after the Lancers’ 88-0 defeat of Priory.
Remember, if you can, how St. Pius X football would struggle to beat most of its Class 2 and 3 opponents, let alone defeat them so decisively with eye-popping TD totals. Having to hit the soft pedal to try to avoid 100-0 controversy is a growing pain … and a sign that The Road is a rising force in Midwestern football.
#3 – Northwest Lions
The Geek had to do it. Gibson Southern is knocking off giants of Indiana football again, meaning that the St. Pius Lancers’ 400+ to 200+ outgaining of the Titans from Week 1 is one of the two most powerful performances of the Dirty Dozen’s season so far, next to Festus shutting out HHS last weekend. Northwest’s got nowhere to go except to drop into the third slot and remain under-the-radar.
Cedar Hill still looks very strong after smashing a mobile McCluer North lineup 36-6. It’s such a crowded field atop the Power Poll at this juncture, the distance between #3 and #1 is that of one Cohenn Stark leap across the marker for a first down. Northwest gets to wait for Festus High and St. Pius X to potentially crash against Godzilla opponents in October, which could allow the Lions to slip right back up to #1.
#4 (T) – Seckman Jaguars
The Power Poll’s top five have become as evenly-matched as TV wrestlers, taking turns holding a title belt that could just as well belong to anyone in the A-list dressing room. Seckman scored a brave and dramatic victory over the #6 Fox Warriors in a historic deja’vu overtime rivalry game last weekend, adding to The Valley’s rich lore while putting a feather in the cap of HC Dr. Nick Baer.
Baer taught a masterclass in coaching the Jaguars up to defeat Fox again. Offensively, the coach made QB Jaxson Jablonski into his “Flexbone Quarterback” against Fox, feeding the beast with QB Power and QB Sweep until Jablonski reached 40+ carries in overtime, racking up 200+ yards in a performance that gave the Warriors an uncomfortable mirror-match, like Tinker was going against his own championship offense of the early 2020s. The skipper also kept the Jaguars’ special Iron Man plans very secretive, designed to check Fox’s game plan from including too many dangerous deep shots on play-action, probably just what the talented Jude Pribish would’ve planned on against tired defensive backs.
Seckman’s CEO was secretive about Jablonski too, in another way. Baer’s preseason summary of his offensive backfield included the line, “We’ve got some runners who I want putting their head down and plunging, and other, faster guys who I want making moves.” Which conveniently left out Mr. Jablonski’s ability to do both things well, hurting a defense with speed and agility, yet also knowing when to plow straight ahead for that winning TD. We’ll get to see him run against Jacob Edwards again in 2027!
That’s two out of five weekends on which Seckman has been decidedly better than Hillsboro High School on the gridiron. That is unlikely to repeat in Week 6, given that Hillsboro’s got a get-well game against Windsor upcoming. But the Jags can hold serve and get to a resilient 5-1 vs Hazelwood Central.
#4 (T) – Hillsboro Hawks
The Geek is scared that the Jefferson County Power Poll and the Friday Night Predictions are cursing kids to take injuries, not like a fun Danhausen sports-curse, but a dread guilt each time the blogger starts bringing up players, and they get injured, often before the mentions could make it into print.
Hey, did you hear about Brody Kube’s amazing replacement? Cohner Baer’s prospects for midseason are … ugh, no wait, he’s gotten knocked out. Don’t be frightened, Grandview Eagles fans, there’s plenty of frosh-sophomores to replenish those numbers … oh no, there’s one of them with a cast on his arm.
The curse became trained on the temporarily #1 ranked Hillsboro Hawks in Weeks 4 and 5. As soon as TGG mentioned RB Trey Zimmerly again, it turned out that he was already missing. The Geek was struck sideways by Auston Ross taking touches on he and his brother’s behalf throughout Hillsboro’s limited turns against Festus High last week, as Brown-ishly good as the Rosses can be at impersonating each other. Then we learned that Cody Reese hadn’t been available to spell starting QB Aidan Fleming in Week 5 after all, after having lit up the North County Raiders in a bout that unluckily did not get a postgame injury debriefing on J-98.
