Brian Rosener is the keeper of the Semoball Cup which is presented to the school with the most successful season. It is based on a formula that takes into account the combined winning percentage of all sports teams plus bonus points for advancement in postseason play for both teams and individuals. The bonus points are divided by the number of teams a school fields. Rosener has been the sports editor for the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff, Mo. since December 2001. He was born and raised in St. Louis, where he attended Lindbergh High School and Webster University. He is married to Jennifer, a Poplar Bluff native, has a son Jack and a dog named Satchel who stands in for his @semoballBrian photo.

Bluff-West Plains preview

Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at 11:16 AM

The preview for the Mules-West Plains football game set for Thursday night is in the Wednesday edition of the DAR. (Usually, the football preview page runs on Thursday, but we move it up a day this week so fans have it before the trip west.)

Poplar Bluff (6-3) travels to West Plains to face the Zizzers, who are also 1-1 in district play. The winner will face the District 2 champion in the MSHSAA Class 4 playoffs next Wednesday while the loser will have their season end.

West Plains (2-7) and Poplar Bluff each beat Farmington and lost to Sikeston, the only difference being that the Mules are coming off a 28-0 loss to the Bulldogs while the Zizzers won last week.

The Mules are coming off their first shutout since 2005, when Poplar Bluff ended the season with a 28-0 loss at West Plains. The Zizzers have won all five meetings since joining the same district as Poplar Bluff in 2004, winning the title three times and qualifying last year with a 3-7 record before beating the District 2 champ in the playoff.

The field is located here.

Here's a fan guide for the game.

The weather report does not look good:

Thursday...Periods of thunderstorms. Periods of showers. Locally heavy rainfall possible in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 60s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.

Thursday night...Periods of showers and thunderstorms in the evening...Then occasional showers and a chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Locally heavy rainfall possible in the evening. Lows in the upper 40s. South winds 10 to 15 mph in the evening shifting to the west after midnight. Chance of rain 90 percent.

Comments

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I worry about this game for Poplar Bluff. On paper, it looks like a game the Mules will and should win. But it wont be that easy. For some reason they cant beat WP. And like I predicted coming into last weeks Sikeston game, the Mules always struggled down the stretch.

I hate to say this (and I hope Im very wrong). West Plains 38-26.

-- Posted by FreyGuys on Wed, Oct 28, 2009, at 12:19 PM
I think WP is a ton better than they played against SIkeston. I mean they put up 21 points in 4 minutes. that takes a lot out of a team. I think this will be a good game.

-- Posted by gohard2011 on Wed, Oct 28, 2009, at 10:10 PM
I have to agree with you stownfootball, those 21 points scored so quickly and Sikeston's defense is alot to overcome. I mean PB got an idea of that when they were shut out by Sikeston. I think it's going to be a slug fest between Poplar Bluff and West Plains. They seem evenly matched.

-- Posted by sbulldog4life on Wed, Oct 28, 2009, at 11:47 PM

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