Week 1 Predictions “Table of Contests”
Page 1: Windsor Owls at Jefferson Blue Jays
Page 2: St. Pius Lancers at Gibson Southern Titans (Saturday)
Page 3: Northwest Lions at Francis Howell Central Spartans
Page 4: Rockwood Summit Falcons at Festus Tigers
Page 5: Kennett Indians at Hillsboro Hawks
Page 6: Oakville Tigers at Seckman Jaguars
Page 7: Grandview Eagles at Louisiana Bulldogs
Page 8: Crystal City Hornets at Winfield Warriors
Page 9: St. Vincent Indians at DeSoto Dragons
Page 10: Affton Cougars at Herculaneum Blackcats
Blowout Gulch: Mehlville Panthers at Fox Warriors
Windsor Owls at Jefferson Blue Jays
Jefferson vs Windsor makes a worthy kickoff to Mississippi Magazine’s “home team vs home team” reporting this season, a matchup of schools who expect to play better this summer than during the doldrums of 2025’s sour endings. Friday’s host Blue Jays have nowhere to go but up after going through their first District Q-Final knockout in several seasons. Meanwhile, the Owls are stocked with massive linemen, and speedsters such as senior JeffCo All-Star Jack Kuda.
The Blue Jays have made progress this training camp. At the same time, Windsor’s weight is increasing at the line-of-scrimmage to the point where even a solid Class 2 rival will not be able to cope with the Owls’ push up front, potentially making Windsor’s schedule of small-campus foes a tad awkward by 2027 if the Albino Birds keep getting bigger. Jefferson High’s hard-nosed linemen have outblocked lots of starting lines that averaged 250+ pounds. But it’s Windsor’s increased number of huge starters and burly backups which makes JHS the underdog in summer conditions. The Owls can rotate, and keep winning battles in the box.
WHS skipper Lee Freeman has a tough game-management call to make, even as Friday night’s favorite to win. If Windsor asserts its size advantage up the middle with “Give-Read” dive plays, that can work, but it’ll also drain the clock, and give Jefferson the style of rapid contest that a smaller set of linemen can win. Windsor could benefit from a longer tilt against a thinner team, but the Owls’ offense plays a ball-control style that shortens games! Look for the Owls to throw blitzes at Jefferson’s junior QB Sam Kerley, hoping to keep the Blue Jays’ possessions as short as possible. Windsor’s defense was so porous in the summer of ‘25 that Freeman might prefer to watch it play for fewer than 24:00. PREDICTION: ALBINO BIRDS 34, BLUE JAYS 20
United Fidelity Bank Bowl: St. Pius Lancers at Gibson Southern Titans (Saturday)
Lancers, we beg your pardon. St. Pius X student-athletes, who are among The Geek’s most loyal and enthusiastic readers, are probably glad to see their state runner-up team riding atop the Week 1 Friday Night Predictions’ county vs out-of-county picks. Why, that’s almost as prestigious as topping the entire scroll on a rivalry week! They will be expecting to read all about their big follow-up season’s debut, which involves yet another long bus journey. This weekend, Lancer Nation isn’t some powerhouse’s Senior Night or Homecoming jobber, but a team chosen for the United Fidelity Bank Bowl’s Saturday doubleheader.
But the Mississippi Magazine community already has lots and lots of St. Pius Lancers info. They can check the previews here, read the Jefferson County Leader, or look up the team’s amazing set of 15 All-District choices from 2025’s pinch-your-arm playoff run. Meanwhile, nobody knows nothing about Gibson Southern, the Lancers’ opponent on Saturday … do we?
There’s no choice but to take a crash-course on Gibson Southern. How great of a Titan is SPX going up against?
A Primer on Gibson Southern (Reading time: 2.5 Minutes)
The Gibson Southern Titans of Fort Branch, IN are sizzling hot, winning double-digit games in four of the last five seasons. Gibson Southern reached 2025’s Final Four in 3A/Class 3, known as the Semi-State Championship round in Hoosier lingo, before falling to Cascade High 49-34.
Indiana placed six schools in 2026’s preseason Top 300, compared to Missouri’s three schools. TGG thinks the Varsity Titans would be a solid match for Blair Oaks ‘25 or Park Hills Central ‘23. Gibson Southern would likely be a Show-Me Bowl hopeful in as high as Class 4 of MSHSAA.
