MAKING HISTORY: Mules one win away from first district title in 22 years after upset at Jackson

Poplar Bluff didn’t score an offensive touchdown the last time the Mules were at The Pit seven weeks earlier, but they ended their first three drives in the end zone Friday night.

“I wasn’t expecting it to end up that way,” Mules coach David Sievers said of a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter over top-seeded Jackson.

“I knew that they would make a run, they’re too good not to.”

The Mules didn’t score again, but they did just enough to win 21-20 in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 semifinal.

Poplar Bluff (6-5) will play at Cape Central (8-3) in the district championship at 7 p.m. Friday.

The last time the Mules left Jackson, following a 35-7 loss Sept. 16, they were 0-4. It was a much better ride home Friday night.

“I can’t credit the kids enough for rising up and just kind of refusing to lose,” Sievers said.

Poplar Bluff quarterback Mason West threw for 214 yards in the first half — 255 for the game — connecting with Jeridon Young for a 30-yard touchdown and a 65-yard touchdown pass to Darius Graham, who set up the drive with an interception.

Atari Amos scored on a 7-yard run and Colten Palma’s third kick put the Mules up 21-0 just 76 seconds into the second quarter.

It was the first touchdown of the season for Amos, who missed the first meeting and five other games with a broken thumb. The senior finished with 117 yards on 15 carries, 60 yards on a run with just over two minutes remaining when the Mules faced a second-and-11 from their own 18-yard line.

“Atari’s big run was important,” Sievers said. “Wish we would have punched it in but it put them in a position where they didn’t have enough time to finish.”

After the Mules stopped Jackson to retain the lead with 5:29 to play in the third quarter, the teams traded punts before the Mules were stopped on fourth down by an inch at the Jackson 37-yard line.

Again, the Mules forced a three-and-punt and again Jackson stopped the Mules on fourth down, this time at the Jackson 33 with 6:34 to play.

Jackson got to the Mules 18 but three straight incomplete passes gave Poplar Bluff the ball with 2:55 left.

West completed a first-down pass to Makel McFarland before Amos stutter-stepped as he waited for a block and took off. He was finally tripped up 10 yards short of the end zone.

By not scoring, it may have done more to help the Mules close out the win.

It forced Jackson to use up its timeouts before getting the ball back with 1:14 to play at the 1-yard line.

The game ended when Young sacked Jackson’s quarterback two plays after Logan Davis forced a fumble as Kayson King was also earning a sack. Jackson recovered the ball but the clock was running out on a comeback.

“I thought we were kind of running out of gas there in the third quarter but in the fourth quarter we started playing hard again and even though we weren’t scoring, we were moving the ball and were keeping them with long fields,” Sievers said. “The defense stepped up when they needed to.”

Jackson had just two plays longer than 20 yards, one a 30-yard touchdown on a fourth-down, reverse flea-flicker.

After missing the point-after kick wide right following its first touchdown, Jackson punched in a two-point run following its second score.

With his team struggling on the point-after kicks all season and having just punched in from the 2-yard line twice previously, Jackson coach Brent Eckley sent out the offense.

Poplar Bluff linebackers Logan Hite and Logan Davis, who combined for 28 tackles, were able to get through Jackson’s line and get at the ballcarrier’s feet, tripping him up short of the goal line.

“Our linebacking crew has done a great job all year long,” Sievers said.

The Mules, who are seeking their first district title since 2000, advanced to the final after falling in the semifinal the last seven years, including a one-point loss at Seckman last year.

This time, it was the Mules advancing after making a stop on a two-point attempt after a touchdown.

“Kind of the same thing, we went for two to be aggressive last year,” Sievers said of going for two and the lead in the closing minutes at Seckman last year.

“It didn’t work, (but) we were going to be aggressive (Friday night).”

Facing a fourth-and-3 at the Jackson 43 late in the first quarter, Poplar Bluff’s offense stayed on the field and attempted to draw the defense offside. Instead of calling a timeout and sending out the punt team to protect a 14-0 lead, West took the snap and found Romeoh Wontor on a slant route for a 24-yard gain.

The drive started with three straight false-start penalties that backed up the Mules to their own 8-yard line. They were able to overcome a third-and-8 when Wontor caught a pass for a first down.

“It was frustrating,” Sievers said of the penalties. “We’ve got everything going for us but we kind of went into self-destruct mode for a couple of plays.”

The Mules, who were penalized 18 times for 135 yards as the teams combined for 28 penalties, also overcame a long field to start the game.

Poplar Bluff marched 92 yards over seven plays on the first possession of the game and didn’t face a third down before West hit Young over the middle.

Graham ended Jackson’s first drive with an interception at his own 25-yard line then caught a pass from West four plays later for a touchdown that put Poplar Bluff up 14-0.

The 65-yard touchdown pass was the longest of the season through the air for the Mules.

Graham had 123 total yards on three catches and a 17-yard run, Wontor had six catches for 58 yards while Young caught four passes for 50 yards.

“They started rolling down on the outside receivers a little bit more,” Sievers said of Jackson’s defensive change after falling behind 21-0.

“I don’t know if we caught them off-guard early but they definitely changed their coverage a little bit.”

Jackson (6-4) had won eight straight against the Mules dating back to the 2017 regular season when Poplar Bluff won at home and lost the rematch in triple-overtime in the district semifinal.

The last time the Mules won at The Pit, 2009, was also the last time Poplar Bluff reached the state playoffs.

“I just wish that beating Jackson wasn’t a big deal but it’s something we haven’t been able to do in awhile, but maybe that made it even sweeter,” Sievers said.

While the suspense rose in the fourth quarter, the ending of the first half was just as dramatic and, perhaps, more important to the final outcome.

Jackson had cut Poplar Bluff’s lead to 21-6 and stopped the Mules on fourth down 19 yards short of the end zone. After overcoming a holding penalty, Jackson reached the Mules 19-yard line with 25 seconds left in the half and were set to receive the kick to start the third quarter.

But the Mules defended three throws to the end zone as Jackson ran out of time and still trailed by two scores.

“That was huge,” Sievers said. “The plan at halftime was go get a stop and go get a score and put a lot of pressure on them. Obviously, we didn’t do that. It really changed the dynamic of the game.

“Holding them before halftime was big because we were definitely still in control.”

Editor’s note: The story in Saturday’s print edition incorrectly identified the player who scored Poplar Bluff’s final touchdown. Atari Amos scored on a 7-yard run. The DAR regrets the error.