TIGERS HOPE TO HARNESS MULES

The top student in his class, Poplar Bluff quarterback Stan Revelle is smart.

Cape Central wants to make him smart in a different kind of way.

The Tigers will look to put pressure on Revelle and Poplar Bluff's aerial attack tonight when the two 2-1 teams hook up in a 7 p.m. game at Houck Stadium.

"We're going to have to force his hand at times," said Cape Central coach Lawrence Brookins. "We'll blitz a bit and slant and stunt to try to create some confusion up front. We hope, in the good nature of the game, to get a lick or two on him. One of our goals is to have a great pass rush. I don't know if he's really been hit yet and it's always interesting to see if great athletes like he is can come back with a big play after they've been hit a couple times."

Revelle is without question the best throwing quarterback in the area. This year, he is 46-for-84 (55 percent) for 684 yards in three games. He has thrown six touchdowns and six interceptions.

Last year, he rewrote the Poplar Bluff record book with 2,102 yards and 20 touchdowns.

"He's a lot more productive than he looks," said Poplar Bluff coach Mark Barousse. "Sometimes his mechanics aren't the greatest and he's not a prototypical 6-3 or 6-4. But he brings all the intangibles. He's the No. 1 student in his class academically and he's one of the best leaders I've ever seen on the football field."

The Mules are 2-1 this season and are coming off a 35-32 loss to Jackson (Tenn.) Northside.

"That was one of the poorest performances since I've been here," said Barousse. "We had a lot of crucial mistakes in every facet of the game."

Conversely, Central is coming off arguably its biggest win in the last two seasons, a 30-6 win over Blytheville, a game which the Tigers entered as the underdog yet dominated the visiting Chicks.

"That was a big win for us," said Brookins. "I'm sure a lot of people are still skeptical, but I think the community in general is proud of what this team has accomplished so far."

Against that same Blytheville team, the Mules managed just a 20-15 victory, thanks to a touchdown pass by Revelle on the last play of the game.

Gauging by their one common opponent, Central would have to be slightly favored to win. However, most thought Poplar Bluff would be much better than Central heading into the season.

"They were mostly juniors last year and they're all seniors this year and that (experience) just makes a big difference," said Barousse. "They've grown up and coach Brookins has them playing hard. I was impressed with the film. They're a good football team."

"Our confidence level is very high right now," Brookins said. "We've had to deal with some injuries so far, but the kids in backup roles have stepped up and done relatively well."

While Revelle leads the Mules through the air, Erick Schuermann keeps teams honest on the ground. Schuermann is averaging just over 100 yards a game with a 6.7 yards-per-carry average.

"He's a real shifty, jitterbug-type runner," Brookins said. "It's not just Revelle. They've got some other weapons."

Central's offensive attack got back on track last week after struggling against state-ranked New Madrid County Central in Week 2.

The Tigers ran for 139 yards and passed for 138. The 138 passing yards was more than four times the amount of passing yards that the Tigers amassed in the first two games combined.

Brookins was elated with quarterback T.J. Erlacker, who completed 8-of-11 passes and was not intercepted in his first start last week.

"Outstanding," said Brookins. "Was he perfect? No. But to go in and start a game against a quality team like that ... T.J. has a way of looking cool or being cool under pressure. He did a real good job. He commanded the huddle well and in terms of technique, he graded out well."

Central's defense, though, has been a mainstay all season. Take away two long pass plays against New Madrid and the Tigers have been virtually impenetrable. The Tigers have allowed only four touchdowns this year, two on the aforementioned pass plays.

"I think their aggressiveness to the football is their strength on defense," said Barousse.

On the injury front, Brookins said standout kicker Brian Emmendorfer is doubtful to see any action for tonight's game after suffering a shoulder injury during last week's game.

According to Brookins, Emmendorfer's shoulder will require surgery after the season. Emmendorfer has kicked some at practice this week but Brookins is leery about letting him kick tonight because he doesn't want to risk further serious injury on a possible contact play. If Emmendorfer -- who kicked a 58-yarder last year -- plays at all, it will be on field goals and extra points only. Such will be the case for the rest of the season.

Ricky Ogles filled in nicely in the kicking department for Emmendorfer last week. And Brad Neels was impressive on punts.

Speedy sophomore Monroe Hicks will be back in the lineup this week after missing a game-and-a-half with a hamstring injury.

"He's real close to 100 percent and we'll need his speed on defense at safety against this passing offense," Brookins said.