By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor

A resurgent Poplar Bluff soccer team and a trio of cross country runners will try to extend their seasons as they enter district play Saturday.

Jasmin Sumrall along with Travis and Hannah Blalock will compete in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 cross country meet in Potosi early Saturday while the Mules soccer team faces Northwest at 3 p.m. at Cape Central.

The top 15 runners in each race Saturday advance to the state championships, while top-seeded Cape Central awaits the Mules-Northwest winner in the district semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

The Mules (5-18-1) enter postseason play having won two straight for the first time this fall. Their rescheduled game Thursday night at Notre Dame was cancelled because of rain.

"The fact that we were able to change things around and give our team a totally different look and be successful, now the guys have a renewed confidence that we've got something to say about this district now," Mules coach Mark Papp said.

Senior goalie Justin Hubbard has allowed just one goal in his first three games since taking over for sophomore Billy Powell, who had one shutout but was given little offensive support. The Mules averaged under a goal per game before the switch and were shut out 11 times in the first 21 games

Hubbard was tied for the team lead in goals scored this season with five before moving in front of the net. The switch came Oct. 10 when, faced with playing a man down in the junior varsity game after an injury. Hubbard asked Papp to play in goal. The coach agreed only if it were an audition for the varsity spot.

"It was a decision that was kind of on my mind throughout the season," said Papp of creating more competition for the starting keeper job.

Hubbard started in goal for the varsity game, which the Mules lost 1-0, and shut out Farmington in a rematch five days later before shutting out Sikeston on Monday.

"His height gives him a distinct advantage in goal and he doesn't have a whole lot of holes," Papp said. "I can't imagine if we'd actually trained him for four years what he would have been like."

Damon Bower leads the defense and the Mules have outscored their opponents 3-1 in their last three games by changing their attacking approach.

Nate LeGrand, a freshman, leads the team with five goals while junior Josh Thompson has four goals and three assists. Martin Esquivel, three goals and three assists, also leads Poplar Bluff's attack. Kenyon Francis scored his first goal against Sikeston while Darrin Whited has moved from the back to midfield scoring against Kennett on Oct. 1.

The Mules are 3-3-1 since the start of the month, losing to 12th-ranked Kickapoo and Pembroke Hill.

"The struggles we've dealt with this year, it almost needed to just totally take things apart and put it back together to have the mentality that we could do something," Papp said.

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At Potosi, the cross country team faces a tough field.

Potosi's Jacob Swearingen and Nick Niggemann have run the two fastest times in the state this fall, while there is defending district champ Alyssa Allison of Festus, who ran the course in 19 minutes, 40 seconds as a sophomore last year.

Sumrall and the Blalocks each earned all-conference medals.

"All three of them are going to have to race," Mules coach Beth Lewis said. "They're on the edge (of qualifying), they can either make it or break it.

"They have to relax and run smart out there."

When asked how she's trying to keep her runners relaxed this week, Lewis said, "We ran in the rain (Monday), I don't know how much fun that is when it's 40 degrees."

The weather is expected to be good for the runners Saturday but wet conditions may slow times. The key, however, is placing in the top 15 to advance to the state championships.

Travis ran the course in 17:51 as a freshman, missing the state cut by four spots and 25 seconds.

"Anybody can have an outstanding race and go (to state) and your top runners can have bad races," Lewis said. "I'm just hoping that they can run smart."

Travis will get another chance to race Notre Dame's Logan Davis, who won the SEMO Conference meet by 8 seconds in front of the Poplar Bluff sophomore. Travis then finished second at the Clayton Invitational at Shaw Park with a time of 16:59.13.

Hannah, who has the 16th-fastest time in the state this fall according to mohsrunning.com, also finished second at Clayton with a time of 19:44.09.

Kelsey Sumrall, who finished 24th in 23:41 at the conference race, and Ashley Snapko will also run for the Lady Mules.