Mules Football Preview: Playoffs loom as Hillsboro Hawks lurk

It’s Senior Night for the Poplar Bluff Mules and they will have a tough one ahead of them as they host their final game of the regular season, looking to roll past the Hillsboro Hawks.

With a dominant 42-7 win over Kennett last Friday, the Mules put themselves in the perfect position to host a district game at Mules Stadium. Coach Dave Sievers said it was a great win over Kennett, but now it’s time to refocus and prepare for business on Friday.

Aiden Pratt led the Mules with two touchdowns and rushed for 36 yards on 12 carries. Jay Edmundson threw 9/10 on 174 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, while senior Logan Hite and Dereck Burton each had a TD. The Mules tallied 371 yards, and Kennett to 171 yards to end the night.

“It was a good win and a great night for us,” Sievers said. “I was happy to get a lot of our kids in the game, and we executed on both sides of the ball very well. We’ve had some pretty good weeks of jumping out front early, and I want us to continue that as we get ready for Hillsboro.

This game is the ninth meeting between the two schools, and Poplar Bluff is 5-3 all-time against Hillsboro. Despite having the most wins, Hillsboro has won the last two matchups, but after landing their first loss of the season against Cardinal Ritter, the Mules must use their momentum to capture their fifth straight win.

The Mules have gone 4-1 in their last five games, relying heavily on their defense to keep the opposing teams out of the endzone. Defensive coach Jeff Mannon said that their defense tries to keep everything simple, and with the turnover from last season, everything is finally starting to click.

“We have truly grown in the past few weeks,” Mannon said. “I get pretty great effort from them, and they always hold themselves accountable when an assignment is blown. I never really have to get onto them too much about certain things because they should know what to do now. We’ve had so many kids bloom on the defensive side, which has improved the entire team.

“We’ve simplified many things with the scheme from a coverage standpoint to where they can just play football. I’ve always had a pretty good defense over the years, and this squad is no different.

Sievers said going up against Hillsboro will be their toughest challenge of the season thus far. The Mules have been tested for most of the season but remained focused enough to turn the season around. Compared to the matchups they’ve seen, Sievers said they’re in no position to make any mistakes and will need a near-perfect game to grab the win.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Sievers said. “Hillsboro is a real physical team, and we must match that energy. We believe we can get some open looks with our passing and do some pretty good things in the run game. It will be our toughest test, but I think it’s needed as we prepare for the postseason. We’ve been going hard at practice all week and will be ready to compete as always.”