By BRIAN ROSENER ~ Sports Editor

When the Poplar Bluff football team squares off in practice, the defense has a slight upper hand.

"They play offense, too, so when (the offense) starts making checks, they know what we're checking in to," Mules coach Shane Kearbey said. "They know what's coming."

That changes Friday night when the Mules travel to Farmington for a 72-play jamboree against Cape Central and St. Clair. The first snap is at 6 p.m. with each offense getting 18 plays before the teams switch sides. It's the first real test for a defense that returns seven starters from last year's 5-5 squad.

"It will be nice to have them go out against someone who they're not as familiar with and see how they read and react to the flight of the football and make plays," Kearbey said.

If the Mules are to make a run at the program's first winning season in five years and first district title since 2000, the defense will need to lead the way for Poplar Bluff.

"Defense is going to be crucial for us, especially here early in the season until our offense gets their legs under them," Kearbey said. "We're going to rely on our defense through the course of the year, that's how you're going to win a championship -- through your defense."

Poplar Bluff's best stretch last season was during the 12 quarters when the Mules allowed 13 points to Jackson (none in the second half), Cape Central (shutout), Sikeston (a 23-yard TD pass), and West Plains (a touchdown in the first half).

The defense held the opponent to under 200 total yards four times last season -- all wins -- but in games when they didn't, and Poplar Bluff's offense still managed to out-gain the opponent, the Mules were 1-1 with the win coming in overtime.

The 2008 edition of the defense returns a pair of all-conference selections in end Kelton Thompson and safety Ben Knuckles as well as linebacker Aaron Ellis, who led the team in tackles last season and is the leader of the pack, Kearbey said.

"He's a hard worker," Kearbey added. "Every day he comes in here and busts his butt and gives you everything he's got. The kids believe in him and they look up to him (and) he's a vocal guy."

Ellis scored the lone touchdown by the defense last season and had 1 1/2 sacks to go with an interception and three fumble recoveries. Fellow senior Austin Williams, who moves from outside linebacker to defensive end, led the team in sacks last fall with two.

Ethan Hollins is a returning tackle while Thompson, who has 2 1/2 career sacks, returns to the other end but will share time to get rested for his duties as the offensive center. Kearbey said junior Eljie Johnson could start there and starting nose guard is between senior David Gaebler and junior Tony Hinton.

Dylan Janes, Percy Garcia and Zack Stricker, all seniors, will see time on the line, Kearbey said, as well as some young guys like sophomore Jake Knuckles.

"(You'll see) a lot of different faces in that line to keep that defense fresh," Kearbey said.

The linebackers include Ellis and fellow seniors Colby Geringer and Caleb Conover, along with junior Michael Penney and sophomore Nick Shrum. Ellis and Penney, who started the final three games, are the only returning starters at linebacker, a key position in coordinator Kenny Rowland's defense.

"They've got to do a little bit of everything," Kearbey said of the linebackers. "They've got to stuff the run, they've got to stop the pass, they've got to blitz the quarterback, so they've got a lot of different hats."

The group with the most experience back is the secondary. Greg Coble, who led the team with four interceptions as a sophomore, moves from corner to free safety while Knuckles, who had an interception and was second on the team in tackles as a junior, moves to strong safety.

Cornerbacks will be juniors Zack Ferguson, Kerey Smith and Jake Smith along with sophomore Pete Bryant. Kearbey said senior Collin Geringer and sophomore Josh Freeman will help out at safety as well.

"We're pretty deep there and our linebackers run well and we have some athletic people on the line too," Kearbey said.

The Mules defense allowed 18.4 points per game last season and forced more turnovers, 26-18, but half of the 26 touchdowns allowed came on plays of 20 or more yards. Opponents, meanwhile, were successful only 60 percent of the time they pushed the ball inside the Mules 20-yard line.

When asked if the defense will look the same as last year, Kearbey smiled and said, "Yeah, we've made a few changes."