Week 1 Preview

Week 1 is here!

After a long awaited hiatus, Missouri high school football has finally arrived. Week 0 gave us just a taste of what is to come. There is nothing else like Week 1. Every team is 0-0. This is a fresh start for every program. This is everyone’s chance to set the tone. It is the time to show the work you have put in all summer. It is time to go.

Week 1 has given us a number of top quality matchups. Starting the competition tonight at 6:00 PM is good ol’ fashioned Parkway rivalry – Parkway North @ Parkway West. Both of these programs are coming off of dominant 2025 seasons. Both of these teams are hungry to continue what they started last year, which should make for an absolute battle tonight in Ballwin, MO.

Starting the competition off a little early on Friday at 6PM are two absolute powerhouse matchups – Lift for Life @ De Smet & St. Mary’s @ Elmhurst IC Catholic. While all 3 of these St. Louis schools have much different stories, all 3 have proven their dominance in the area for a while. De Smet, coming off a 6-5 season last year, is hungry to again be the most dominant school in the MCC. Lift for Life, on the other hand, is coming off an incredible state runner-up season. I am sure they are wanting to finish what they started last year. The matchup between these two heavyweights should be one for the ages. On the other side of the river, in fact, very far across the state of Illinois, St. Mary’s will have their third consecutive season opener against Elmhurst IC Catholic. Both of these previous matchups have not gone in favor of the team from South County, but don’t they always say the third time’s the charm.

These 3 games I have previously mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. Following up these games are even more heavyweight bouts:

- Louisville Trinity @ CBC

- East St. Louis @ American Heritage (Florida)

- Lutheran North @ Cardinal Ritter

CBC will open up their 2026 season at home against a very strong program in Louisville Trinity. This will be the time for CBC to step up and do what they always do – show what St. Louis high school football is all about.

By now, the East St. Louis football team has most likely already made their way down to the greater Miami area to face off against American Heritage, which will be sure to be a top matchup in the nation this Friday night.

Now I would be remiss to gloss over the third matchup of this trio of heavyweights. Some people enjoy going to the movies, some may enjoy going to theaters, and some may enjoy going to the Muny. However, many others would just prefer to watch Cardinal Ritter play Lutheran North. This matchup has given us some of the highest quality high school football our area has ever seen. While we usually have to wait the entire season to see this matchup, we have all been given a treat to get this game Week 1. This should be an absolute battle where we see which one of these programs can be victorious against the other.

While we will have a number of other top tier matchups in the St. Louis area this Friday night, here are a few to keep note of:

- Pattonville @ Fort Zumwalt North

- Edwardsville @ Jackson

- MICDS @ Ladue

- Eureka @ Troy Buchanan

And last but not least, the Warren County Rivalry:

- Wright City @ Warrenton

I am beyond excited to see how this week’s matchups turn out. If you want to follow all these games, check them all out on our official “Scores” page! Coaches and teams, if you are not yet on our platform, we would love for you to join and to help keep the community updated on high school sports.

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