Poplar Bluff football team hopes to bring back 'Mule pride'

The Poplar Bluff offense features several players who saw time on the field last year. (Brian Rosener/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor

Pick an offensive position.

Doesn't matter which one -- quarterback, fullback or lineman -- the Poplar Bluff football team has somebody who has already started there before the 2008 season kicks off Aug. 29.

Still, that doesn't mean everything is set in stone following the Mules scrimmage Saturday night at Bacon Park.

"As far as I'm concerned, everything is open," Mules coach Shane Kearbey said earlier in the week.

The 17 seniors, 14 juniors and 33 sophomores who started practice Monday each have their name on a little card stuck to one or more of the depth-chart boards in the team's film room. Kearbey said he's told the players if they don't like where their name is on the board, then they can do something about it over the next two weeks.

"It's a fresh start," added the first-year head coach. "We've got a lot of kids back but like I've said, they've got to earn their spot. They're still up for grabs."

That depth chart should have familiar names on top: Todd Bullington is back at quarterback, while backs Zach Ferguson and Aaron Ellis also return. Receivers Ben Knuckles and Jacob Smith, tight end Colby Geringer, center Kelton Thompson, guard Dylan Janes and tackles Percy Garcia and Ward Watts all started the final game last fall.

Technically speaking, the only starting spot open from last year is at left guard, vacated by four-year letterman and all-conference lineman Philip Klaproth. But the offensive line had three guys rotating at two tackle positions last season. One of them, most likely Watts, will move to guard while the other two, Watts and senior Jacob Duvall, who started once last year, look to start.

The key heading into the season is putting the depth into the depth chart.

"That's what we're trying to do where we can keep them fresh for defense and rotate them here and there where we need to," Kearbey said.

Guys like senior Zack Stricker, who was not on the team the last two years but is vying for a spot on the line, or perhaps a sophomore ready for the bright lights of Friday night will help in that department.

"We've got about two or three interchangeable parts on the line," Thompson said. "Coming in this year from last year, we're playing the same positions (and) we know the offense, so there's not learning nothing, you just jump right into it and run it."

Most of the offensive line has been playing next to each other since peewee football, which helps the group work together, said Janes.

"We've got real good chemistry, real good communication and everything," Janes added. "It helps out a lot."

So does getting a rest from time to time.

"What really helps is keeping that second string fresh," Janes said. "Last year we only had first and second string so second string, they're playing Monday night (JV games) too so they're really not all that fresh."

In their first full-pad scrimmage Saturday night, Kearbey said the first-team offense looked pretty good.

"We had some things happen, some big plays," he added. "There's still some things to iron out there, it wasn't perfect, but the effort was there in that first group and they made some plays.

"We're kind of excited about it, it was a positive note we're in the right direction."

Last season the Mules averaged 26.7 points, the most since the 2003 team that finished 8-1 averaged 31.6.

The top four rushers are back led by Ferguson, who became the 16th Mule to reach 1,000 yards in a season. The junior finished with 1,046 rushing yards in just seven games by averaging 7.3 per carry. He also scored 14 times and fumbled the ball just three times in 144 carries.

"It's awesome blocking for Zach because he only needs a crease this big to get through," said Thompson holding up his hands about two feet apart. "He's fun to block for because he sees the holes real well."

Ellis and Kerey Smith ran for 410 yards each from the fullback position, while Bullington ran for 358 more yards and threw for 416 more by completing 30-of-80 passes.

Bullington has fully recovered from a shoulder injury he suffered in the first quarter of the final game last fall, taking part in throwing camps over the summer and looking good in the scrimmage Saturday night.

"He's throwing the ball real well," Kearbey said following the scrimmage.

The leading receiver from last year, tight end Tim Stonecipher, is gone, but Knuckles has 11 career catches and 175 yards over the last two seasons. Jacob Smith, who took over receiver late in the year, and Geringer, a late-season starter for Stonecipher at tight end, each caught multiple passes last season and return.

Austin Williams, who missed the scrimmage Saturday with a thumb injury, moves in at tight end with Geringer while junior Chris Williams is a first-year player looking to climb the depth chart.

Greg Coble caught four passes last year on defense and looks to do it for the offense this season as a junior. Collin Geringer and Josh Parkin, both seniors, could be catching some passes this fall along with some younger guys like sophomore Eric Ramos. Another sophomore, Pete Bryant, gives the Mules depth at running back while junior Tony Hinton moved from the line to fullback, Kearbey said.

It may also help that the new head coach was also the offensive coordinator last year so there's no changes in terminology or schemes.

"We're going to do some different things," Kearbey noted. "We'll do a lot of things we did last year, base run stuff we're going to do, (but) we're going to add things to it to cause some problems for some people."

The next test for Mules will be at 6 p.m. Friday during the jamboree at Farmington. The following Friday night, the Mules will be in New Madrid to open the season.

With 11 starters back, Poplar Bluff's offense will grab the attention of fans and opposing teams this fall but Kearbey was also excited about the other side of the ball Saturday night.

"I think our brightest spot of the night was our first-group defense," he noted. "Those guys were flying around."

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Editor's note: The defense will be previewed in the Thursday edition followed by a jamboree story next Sunday. The Meet the Mules team page will run on Thursday, Aug. 28, with a preview of the first game.