So, are the Lancers traveling to take on another “Blair Oaks ‘25” that can wallop the Festus kids 60-0? Not necessarily. GSHS doesn’t boast the kind of geographical edge that keeps Blair Oaks and Webb City flush with skilled athletes from year-to-year, as Junior High parents from nearby rural districts jostle their adolescents into Falcons and Cardinals country to enroll as freshmen. There’s too much competition for that on the I-64 corridor between Louisville and Evansville.
Indiana kids tend to stay put, resulting in an ebb-and-flow to many teams’ success that’s familiar to any reader who so much as follows the Mississippi Conference. Gibson Southern was beaten handily in its 2025 semi-state final. GSHS keeps only a tenuous grip on the Pocket League title.
The Gibson Southern Titans were rated #2 in their weight class in Indiana preseason polls. That could be a “reputational” ranking based on the success of the last few seasons, however. GSHS doesn’t possess a “Jackson Indians” reputation for producing terrific records every single year.
What is special about Fort Branch’s club is that the Titans develop star quarterbacks without tying the team’s fortune too directly to one kid. That reminds The Geek of the Kearney Bulldogs. GSHS had its blue-chip senior QB Zach Foster go down with an injury last season, only to have former backup Caden Rochleau step in and flourish. Rochleau is feeling cocky and confident, as reported by Ayden Crowley at Yahoo Sports, but the Titans’ real “Kearney” flavor comes from its beast of a running game, manufactured by a mammoth offensive line and a physical playbook. GSHS ran for about 4000 yards in 2025. Junior RB Tucker Deputy wears a Red Zone badge.
The Titans aren’t just natural favorites against MSHSAA Class 3, they’ve got a lucky edge on the Lancers, too. Indiana’s seasons begin a little early – this year’s Titans already took the field for a regular-season tilt last Friday, while the Lancers were in their Jamboree Week. Coaches say a team’s biggest leap of improvement comes between Week 1 and Week 2. What a lousy break for SPX to have to be in Week 1 form against an exceptional home team’s Week 2 form. It makes you wonder why AD Tilden Watson signed off on this, as opposed to suggesting an intrastate showcase clash against a state with a football schedule less like Alaska’s. The Lancers likely decided it’s worth the disadvantage to play in yet another event that’s special enough to be branded a “bowl.”
Gibson Southern’s circumstances are not ideal this weekend. The Titans unexpectedly lost that Indiana Week 1 opener, falling 31-27 to Floyd Central. While it’s true that Floyd Central is an Indiana-5A contender, comparable to Ritenour or Pattonville, the prior outcome is still evidence that 0-1 GSHS is not invincible this season. In addition, the “bowl” status of Saturday’s gala, and the resulting large crowd in Fort Branch, will put the Titans under pressure, coming off a loss and all. They might make more mistakes than they would in some low-key road contest.
-Back to the Week 1 Friday Night Predictions-
Can the Lancers make a game out of it? Yep. St. Pius X is finally all grown up. The Lancers are becoming iron at the LOS behind a corps led by senior Jackson Jercinovic. Eckrich and his WR1 Harrison Ray are now upperclassmen in Cody Shaver’s senior year. Cody has got such a dynamite corps of linebackers around him that it’s difficult to imagine Gibson Southern plowing right through SPX, the way that Baylor and Senatobia did. But what can the Lancers do if GSHS’s smooth, steady machine starts humming, due to the benefit of a week’s rehearsal, while Shaver and Eckrich’s own offense bogs down in Week 1’s inevitable mishaps?
There’s only one option for Hill Valley – engage in “guerrilla” combat and turn the disadvantage into a strength. Gibson Southern can’t hide its 2026 playbook; its regular season began before the bowl game, but the Lancers can conceal their plans from the Titans! The first quarter was the worst quarter for the Lancers against Baylor and Senatobia. This time, they could use the element of surprise to score an early TD or two, and set Gibson Southern back on its heels.
