Updates on local football, Mitch Craft and more

Can Farmington run the table and head into the district playoffs unbeaten? We'll have a good idea Friday night after Farmington, No. 1 in the SemoSportsWeb poll, heads to Waynesville in what might be Friday's most intriguing high school football matchup.

Waynesville (2-0) picked apart its first two opponents — Joplin and Kickapoo — by a combined 87-26 and host the Knights (2-0) Friday on a stadium recently covered with synthetic turf. It's the first of four 2-0 teams still ahead for Farmington; Sikeston, Windsor and Festus are still to come, and local rival North County (1-1) waits in Week 9.

The list of unbeaten teams could be cut in half this week when several 2-0 teams go head-to-head. Click here to check out the complete schedule for all 33 Southeast Missouri teams.

A few other notes:

• Cape Girardeau Central might be one of the most surprising teams so far — not because the Tigers lost to Parkway North and New Madrid County Central, but more because of the lopsided finishes. Coach Lawrence Brookins' Tigers have been outscored 117-23 and host an unbeaten Blytheville, Ark., team this week. The only sign of a breather comes in Weeks 4 and 5 when Central plays St. Charles and St. Charles West, which are both 1-1. Unbeaten Jackson and unbeaten Fort Zumwalt North fill Weeks 6 and 7.

• Former Central quarterback Mitch Craft says he's working to get back on the football field — possibly at Southern Miss, where he played in 2005 and '06 after redshirting in 2004, or even at South Carolina under defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix, who worked with Craft when Nix was defensive coordinator at USM. For now, Craft is rehabilitating hamstring injuries that caused him to miss three games in 2004. He said his chances of playing at USM again are 50-50, but he could formally become a Gamecock as soon as January.

• With the start of fall sports, SemoSportsWeb.com bloggers Mark Unterreiner, David Unterreiner and Jay Bartolone have ramped it up a level to keep up with pros, colleges and more than 80 high schools across Southeast Missouri — but we're aiming even higher. If you're a local athlete or a fan willing to jot down a few thoughts and opinions once or twice a week, you could join our team as a blogger. And if your passion is photography, you could show off your photos of local sporting events on SemoSportsWeb.com and make a few bucks at the same time.

Are you game? Let's talk. Drop me a note at JHall@SemoSportsWeb.com.