Poplar Bluff High School head football coach Jeff Mannon observes a gradual climb of improvement in the Mules' latest performance heading into week four of the season.

The Mules will face unbeaten foe Cape Central on Friday for senior night at Mules Stadium for their second district matchup of the season. With a tough battle ahead, the Mules will put emphasis on fundamentals and execution for this week’s preparation.

Following last week’s 36-33 loss to Farmington, Mannon said the Mules still have a good head space, and the energy in practice remains high.

“The kids are still fighting on every play,” Mannon said. “We blew some assignments towards the end of the game, and it ended up costing us. I think they had 10 snaps in the second half and scored on four of them, so it’s definitely hard to win ball games against that. This week, we’ve corrected those mistakes, so we’re looking much cleaner and working hard to be ready for Cape.”

Quarterback Jay Edmundson said that while they didn't win, there were many positive aspects. Heading into their next game, he stressed the importance of limiting turnovers, excelling in special teams and managing penalties.

“We did a lot of good things,” Edmundson said. “There’re three things a team needs to do to win and we got two out of the three right. The penalties just ended up costing us in the end. We just need to get cleaner as a team. It’s neither one side nor the other. I have to give credit to our Offensive line. They’ve played great in the last two games. I believe we all executed how we needed to, and it’s going to keep building as the season goes on.”

The Mules had a big production in offense in their previous game by collecting 466 yards—309 rushing and 157 passing. Caden Jenkins led in rushing with 129 yards and a touchdown and Edmundson followed with 117 yards and a touchdown. Edmundson threw 10/19 on with two touchdowns, which both went to Hunter Clifford, who led in receiving with 102 yards.

With Edmundson producing a lot of playmaking in the first two games, he said it felt great to see his teammates cross the goalline.

“It really felt great watching everyone find their rhythm,” Edmundson said. “Everybody needs and wants the ball, whether they admit it or not. People love getting the ball and scoring. I love seeing them score because the more we all work as one, and the more we're all happy to see each other's score, the better we'll be. With all of us getting the ball, we're a dangerous team.”

Mannon said the recent rise in production is credited to the team getting more comfortable with the offense. He said that the Mules having more confidence gives them more room to get more players involved, which increases their execution levels on both sides of the ball.

The matchup between the Mules and Cape Central has an extensive history that dates back to 2010. Though the Mules have a 6-9 record against Cape Central, they will have a bit of an edge after winning 42-35 in last year’s matchup. Cape has held their opponents to a combined 16 points, so the Mules will have a tough task ahead.

From where the Mules started in week one to where they are now, Mannon said the team has bought into the scheme and encourages them to keep pushing ahead for improvement each game. As they prepare for Cape Central, getting consistent with fundamentals on offense and defense will be key.

“I told these kids from the beginning that this whole thing is just like climbing a mountain, and we have to take little steps at a time—you can't just jump to the top of it,” Mannon said. “We've worked on expanding our knowledge and adding different techniques as we go. They all understand that it's a year-long process, and we're working towards districts. Everything we do is geared up towards those last couple of games, and it's all a process.”