St. Pius won’t be shut down and iced out if it’s a lopsided bout. No JV crew in the Midwest can tackle Shaver whilst double-covering Ray, and we know from experience that Eckrich will keep the offense aggressively firing downfield if the Titans lap the Lancers. St. Pius X has also been preparing a special “Texas Roadhouse” strategy for 2026, which The Geek is sworn to secrecy about, which will be unleashed at some point. But the “Texas Roadhouse” tactic will not serve up quick-strike TDs, or a square-dance in the aisles for that matter, until the Lancers can refine it and build on it. It will mostly be a ball-control type of strategy if it’s utilized before Halloween.
Junior safety Lynnden McCoin’s defensive backfield is under a microscope. If the Titans can use Rochleau’s arm to toss their way to a 35-0 lead, they’ll do it, having worked the kinks out of their passing game in Week 1. St. Pius defenders must resist their urge to cheat forward, inviting long bombs on play action, if the Titans are rushing for 5-10 yards at a pop. Let GSHS work between the 20-yard lines, and let the chips fall where they may. If the scoreboard favors the Titans 21-7, SPX’s cooked-up surprises might overcome the deficit. No trick play overcomes a 35-0 deficit.
The Geek sees a decisive box score in the hosts’ favor, yet with a different makeup than “Baylor 48, St. Pius 7.” St. Pius has a shot to look like it belongs on the field on Saturday. Hill Valley’s tough defense can hang in there until Quarter 4, when GSHS’s immense depth could help to turn a good battle into a boring finish. PREDICTION: GIBSON SOUTHERN 45, LANCERS 21
Northwest Lions at Francis Howell Central Spartans
Recall that Northwest’s schedule sets QB Cohenn Stark and the Lions up for thankless tasks in the regular season, due to facing so many fast-improving foes who’ve been considered patsies before now. Northwest at Francis Howell Central puts a different spin on the same narrative for Lions Nation. You can’t argue that the Spartans are a strong team, or even a consistent team, following yet another losing season for the Class 5 brand in 2025. But they had an impressive opening few weeks of 2025, that’s for sure! The Spartans began last campaign with a pair of “quality losses” to Liberty and Festus, then walloped Vianney 34-21 in a minor surprise. The foundation fell in at that point as Francis Howell Central won just one of its remaining games. Nevertheless, the team’s trend of quality summer performances is a concern for Cedar Hill.
While it’s true that FHCHS started the same way against the same opponents in 2024, that 1-2 start came against Liberty, Festus, and Vianney squads who didn’t have as much momentum going at the moment. (The Tigers ran late, and barely made their tee-time on that particular Week 2.) Besides, it shows that the up-down syndrome exists. FHCHS earned a nice 31-28 win over Pacific, a District champion, to move to 2-0 in 2023. The St. Charles school went on to lose seven of its next nine to finish 4-7. The Spartans haven’t minted a winning record since 2013.
What causes the Spartans to come apart-in’s? Injuries took the Spartans’ spoiler chances down a peg last midseason, when RB Ashton Payton seems to have been limited. Later, standout WR Jamal Anderson Jr. disappeared from Francis Howell Central’s scoresheets. Payton graduated in spring 2026, but Anderson Jr. is just now stepping into his upperclass shoes. The Spartans have a dicey depth chart at the line-of-scrimmage, which is probably what makes them so much more dangerous in late summer than in fall. 2026’s likely starting QB Brody McAllister is an exceptionally tall, stout senior who could flourish behind center for the Blue & Silver.
Northwest’s “transfer portal” from offensive to defensive line will be a work in progress, no matter if head coach Scott Gerling chooses to convert one, two, three, or four of his biggest hosses to DL roles. Apart from the All-Star senior LB Jeremiah Clines, there aren’t many returning Lions in the front-seven who can do much to shake up McAllister this Friday. Northwest’s new pass-rushers, if there are any, will have to emerge in the long run.
The Spartans’ starting QB has two carries for zero yards in his Varsity career. If McAllister can’t run as well as he can throw, that opens the door for Northwest’s rushing offense to dominate Friday’s action. FHCHS’s pass rush was even less lively than Northwest’s in 2026. Northwest can establish Stark’s explosive running on the Read-Option, then give the Lions’ own senior signal-caller a chance to pass downfield with minimal pressure off the edge. FHCHS’s offense could be surprisingly potent, but Stark’s superior dual-threat ability will win the quarterbacks’ duel in St. Chuck. PREDICTION: LIONS 35, FRANCIS HOWELL CENTRAL 19
Rockwood Summit Falcons at Festus Tigers
Fenton versus Festus is a matchup that makes so much sense, you wonder why the schools haven’t gotten together in past eras of Friday Night Lights. The Geek’s other question is why Fenton’s campus is called Rockwood Summit. Fenton is in the Meramec River valley – 15 streams converge and greet the Meramec there, and they don’t flow up a mountainside.
