Mules face stiff test at state-ranked Hillsboro

At the start of the season, Makel McFarland and Chris Matlock were returning starters in the defensive secondary and not expected to play much on offense.

In fact, McFarland didn’t take a single handoff in the season opener while Matlock caught one pass for 3 yards.

Heading into the final game of the regular season, they’ve led the offense in scoring. McFarland ran for 212 yards and three touchdowns in a win Friday at Kennett while Matlock led the team in receptions for a fourth straight week.

“They were both scheduled to be one-way players but things happen,” Mules coach David Sievers said. “They both stepped up.”

After an 0-4 start, the Mules (4-4) have turned their season around and can open the postseason next week at home.

Sievers credits the senior class, which includes McFarland and Matlock, for “keeping everybody together.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of the way that the kids have fought back,” he added. “Got to give the seniors a lot of credit.”

Poplar Bluff faces a tough test Friday night to extend the program’s longest winning streak since winning nine straight to start 2017.

Hillsboro (7-1) is coming off a 26-13 loss to Cardinal Ritter, the top-ranked team in Class 3, after outscoring opponents 380-78 through the first seven games. The Hawks opened their season with a 49-14 win over Sikeston and beat Cape Central 47-7 a week before the Tigers won 14-7 at Poplar Bluff.

That loss may loom large over the Mules should Cape Central fall below Poplar Bluff in the district standings. The Tigers can move ahead should they finish a spot behind the Mules after this week.

To move up in the standings, Poplar Bluff must knock off a state-ranked opponent for a second straight week.

“We look at the points that they’ve put up and the points they’ve allowed and we know we got a tough test ahead of us,” Sievers said.

Last year the Hawks ran for 477 yards against Poplar Bluff led by Jaxin Patterson’s 289 and 134 from Austin Romaine. The pair again lead the rushing attack with a combined 1,259 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. Romaine is averaging 12.4 yards per carry while Patterson leads the team in attempts (85) and averages 7.4 yards per run.

Sophomore quarterback Preston Brown averages 9.2 yards per carry and has completed 68.5% of his passes for 638 yards and nine touchdowns while running for six more.

“We know we’ve got an extreme hill to climb this Friday night,” Sievers said. “It’s one we’re excited about trying.

“We’re in a lot better place than we were early in the year and we’re looking forward to going up there and seeing what happens.”

Sievers said quarterback Mason West has not practiced this week after suffering a concussion in the first half Friday night. He added that the junior might try to work out Thursday and would be a game-time decision Friday night.

West has thrown for at least 140 yards during Poplar Bluff’s four-game win streak with Matlock averaging 105 yards per game.

Jay Edmondson, who played the second half Friday, and Jeridon Young have taken snaps in practice this week, Sievers said.

The Mules got back senior running back Amare White from an ankle injury last week, running 10 times for 63 yards and a score in the second half after missing the previous five games.

Sievers said running back Atari Amos has also been cleared to practice. The senior suffered a broken thumb in the season opener and will need to wear a brace.

“It’s just going to be good to see him back on the field, even if his touches are limited,” Sievers said. “He’s a special player.”

Injuries to Amos and White, who combined for nearly 1,200 rushing yards last year, led to more carries for McFarland, who had just 10 career carries coming into this season. He ran for 103 yards in a loss at Jackson and ran for 159 against against Farmington before topping that in the first half last week with three touchdowns.

The Mules have averaged 33 points per game during the win streak after managing a total of 23 in the first four games.

“There’s really no clear-cut reason why we started 0-4, why the offense was so far behind the defense starting out but we started clicking,” Sievers said. “I think the quarterbacks got a little bit more comfortable and we started blocking better up front.

“… It’s definitely a tale of two seasons. I’ve told the kids we started 0-4 for a reason. I think we’re kind of finally figuring it out.”