The long dry season without high school football is nearly over, and two familiar foes will battle under the bright lights for the first game of the season.

The Poplar Bluff Mules will step onto the field with a more seasoned squad and will be under the direction of new head coach Jeff Mannon as they take on the Valley View Blazers on Friday at Mules Stadium. Since the recent reset to the Mules’ coaching staff, there’s been a new excitement and camaraderie that has spread throughout the team.

One player who’s ready to take the field under the new regime is senior offensive lineman Chase O'Neal.

“It's a whole different atmosphere this year,” O'Neal said. “With the coaching change, there's been a whole lot more excitement brought to the team. Everybody's working harder, and everybody's working together. Unlike in the past couple of years, everybody's more of a team this year. It's just made all the difference in practice and any of the scrimmages we've gone to.

“I've known coach Mannon as long as I've been here, and he's helped me with everything—on and off the field. Coach Mannon is almost like a father coach to me, and I guarantee that if you ask anybody else on this team, they will say the same thing.”

Last season, the Mules finished 5-5 with a first-round playoff exit. With a great number of seniors returning from last year, they want to leave the past in the past and enter a new era armed with a wealth of experience.

Receiver Spencer Nunn said the seniors are really excited about the season and the recent changes that have happened during the summer. He said everything feels more organized, and they're very confident about the team they’ve built and ready to get the season going. As for what the Mules need to do to be successful, Nunn said if they apply all the work done from the summer, they will have a good year.

Mannon said the upcoming season's focus has been building a positive culture and leadership among seniors, with 17 seniors leading the way.

“We’ve set expectations for the kids of what we expect, and I think running smoothly,” Mannon said. “We put seniors in charge of leadership and showed them how to do it because in the past, the coaches tried a little too hard on the leadership. The kids are just doing a great job, and the senior bunches are awesome. They've stepped up, and hopefully, these guys can show the underclassmen how things are supposed to operate. Even across the community, we've just worked on making football fun again around here, and they just seem excited to see what's going on.”

Mannon said the offense will simplify its playbook, emphasizing plays to move the ball more efficiently, while the defense will adopt a hybrid strategy for faster performance.

“We're going to be a lot like we were last year,” he said. “We've made the playbook a little simpler by focusing on four or five plays, and we won’t add much until we have those right. We’re going to use Jay Edmundson a lot this season and try to air it out. He’s a quick thinker, and it’s great that he also has the ability to run if needed. Defensively, we've run the same defense around here for the last 10 or 15 years, so it's just going to be a hybrid defense. I think we're faster than we've been in the past, and we'll be able to fly around on the field.”

Though the Mules lost some key pieces from last season, Mannon said they have a deep roster of athletic players. In addition to his slew of returners, the Mules also have some underclassmen who are ready to take the field.

The offense will feature a running back by committee, with Devin Ferguson and Caden Jenkins as the primary backs. The offensive line will be strong, with experienced players such as Kylar Wilson, Chase O'Neill, Lincoln Warren and Kade Busse.

Defensively, Jenkins, Connor Stevens, Neco Gaddy, and Kayden Walker will be key players at linebacker, while the secondary will have experienced players such as Hunter Clifford, Spencer Nunn, and Dylan Hall, with newcomer JR Lathon also contributing.

As the Mules gear up for the season, Mannon provided the team with some encouraging words.

“As long as we just execute and we cooperate as a team, I think we're going to be fine this year,” Mannon said. “I always tell them to have the memory of the goldfish. When they get to the next play, go on to the next play and don’t hold on to mistakes. I want them to take things one game at a time. So as long as they keep that mentality and we stay positive about everything and operate as one unit, I think we'll be fine.”

VALLEY VIEW MATCHUP

This Friday’s matchup will be the third meeting against the Blazers. Last season, the Mules took a 26-14 loss to the Blazers as they struggled to get much going in the second half of the contest.

The Mules are looking to start 1-0 for the first time since 2021. Poplar Bluff lost its home opener 34-13 to start last year against Park Hills Central and 16-2 in 2022 against Valley View. The Blazers finished 10-2 last year, while their 26 points scored against the Mules were the fewest in a game all season for a team that averaged 41.4 per game.

Senior quarterback Edmundson said the team is motivated by the new coaching staff and has the desire to achieve something significant. With much of the team returning to his side, he is eager to take the field with guys he’s been with since his first day.

“I really believe we are excited because we have a lot of seniors who’ve played together well and we’re excited to play under the new coaching staff,” Edmundson said. “I feel like it's lit a fire under us to really go out and do something this year with 17 seniors. I think it just shows our camaraderie of wanting to stick together and build this as a team. We've always had good numbers, and there are no slouches from any of those 17, all of us can play.”

Edmundson said the key to a great season is to stick together and keep building week by week. If they can keep improving throughout the season, by the time the playoffs come, they’ll be able to get through anybody. He said it's just one of those things where they must stick with the process.

This will be the first game for Mannon, who is looking to join four of the last six Mules coaches to win their debut. Though Mannon is kicking off his head coaching career against a tough opponent, he believes they have all the tools to get the job done.

“Valley View is a pretty athletic team,” Mannon said. “ It's rough playing those Arkansas schools early on because they have a full spring ball compared to Missouri. It's going to be a tough task, but I think these guys are ready to take it on.”