Two very, very good teams will converge on the Mississippi this Friday. Festus just looks better every season, yet it’s also accurate to say that about Rockwood Summit. Summit is coming off a 2025 in which the Falcons pushed the elite Eureka Wildcats into a pair of tight third quarters. The Falcons’ 26-0 shutout of Ritenour in Week 8 of last year was scary-impressive.
It will be a clash of veteran playmakers. Parker Perry returns for his final Black & Gold campaign with senior WR Gus Drinen and TE Brayden Wilkes ready to snag catches, and senior Kamden Yates poised to take more hand-offs and screen passes to the house. Fenton returns a senior-studded backfield led by QB Chase Barringer and RB Kindall Young.
Can the Tigers cope with Barringer, and his Class 5 supporting cast at wide receiver? Probably. Jasahn Tiller, Rockwood Summit’s only explosive WR in 2025, has moved on. Barringer was trying to force the football to Tiller by season’s end, throwing a total of 10 interceptions. Midmeadow Lane’s pass defense will only be tested by deep WR corps in 2026.
But even if Festus has the better ensemble, Rockwood Summit could still appear to be the better team when Week 1’s opener kicks off. Fenton boasts a hefty, experienced offensive line, keyed by bruisers such as 300-pound junior Devin Walker, and 250-pound senior Ty “Iron Man” Sabath. Graduations should set Fenton’s defensive line back a little more at the start of this season; the Class of 2026’s outstanding D-line numbers came in handy on balmy nights. Rockwood Summit graduated eight D-linemen and 10 total front-7 tacklers this spring.
The R-6 defensive front could be fierce this fall. It’s hard for a defense to dominate in the warm conditions of Week 1, though, especially when Fenton can turn to a ball-control game plan that gets Young rushing between the hashes, taming the Tigers’ pass rush by limiting Barringer’s drop-backs. If Festus is the deeper team up front, it might not show until the second half.
It’ll take time and adjustments for the Varsity Tigers to become as spectacular as they can be this autumn. They’ll have to be patient against a potential state-playoff contender in a higher enrollment class. The Geek expects Fenton to lead the scrum by one TD going into Quarter 4, compelling Perry’s offense to go for broke with Drinen and Wilkes splitting out wide together, hoping to score a comeback win. If Festus is a slight favorite over Rockwood Summit, it’s only because Perry has been Mr. Clutch in manufacturing winning TDs, shown by his conquests of Farmington and North County in ‘25. PREDICTION: TIGERS 22, ROCKWOOD SUMMIT 21
Kennett Indians at Hillsboro Hawks
Hillsboro joins Northwest as another “thankless” bid this Week 1. To the casual eye, Kennett’s status as Leon Hall’s guest for a season-kickoff reflects an HHS schedule that is less ambitious than those of the prior few years. HC Freeman used to schedule a beatable Week 1 opponent, such as Sullivan (back in the day when Sullivan’s enrollment was dropping and its seasons ended 5-6), so that a Flexbone offense could get through the summer grind without challenges like playing Country Day. By scheduling the Kennett Indians of Class 3, HC Bill Sucharski appears to have taken the same route, giving his Hawks a more manageable debut.
Ahh, but wait – Kennett is slowly rehabilitating its proud pigskin program, which was a destroyer of worlds in small-schools combat before backsliding into irrelevance in record time. It was 2023 when Kennett had a 4-1 record going into Week 6, only for the bottom to fall out on a brand that reached the Show-Me Bowl as recently as 2019. Kennett stunned long-time MSHSAA fans by losing its next 15 games in a row, getting shut-out a horrid five times during 2024’s sorry slog.
