Mules squeak by

Griffons conquered,

By: Kevin Moye

Posted: 9/26/02

Despite playing on the road in a hostile environment and compiling 178 yards in penalties, the Mules defeated Missouri Western State College 21-14 in their MIAA conference opener Saturday. The Mules (13th in the latest AFCA Div. II poll) continue MIAA play at 2 p.m. Saturday when a solid Emporia State team (3-0) visits Walton Stadium.
"I did not think we played really well against Missouri Western," said Mules Head Coach Willie Fritz. "Our offense never did click like we are capable of doing, and we were just a very sloppy team that night. But the most important thing is we won and a tough win like that prepares us for Emporia State."
The win against Missouri Western was secured with three seconds left in the game when Casey Blackstun intercepted a Griffons pass in the end zone.
Wide Receiver Todd DeVoe said the most recent victory gave the Mules the confidence and competition needed to do well this season in the MIAA.
"This is a great win for us," DeVoe said. "Against Mo-West, we basically showed ourselves and everyone else in the conference that we can compete against any and all odds."
Last season the Mules traveled to Emporia where they triumphed over the Hornets 40-34 in a game which turned into an overtime, offensive shootout .
Some of the Mules heroes inthat game were receiver Todd DeVoe, who had eight catches for 152 yards, and the running back tandem of "Thunder & Lightning." Lee "Thunder" Thompson carried the ball 25 times for 116 yards while Kegan "Lightning" Coleman ran for 157 yards on 18 carries .
Unfortunately, Coach Fritz may have to go into the Emporia State game with only half of his duo. First team all-MIAA running back Lee Thompson injured his knee early in the Mo-West game, and nobody knows if he will be available for this Saturday's game.
"The last time I checked there was a lot of swelling in his right knee, but right now I have no clue if he will be available this weekend or not," Fritz said "But if he is not, we are lucky to have two great backs in Kegan and Lee. And Kegan showed us last week that he is capable of carrying the ball many times during the game. But we do have to take good care of him. We can't have him hurt also."
Last week Coleman earned his second MIAA offensive player of the week honor this season after posting 233 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Mo-West.
Coleman and his offensive teammates will be up for a challenge this week, however. Emporia State defends the run very well and allows just 11 points a game.
On offense, the Hornets are led by athletic quarterback Kelton Copeland. On the ground, Tyler Paul averages about 115 yards a game. Last week against Truman State, a 34-17 win for the Hornets, their offense totaled 478 yards and 322 came on the ground.
"Last season's double -overtime game was a difficult and important win for us, and we should expect the same things —the same type of battle — again this season," Fritz said. Offensively, they run the ball 75 percent of the time, and when they decide to throw, it is usually a deep play action pass downfield. Defensively, they are very similar to Mo-West. They are a very solid unit, so despite this being at home, it will be a true test."