MARYVILLE, Mo. — The Spoofhounds had adjusted on the fly well to injuries this season — playing without their starting running back, starting center and top tackler at different points this season, but with a bye week in the rearview mirror, Maryville is back in its comfort zone with the district playoffs going through the friendly confines of the Hound Pound.
“Super excited,” Maryville coach Matt Webb said. “We had a great bye week. We worked hard and got healthy at the same time.”
Pembroke Hill (5-5) spent Maryville’s bye week earning its trip to the Hound Pound with a 47-6 win over Central (Kansas City) last Friday night.
The Raiders are averaging 24.9 points per game and allowing 17.9. The two teams have only met once before — back in 1987 with Pembroke Hill winning 21-6.
Despite the lack of familiarity between the schools, there is plenty of familiarity between Webb and Pembroke Hill coach Sam Knopik, who is in his 22nd season leading the Raiders.
“Sam Knopik is a good friend of mine,” Webb said. “We went to college together and played on the same football team at William Jewell. He is a class act individual and he’s done a great job with their football program.”
While this season has been a .500 year, Pembroke Hill has been a winning program under Knopik including going 11-1 last season and winning the Class 2, District 6 championship before falling to eventual state champion Lamar in the state quarterfinals.
“They had a difficult schedule this year, played some Class 4 teams, lost some games, but they are a very well coached team and have some very good skill positions,” Webb said. “They will come in here with a great mindset, ready to get a win in the playoffs.”
Maryville spent the off week focused on their own group and Webb was happy with the work his team put in.
“You want to be playing your best this time of year,” Webb said. “Sometimes that comes across as coach-speak or heresy, but we focused on fundamentals. In northwest Missouri this time of year, you need to be able to run the ball, stop the run on defense, get turnovers on defense and take care of the ball on offense. That is the key to making a playoff run.”
The game will kick off on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Hound Pound and the winner will play the winner of Richmond and Chillicothe next Friday for the Class 3, District 8 championship. The forecast for Friday in Maryville is a clear evening with a high of 63 degrees and a low of 46 degrees.
“It doesn’t matter what the playoff bracket looks like, state ranking or who beat who,” Webb said. “You gotta play your best every Friday night. We have an opportunity to play at home on Friday, and we need to take advantage of it, come out and play our best.”