Turn the page to 2026, and Kennett coach Joel Wyatt seems to have something better brewing, although it’s still a far cry from the state-playoff days. KHS played a handful of good games last season, resisting a Turbo Clock loss on Senior Night’s 35-8 win for the visiting CHS Tigers. This year’s projected starting QB Will Leeker has shined in summer’s scrimmages.
Kennett’s liability remains its thin depth chart in the trenches. It’s funny how this summer’s debut schedule flips on its head one of The Gridiron Geek’s maxims, which is that wide-open passing teams find the edge in August weather. An Air-Raid Offense can distribute touches to 10+ kids, rotating from the bench to dispel Heat Exhaustion, scoring TDs versus a power-team that relies on one or two linchpin running backs. But the irony of 2026’s opener at Hillsboro High is that the rebuilding Hawks, looking to play smash-mouth football, could get the weather-conditions edge on Friday.
The Indians need a Week 1 rotation on the defensive front. They can’t upset Class 4 without five or more D-linemen who can grapple with blockers of senior Grant Sucharski’s caliber, and TGG doesn’t think they can conjure them up in time for Friday’s kickoff by the stables. Wyatt’s training camp quotes in the Delta Dunklin Democrat are a worrisome read indeed for those who expect Kennett to post a winning record in 2026. “We’re getting bullied” in combined practices, Wyatt complains. Kennett is probably not sandbagging, the way Caruthersville did last preseason, considering that no linemen are singled out for praise in the Democrat’s Indians previews.
What a time for Hillsboro to ramp up its rushing! Presumed starting QB (“Probable Pitcher”?) Aiden Fleming, who would typically have 60 keys racing through his mind as a new starter, can replace them all with just one: Be Patient. Hillsboro’s semi-experienced backfield might boop into the traditionally fiery KHS defense for a quarter or two. But if Fleming resists an urge to audible away from running plays, and keeps pounding the rock with hand-offs to senior Trey Zimmerly and sophomore Jadyn Rice, Kennett’s starting defense will get tired, and the Hawks’ trademark explosive plays will come. Hillsboro’s got the beef, depth, and game-planning to crown Kennett by several touchdowns. PREDICTION: HAWKS 42, KENNETT 7
Oakville Tigers at Seckman Jaguars
Seckman matches up well against Oakville this summer, although we might be able to say that about a few OHS opponents, given the SoCo program’s plight in 2026. The Tigers appear as gutted by graduations as any team in the STL Metro this year, losing their starting quarterback, numerous leading backs and receivers, and – if Oakville’s HUDL page is accurate – a bevy of bruising linemen. The Seckman Jaguars love opening the season against a team that they can out-block and out-tackle. HC Nick Baer merely has to guard against being too frightened of Oakville due to its recent exploits. Sometimes, there is a “ghost rival” in familiar colors.
OHS’s numbers don’t even look that great for a Class 5 program in 2026; the Oakville Class of 2027 is a sizable one, but there are few juniors that can boast of significant Varsity experience. Winfield’s getting a numbers boost to go with its mad turnover at QB, RB, and WR. Oakville’s enduring the worst of both worlds, losing talent, size, numbers, and cohesiveness. The Tigers, unless we’re missing something, could be at the end of a talent cycle, awaiting the next group that can make the underdog brand into a contender again. They’re certainly not going to score a ton of points.
Gosh, the Seckman Jaguars defense has held Oakville’s better lineups to one TD-per-game in the last three seasons. There’s no way the Tigers are going to improve on that against senior LB Elliot Burris’ defense this summer, unless Oakville’s senior Colin Piechocinski is as tough to stop as he is to pronounce. Seckman’s senior QB Brody Kube should draw on his seasoning, and stress ball-security to the Jags this Friday. The Tigers aren’t going anywhere fast on offense. In fact, SHS may only need a few points to win. PREDICTION: JAGUARS 28, OAKVILLE 9
Grandview Eagles at Louisiana Bulldogs
Grandview has the unluckiest draw of Week 1 from an expectations point-of-view. The Birds of Prey won’t get hyped to the Moon by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if they defeat a school that finished 3-7 last season. Nonetheless, they’ve got a very challenging task ahead of them Friday, traveling a long way northward to face Louisiana High, Class 1’s “World Class Pain-in-the-Ass” that nearly scored an upset win to keep Grandview from playing in the District title game last year. It wouldn’t be an upset if Louisiana wins this weekend, due to Grandview’s arduous circumstances, and the fact that Louisiana has been so tough for the Dirty Dozen to lick.
