Jackson, Poplar Bluff to fight for rivalry rights in SEMO North clash

The time-honored tradition of Jackson and Poplar Bluff annually doing battle has given way to one of the most tense, most anticipated and most legendary rivalries in all of southeast Missouri. The teams have met in every single season dating back to 1938.

Having met a total of 103 times so far, Jackson leads the rivalry at 51-47-5 after rattling off eight consecutive victories between 2017 and 2022. However, Poplar Bluff currently holds a one-game winning streak in the rivalry.

After defeating the Indians in a 21-20 district semifinal victory at “The Pit” in November 2022, the Mules avenged a loss in the same stadium from earlier that year. In total, the two have met in four of the past six postseasons.

While the new separation of classes guarantees that the two won’t do battle in the playoffs in 2023, the regular-season rivalry continues as Jackson (2-1) travels to Poplar Bluff (1-2) to butt heads as two of the strongest teams in the area meet in a critical SEMO North Conference fixture.

Though Jackson has certainly dominated the rivalry in recent years, the success of Poplar Bluff shouldn’t be understated. The Indians’ last regular-season conference loss came at the hands of the Mules in 2017, and Poplar Bluff leads the rivalry 26-21-3 when at home.

Jackson wide receiver Terrico Johnson carries the ball with Poplar Bluff's Chris Barker in pursuit during the first quarter Friday, Sept 22, 2017 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Poplar Bluff defeated Jackson, 29-28.Fred Lynch

Both teams enter the matchup coming off wins. Jackson’s two back-to-back victories came against Francis Howell and Farmington in high-scoring battles, while Poplar Bluff’s 42-35 overtime victory against Cape Central in its SEMO North Conference opener saw the Mules forfeit a sizeable lead late before closing the game out in the extra period.

The teams enter on nearly opposite trends, with the defense of Jackson working to catch up to the dominance of the offense while the Mule defense opens the door for a slower Poplar Bluff offense that finally seemed to click in a 42-point effort last time out.

The senior leadership of Jackson’s Adrian Fox has pushed the Indians to new heights on the attacking front, averaging 42 points per game – ramping the club from just 21 points in its first outing all the way up to 63 last week.

The Indians happen upon a stout Poplar Bluff defensive unit that hasn’t given up more than 35 points yet. Jackson continues to prove an outlier among trends in head coach Ryan Nesbitt’s first year at the helm, and it’ll look to upend a strong Mules defense on Friday night.

The high-powered Jackson team has its hands full in the trenches as the dual-threat quarterback talent of Jay Edmundson found his stride against Cape Central, scoring through the air and on the ground in the Mules’ conference-opening victory.

After a hard-nosed Farmington offense ran the ball to great efficiency in Week 3, the Jackson defense looks to tighten up the line as a Poplar Bluff team with major success in the ground game poses a big threat.

With two teams both looking to make a big statement, Poplar Bluff looks to continue its streak against the Indians at home as the 104th iteration of one of the region’s greatest rivalries kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday.