Mules head to Festus in final tuneup for opener

Less than one week after the Poplar Bluff Mules faced off against their own teammates in an intrasquad scrimmage, the team will go on the road this Friday to the Festus Jamboree to face off against three other teams.

Mules head coach Jeff Mannon is using what he saw from his team at the scrimmage to prepare to play the Farmington Black Knights, the Seckman Jaguars from Imperial, and the host Festus Tigers.

“Those teams love to run the ball, so we’ll see how we handle physicality,” Mannon said. “All those teams also have pretty sound defenses. I think it will be a good measuring stick to see where we’re at.”

Mannon’s first measure came at last Saturday’s scrimmage.

“The team competed with the intensity they've been building on and off the field,” he said. “I thought the energy was high, and their competitive juices were flowing.

“As a coach, I believe it was a successful scrimmage because we got to see what these kids can do under a little pressure, and we completed the night without any major injuries.”

Mannon said he was pleased with how the offense executed, especially their effort, but many details still need to be addressed.

“I think we need to work on our consistency and sharpen some things up,” he said. “The offensive line has made some good strides over the summer. We focused on simplifying the scheme and ensuring everyone understood and executed each play before moving on to the next.”

On the defensive side, Mannon praised his players for their speed.

“We have a lot of first-year players and young guys stepping up,” he said. “You never really know what you have with those guys until you see them in live action. We have some tackling and physicality issues to work on, but I was happy with what we saw on tape.”

Friday’s scrimmages against three different teams will reveal more about where the Mules are at in their progression and what more still needs to improve.

“It’s hard as a coach to scout for these jamborees because you only get 12 plays on offense and 12 plays on defense against each team,” Mannon said.

Mannon will use the Jamboree performance to prepare for the Mules’ season opener at home Aug. 30 against Valley View High School from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

“We’ll go over some installs to be able to line up, and then get to work on Valley View,” he said. “They’re a solid team, so we’ll have to execute at a high level to take care of business.”