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Mules seek to gather momentum heading into postseason play
Following a dominant 39-0 road shutout at Kennett last Friday, the Poplar Bluff football Mules hope to close out their regular season strong this Friday on the road against the Hillsboro Hawks.
The Mules improved to 3-5 on the season, while Hillsboro fell to 4-4 with a 62-35 loss at Chaminade. The Mules beat Chaminade on the road 14-12 in week two.
In fact, all three of Poplar Bluff’s wins this season have come as the visitors. By contrast, the Mules are 0-4 at home.
Poplar Bluff head coach Jeff Mannon says his team is ready to take on the challenge against a tough opponent in Hillsboro.
“The mood is positive, and the guys are excited,” Mannon said. “The players are confident but focused.”
The Mules offense has been on a roll the past three weeks, averaging 31.3 points in their last three games. Mannon wants to keep that momentum going forward.
“We want to keep the offense balanced and continue getting the ball to our playmakers in space,” Mannon said. “Hillsboro is a physical team that blitzes a lot, so we’re looking to take advantage of some situations. If we execute, I believe we can continue to put points on the board.”
However, Hillsboro has a good offense as well, averaging 30.3 points per game, with the Hawks scoring at least 35 points in five of their eight games. Mannon’s approach on defense remains consistent.
“We’re focusing on assignments and fundamentals this week, as always,” he said.
“Hillsboro likes to run the ball, so we need to be physical at the point of attack and tackle well,” Mannon said. “The key will be getting off the field on third downs and avoiding those long drives.”
Poplar Bluff’s record against Hillsboro since is 5-4, but the Mules are currently on the wrong side of a three-game losing streak to the Hawks.
Mannon isn’t taking anything for granted, including the Mules’ win over Chaminade earlier this season.
“We beat Chaminade in week two, but they’re an entirely different team now,” Mannon said. “They’re spreading it out a lot more. They jumped on Hillsboro early and made them chase the whole game.
“Our kids have done a better job the last few weeks of keeping their confidence going into games. With us having a common opponent, it makes things a bit easier.”
Mannon is emphasizing focusing only on Hillsboro this week and not thinking about playoff seeding.
“We expect maximum effort, focus, and execution, no matter the opponent,” he said. “Hillsboro is a tough team, but if we stay disciplined and stick to our game plan, we believe we can come out on top.
“This game will impact our playoff seeding, as we could land anywhere from the fifth to the seventh seed depending on how things shake out. However, we’re not focused on that right now. Our priority is executing on Friday night and putting ourselves in the best possible position for the playoffs. We’ll worry about the matchups when the time comes. The message is simple: play hard, play smart, and trust each other.”