Tribe not afraid of Sikeston challenge

File photo by Mike Buhler Travon Weeden (right) and the Kennett Indians travel to Sikeston Public Schools Stadium on Friday night to take on the undefeated Sikeston Bulldogs in a tuneup for district play. [Click to enlarge]

The Kennett Indians have a lot of reasons to be afraid of the Sikeston Bulldogs.

Sikeston is arguably the best team in southeast Missouri with a 6-0 record. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents by an average of 40-6 this year, including three straight shutouts over Charleston, Dexter and Jackson and a 34-12 win over Class 3 District 1 favorite New Madrid County Central 34-12 last week. That doesn't include the potent rushing game complemented by a solid passing attack.

The Tribe has a lot of reasons to fear Sikeston. That doesn't mean it necessarily does.

"We will approach Sikeston like any other team," Kennett coach Kenneth "Red" Riedinger said. "We embrace the challenge of playing a team that is 6-0. To get better you have to see where you stack up against a Sikeston."

Thus far in 2009, Kennett (3-3) has made its name playing defense, holding opponents to just 140 yards per game and racking up over 20 quarterback sacks on the year out of its 10-1 "sic 'em" defense.

"Kennett runs a 10-man front on defense, which has given some teams a hard time," Sikeston coach Kent Gibbs said. "They will put those 10 kids on the line of scrimmage and bring them after you. Our goal is to be patient and understand that things might not work right away, but if we hit a seam it could be a big play."

The 'Dogs will challenge the Tribe D with a running attack led by Eli Jackson and Jarian Wims. Wims racked up 112 yards at NMCC last week when Jackson was limited by injury, while Jackson racked up 184 yards earlier in the season against Fredericktown.

Meanwhile, quarterback JuQualin Wiggins is a threat to throw the ball and run with it, rushing for 109 yards against Dexter and passing for 119 yards at NMCC.

"Our defense is excited about playing an offense with this much talent," said Riedinger. "Sikeston can really go and we like that. It should be a wonderful learning experience and we are glad to get it."

Meanwhile, Kennett will face the challenge of scoring points off of a Bulldogs defense that has given up just three touchdowns in the last five weeks.

Leading that effort will be sophomore signal-caller Adam Grantham, who has passed for 396 yards and five touchdowns this season on 27-for-66 passing with four interceptions out of the Tribe's slot-T attack.

Sixteen of Grantham's passes have gone to Jimmy Gooden for 313 yards, while David Taylor leads the ground attack with 252 yards on 86 attempts.

"Kennett will try to control the game with their running attack," said Gibbs. "They will also take some shots downfield with their quarterback and good receiver. They will address us like a lot of teams, controlling the clock, not making mistakes and trying to take advantage of any mistakes we might make."

However, the Indians have struggled to score at times this season, averaging just 15 points over the last five contests and just 12 points per night in their three losses.

"We still have to play offense, and we have struggled," Riedinger said. "This week will be a challenge, but again we embrace it. We need to know where we are."

A potential X-factor Friday is the flu. Kennett was out of school two days this week due to an outbreak, while the Bulldogs have also battled the bug.

"We have several out as of right now (with the flu)," Gibbs said. "I'm not sure of the exact number, but it is six or seven with the flu in addition to our kids with injuries. Right now we are just trying to do the best we can to make sure we have the subs we need. You'll see some new faces this Friday, but hopefully we can continue our consistency."

With Friday's contest the last before district play, Sikeston represents a chance for the Tribe to prepare to try to earn its first playoff berth since 1986.

"Every game is a tool to prepare us for Perryville, NMCC and Dexter," said Riedinger. "Sikeston is an opponent that allows us to play faster. It should be a fun atmosphere."

With a trip to winless Perryville looming next week to open districts, Riedinger is hoping his team's best football is ahead of them.

"We still can get drastically better on offense and defense," the coach said. "We have our ear to the ground and our nose to the grind stone. We are working hard to get to our goal -- everyday is a chance to get better."

Kickoff at Sikeston Public Schools Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

Opponents: The Tribe's opponents were 3-5 last week and are 28-30 this season. Here's how they did:

Charleston (0-5) did not play
Caruthersville (5-1) def. Portageville, 43-28
Hayti (3-3) lost to Lake County, Tenn., 23-6
East Prairie (5-1) def. Chaffee, 48-0
Portageville (3-3) lost to Caruthersville, 43-28
Malden (1-5) lost to Kennett, 13-6
Sikeston (6-0) def. NMCC, 34-12
Perryville (0-6) lost to Fredericktown, 21-0
NMCC (4-2) lost to Sikeston, 34-12
Dexter (1-4) did not play

Weather: The National Weather Service is calling for cloudy skies and a slight chance of rain and a kickoff temperature in the mid to upper 50s, dropping into the lower to mid 50s by the end of the game. Winds will be nine miles per hour out of the north-northwest, switching to the north. However, Sikeston is forecast to receive heavy rain today and tomorrow, so look for the field to be wet if not soaked.