Kyryn Miller’s name was called on an injury pratfall in the third quarter of Friday’s contest, sparking worry that the vaunted HHS offensive line might not look the same for a moment. Dang. Highway A’s only silver lining in a year like this is that its football years last longer now. That is the reward of success! Back in the day when a Week 10 district debut was a nervous kickoff, a Week 6 injury scenario could feel like the end of the world. Given the high hopes of The Road’s tremendous programs in 2026, you’d at least rather have a group of kids going through rehab-adversity in this “early-year” trek, not later in Missouri’s 15-week schedule.
It’s good that Hillsboro’s next opponent is Windsor, a get-well opposing defense for a unit that may or may not need to refashion itself for the stretch run, depending on how serious the club’s rash of injuries (which also includes an injury for RB Nathan Bulback) at skill positions turns out to be. Keep in mind that Hillsboro’s ideal starting lineup can score plenty of points on a defense like Midmeadow Lane’s, whether the Hawks happen to fumble or not.
#6 – Fox Warriors
It’s ironic that Seckman has ascended to “1.5” Power Poll rungs ahead of Fox, since it’s questionable whether Fox or Seckman has the better shot to make a splash in November. Seckman and Northwest could be headed for another intense semifinal clash in Class 6 districts, but Jackson could make an impenetrable wall in the Finals again, unless RB Jaylon Hampton somehow slows down. The Fox Warriors, meanwhile, have confidence that they can make an upset bid against the likely C5D1 frontrunners from Farmington, because the Warriors already did that in the 2025 postseason.
#7 – DeSoto Dragons
DeSoto is having its best run of play all season, at least so far! Joachim Junction won the first 11:00 of a second quarter at Midmeadow Lane before outclassing Windsor in last Friday’s big romp. Fredericktown’s most recent downturn, this one coming at the Fall Solstice, gives DeSoto a glowing chance to get to 3-3. Cannon Kisner has the opportunity to break a Varsity Dragons program record against Fredericktown this weekend, but he’ll have to run through a solid Class 3 run defense to do it.
#8 – Jefferson Blue Jays
Don’t look now, but the Jefferson Blue Jays are 3-0 in Quad County Conference play. Sam Kerley’s team is probably one Homecoming triumph over Perryville away from hosting a winner-take-all Senior Night soiree with St. Vincent, maybe the point at which a Class 2 public school gives St. Vinny’s problems.
#9 – Herculaneum Blackcats
Herculaneum would dearly like to seed third-or-higher in Class 3, District 2, to avoid the possibility of a perilous showdown with St. Pius X until at least Week 12, and give the 2026 Blackcats a chance at a watershed winning playoff record. Thankfully, the soft patch in the Cats’ midseason prowl will advantage HHS in its race with more than one third-seed hopeful. Potosi has to walk the plank vs. Valle on Friday.
#10 – Windsor Owls
The Windsor defense was a step behind and out-of-whack on Cannon Kisner’s opposing TD that set the tone for DeSoto’s win. Windsor can take heart that it won’t be seeing the most out of Week 6 opponent Hillsboro’s offense, now rehabbing three out of a group of six or seven exceptional playmakers. But could that factor help the Hawks streamline their touches against a porous team? It might take a career-best night for running back Jack Kuda gaining first downs to keep the pigskin out of Hillsboro’s hands.
#11 – Crystal City Hornets
This will be one of the toughest weeks of a tough midseason for Crystal City, a virtually unwinnable bout against 5-0 Salisbury, which scored (gulp) 81 points against Harrisburg in Week 4. But if the Hornets make it through the scrum as healthy as they go into it, the next three – and potentially four – weekends should offer well-matched games in which QB Kolton Adams and CCHS will be favored more often than not.
#12 – Grandview Eagles
There have been many harsh Jefferson-Grandview clashes over the years, but given how Grandview’s road trip is continuing with a visit to Blackcat Drive, Oct. 9’s subsequent Blue Jays versus Eagles encounter in Dittmer might almost seem friendly in comparison. Heal up soon, Birds of Prey!
Photo Credits: Dunklin R-5 School District, St. Pius X Football, Gateway Sports Venue