Poplar Bluff looking to silence Knights

The Poplar Bluff Mules football team had their toughest battle in last week’s matchup against Fox and will be tested once again as they prepare to take on a tough Farmington squad.

The Mules will hit the road in an attempt to win their third-straight game of the season. Though the Mules successfully defeated the Farmington Knights last season 34-21, the Knights still hold the upper hand in all-time matchups.

Head Mules football coach Dave Sievers said they will have a tough task ahead of them playing another solid team, but he’s confident if they stick to the basics, they will be able to execute on both sides of the ball.

“We’ve had a pretty good week of practice, and I think the kids understand what’s in front of us as we gear up to play another district matchup against Farmington,” Sievers said. “We’re battling through a few bumps and bruises after our last game, but it’s something that we’re going to work through like any other game. I gave the team a rest on Saturday for a chance to recover, and they showed up Monday ready to work, which is what I love to see.”

The Mules had their offense clicking on all cylinders in last week’s game as they tallied a total of 420 yards, 152 rushing yards, and 268 completed passing yards. Romeo Wontor was the spark that the Mules needed to get over the hump, as he collected 10 catches for 166 yards and had two touchdowns. Jay Edmundson threw 21/27 on 268 yards with two touchdowns and one rushing touchdown on 82 yards to lead the Mules.

Regardless of their solid execution, Sievers said there’s still more room to get better, and as they approach their last couple of regular season games, he wants them to play a complete game with no drop-offs. He’s happy to say that there’s been some great improvement compared to where they were during their first game.

“One thing about football is that it’s a long season, and you do your best to get better every time you step on the field,” Sievers said. “I can’t say that we’ve gotten better every day we stepped on the field, but the kids are going in the right direction as we get closer to the postseason.

“We’re having some pretty good focused practice, then we were a couple of weeks ago. We changed the practice format a little bit, making sure we got back to doing the basics every day with a bit more blocking and tackling, so I think the kids have kind of locked in.”

Sievers said the Mules have put the past games behind them, and they are ready for any team that steps in their way. He said they haven’t spent too much time focusing on the district standing but understand that every game is important moving forward.

“This season is rapidly getting away from us, and we just need to make the most of it,” he said. “I would like for us to end up in the top half so we can get to host. I told the kids it doesn’t matter where we wind up, we’re going to play somebody somewhere. It’s just a matter of trying to stay as healthy as possible and getting better every day.”

Sievers said he expects the same game plan from Farmington to be similar to what Fox did in the previous game. He believes the Knights will play with a little more finesse rather than all power. He said it will be another game where they must be fundamentally sound, and hopefully, they can take care of business on Friday.