Mules finding their flow, look to Indians

What is it about the second half of the football season that allows the Poplar Bluff Mules to thrive and find their groove? The Mules have turned their bad start into a promising season for the second straight year as they set their path toward the district tournament.

Head coach Dave Sievers said he doesn’t know why the Mules wait until the second half to kick things into high gear, but he will never question the team’s passion to win.

“I’m really impressed with the team’s play in the last few games,” Sievers said. “We played many talented teams in the beginning, and most of our players do work on both sides of the ball, so I think that had something to do with our rocky start. I believe it was something that we needed to go through to get where we are now. We always strive to be good all year, but I think it’s always great to have everything clicking when the games count.”

Sievers praised the team for having a good bunch of kids with a solid senior class. He feels the team has a lot of talent with a good mix of speed and power, and regardless of who steps on the field with them, it will always be a battle.

The Mules enter week eight 4-3 after getting a 28-14 win over Farmington last Friday. Their offensive scheme clicked on all cylinders as they tallied 505 yards, 282 rushing and 223 passing.

Jay Edmundson threw 16/25 on 223 yards with one passing touchdown and led the Mules in rushing with 181 yards with two touchdowns. The duo of Darius Graham and Romeoh Wontor combined for 222 receiving yards, while Graham had one touchdown.

Graham said heading into their matchup against Farmington, he knew they were the better team and felt they were more mentally prepared to compete. Though he wasn’t at his best, Graham didn’t allow anything to keep him off the field, and he’s excited with how the team is flowing.

“We’re just starting to heat up,” Graham said. “Everything counts going into the postseason right now, so we must stay focused and be ready for everything. If I can go, I will be out there doing the best I can for us to win. We aim to keep getting better and step into the postseason ready to play.”

Sievers said he admired Graham’s grit to play through any discomfort for his team.

“Darius is just a warrior,” Sievers said. “He’s a talented kid with tremendous upside. Coming off the ankle injury, we weren’t sure if he would play, but seeing how he attacked the game was just amazing.

Next Opponent

The Mules will pink out Mules Statduim for Breast Cancer Awareness Month as they host the Kennett Indians (4-3) on Friday. Poplar Bluff has won the last two matchups against Kennett, 35-14 and 41-15.

Sievers believes the Mules have found their rhythm, and practices have been sharp the past few weeks.

“We’ve tried to cut down on practice time a little bit because we got so many guys going both ways,” Sievers said. “We’re trying to be smart as we get closer to the postseason. We want our players to be as fresh as possible because we have another fight this week. Kennett has some talented kids, but we’ll be ready. It’s time we make sure that we lock in and limit any distractions. It’s just really important that we keep getting better every week.”

He stated that their game plan against Kennett would be simple. The Mules intend to get first downs and stay ahead of the chains. Sievers said one key adjustment that has helped the team play better in the last few weeks was cleaning up the penalties and mistakes.

“We’re still not playing perfect games, but it’s a step up from where we started,” he said. “As we finish out the rest of the regular season, it’s just a matter of being disciplined and playing clean football. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve faced option teams, and to keep this run going, we must be able to fly to the football and execute at a high rate of speed. I like our chances very well.”