GHS looks better in 2026’s starting blocks than The Geek imagined, a testament to HC Cody Hanger’s leadership and RB Brock Poole’s resilient supporting cast. But while the Eagles try to reload, the Bulldogs will take the field with what should be one of Louisiana’s most well-stocked rosters of the decade. Louisiana boasts an up-and-coming QB in the junior A.J. “Buy a Vowel” Gschwender, a nimble junior tailback in Donnell Griffin, and an offensive line which could potentially outweigh Grandview’s, along with much of the rest of Class 1 and Class 2.
It’s a case of bad timing for Big River’s boys. We ask Pike County’s referees to take it easy on JeffCo this Friday – they probably won’t need to put their thumbs on the scales. Louisiana is poised to take revenge for November’s loss. PREDICTION: LOUISIANA 36, EAGLES 14
Crystal City Hornets at Winfield Warriors
Crystal City and Winfield appear to be two totally unfamiliar opponents, drawn two classes apart in enrollment. But in truth, the Hornets and the Warriors are in the same boat this Friday night.
Both teams’ starting backfields are 100% new, and each offense is completely refashioned in 2026. Winfield is replacing its QB, tailback, and three of its top four receivers. It makes things worse for CCHS’s Week 1 foe that several of Winfield’s stoutest linemen have graduated also. Crystal City almost feels like a favorite to trip Class 3 on Friday, due to the fact that Winfield, following its own brave efforts against Class 4 opponents such as Warrenton in 2025, may be wanting for a plan to glue things back together. Crystal comes into the summer tilt feeling confident in veteran offensive and defensive lines that could outhit Winfield’s big men.
The host Warriors have an edge in upperclass numbers, though, boasting more than twice as many combined juniors and seniors as the Hornets according to public rosters. Even if WHS’s offense is outmanned, and its defense is lightweight, it might still prove difficult for the youthful Hornets to begin a 70-yard drive against a defense that’s got fresh legs, and then try to finish the same drive against another set of fresh legs that Winfield can bring into the game. The junior-senior substitutes give WHS the kind of rotation that you prefer in August pigskin.
It probably won’t be Winfield’s numbers advantage, or Crystal’s edge in rookie talent, that folks take away from Friday’s outcome. The Geek predicts that “CRAZY!” will be the top takeaway no matter which side wins. Crystal City’s offense has the speed, skill, and blocking to run on a defense that’s been hit hard by graduations. CCHS, like Winfield, will also have enough inexperience on the field to cause five bobbles, 10 boondoggles, and 20 boo-boos.
Winfield’s offense is one of MSHSAA’s biggest question marks this preseason. They’re still likely to find daylight against a Crystal City defense that was awful at times in ‘25. But the Hornets’ blitzing style of defense is also a perfect weapon to disrupt a green opposing backfield.
There will be touchdowns, turnovers, and tumultuous turns of events. The contest will be wild, unpredictable, and FUN. It’s only the tiring summer conditions which make The Geek have to favor Friday’s older squad from a larger school. PREDICTION: WINFIELD 32, HORNETS 26
St. Vincent Indians at DeSoto Dragons
St. Vincent is among MSHSAA’s private-school powers who’ve accomplished something special without winning a state championship. St. Vincent has remained consistent, while other private campuses come-and-go in the scene. Lutheran St. Charles, Duchesne, and Country Day are just three of the schools who have wound up fielding rosters that their previous year’s teams could’ve smoked by seven TDs, due to lacking a “feeder” youth corps such as a proud public institution tends to have, and their resulting lack of replacements for stars who graduate. St. Vinny’s teams could have a great alumni tournament against each other. The Indians are dangerous in their “down” seasons. Sometimes, they get up and win a conference title.
Can 2025’s unlikely Quad County champs rise high enough to tackle a DeSoto Dragons lineup that’s bigger, more athletic, and more experienced this summer? One issue is that last season’s Indians started four seniors on the OL. There are few replacement bigs of the especially hefty type to take on Joachim Junction senior Collin Barton’s opposing tacklers. Gavin Hotop is returning as the Indians’ starting OT-DE rock, but he’s rockin’ at only 6’0” and 200 lbs.
DeSoto might have a lucky Week 1 break in the “styles make fights” category. STV’s projected starting QB, senior Andrew Schumer, appears to be surrounded by quick, lanky skill players as per usual for an Indians signal-caller. But the visitors’ best chance to upset DeSoto is in a slow, grudging game in which the line-of-scrimmage is stalemated, and the skill players – whichever side has more elite ones – are busy making their Week 1 mistakes anyway. Conversely, it feels like the Dragons are about to dominate the LOS on a Class 1-and-2 contender. It’s the scenario that can lead to a breakout game for DeSoto. PREDICTION: DRAGONS 44, ST. VINCENT 13
Affton Cougars at Herculaneum Blackcats
Clark Struckhoff’s graduation from HHS is one of those offseason setups for lazy reporters to say, “Herculaneum loses 1200 rush yards in the departure of Struckhoff.” ‘Loses 1200 yards.’ A team can’t lose yards in the offseason! In fact, the blocking of Dunklin’s two-ton Bowling ball of a 2026 offensive line should help RBs like the junior Michael Hankins rumble for more yardage than Hankins might’ve as a 16 y/o performing behind a previous Herculaneum OL. Struckhoff would potentially rush for even more yards in 2026. Good blocking, not the senior class’ statistics from the prior season, is the key to rush yards. The Blackcats could be about to throw a Yard Party!
Friday’s opposing Affton Cougars gain yardage – supposedly – by returning a strong number of the Class 4 school’s upperclass athletes for a senior campaign in 2026. However, the “Bananas” slipped so badly against beatable foes last fall, you wonder how much value a lineup gets from ineffective players returning to most likely be ineffective again. Affton has been Turbo Clocked by Russellville, Jennings, Windsor, and Riverview Gardens over the Bananas’ last 20 games.
Does that seem like a team set to spoil the debut of Herky’s biggest and baddest lineup of the 2020s? Nope, although the Blackcats’ syndrome of miscues from the late-summer series against Windsor could resurface against another Large Schools opponent, preventing Herky from manufacturing a blowout final score. PREDICTION: BLACKCATS 26, AFFTON 7
Blowout Gulch: Mehlville Panthers at Fox Warriors
Mississippi Magazine has a new policy this year. We’re always going to put the most lopsided prediction at bottom of the Friday Night Predictions, so that readers never think Alma Mater is ranked as playing in the “least important” game of the week. Those who get a kick out of TGG’s lopsided picks, like “Valle 100, Opponent 0” from the years before the Warriors were promoted, know where to find them now. Meanwhile, we hope the Dirty Dozen lives on the good side of Blowout Gulch when the final Friday Night Prediction comes up (or down?) on the scroll.
Fox High appears to be on the good side of Blowout Gulch in Week 1. Mehlville was a noble foe exactly 12 months ago, no doubt, when the Panthers limited the Fox Warriors to a 20-point margin of victory. But late last season, MHS’s offense began to get historically bad, getting shut out in four consecutive games, including an ugly 11-0 loss to 2-8 Parkway South. What’s worse, graduations seem to have hit Mehlville’s already-poor offense very hard this spring.
Class 5’s worst offense of last October has lost its starting QB, the 6’4” Cameron “Colonel” Trautman, and its leading rusher Dillon Turner. Mehlville’s Class of 2027 is not as weighty or numerous as the Class of 2026 was. You can say that it cannot possibly get worse for Mehlville, or that last fall’s backups could do better as the replacement starters. Nonetheless, it’s plenty scary that 2026’s probable QB Aaron Davenport went 0-for-2 with an INT last season.
Arnold needs a time-of-possession edge to get a nascent offensive backfield going this summer, and it looks as though the Warriors will get that against Mehlville’s helpless offense on Friday, unless senior Ryan Joggerst’s linebacking corps goes out to lunch at 7 PM CST. The converted senior QB Jude Pribish’s nerves will be tested if Mehlville’s defense fights Fox as hard as it did last August, but TGG can see the Warriors turning a Turbo Clock on if the coaches put those fast kids at A-Back like The Geek wants them to. PREDICTION: WARRIORS 40, MEHLVILLE 0
Photo Credit: Herculaneum High School Facebook