Crim: Stage is set for NCMC title showdown when Hannibal football team heads to Kirksville

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Both teams must still play two additional league games after this week, but the North Central Missouri Conference football title could be determined Friday night when Hannibal travels to Kirksville.

Both Hannibal, 3-2 overall and ranked fourth in Missouri Class 4, and Kirksville, 5-0 and ranked sixth, are unbeaten after two NCMC games. Meanwhile, the other four league teams — Mexico, Fulton, Moberly and Marshall — have so far offered little resistance in going a combined 3-17.

History would appear to be on Hannibal’s side.

The Pirates own an 18-game conference winning streak — their last loss was a 14-13 nail-biter to Moberly on Oct. 9, 2020 — and have won 53 of 56 league games since the start of the 2014 season.

Moreover, they have played Kirksville 22 times since 2004, including twice in the playoffs, and have won all 22. Hannibal has scored 41 or more points in 18 of those contests, and only three have been decided by fewer than two touchdowns.

The matchup has a new twist this season, however. Gregg Nesbitt, who played for the Pirates in the 1970s and led them to three playoff appearances in six seasons as head coach in the 1980s, is now coaching the Tigers after retiring following 14 seasons at Truman State.

“I just know they’re going to be a very well-coached team,” Hannibal coach Jeff Gschwender said. “With Gregg Nesbitt taking over there, he’s going to have some stuff fixed up. And on top of that, they’re just big.

“But that’s not something that’s anything new to us. We’ve played some big dudes already this year, so I know we’re going to come back and just work the same way we do every single week.”

Despite early-season losses to Jefferson City Helias (ranked third in Class 5) and Troy Buchanan, the Pirates’ ground-and-pound offense is averaging 41.2 points per game after whitewashing Fulton (60-0) and Mexico (40-0) in their last two outings.

Workhorse running back Michael Ferreira has been the focal point. The bruising 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries against Mexico and has run for 705 yards and nine scores through five games — with most of that hard-earned yardage coming between the tackles.

“(Pounding the ball) is normally the game plan,” quarterback Waylon Anders said after engineering time-consuming 12- and 14-play scoring drives in the opening half against Mexico, which set the stage for Hannibal to possess the ball for nearly 31 clock minutes.

“All the credit goes to the guys up front.”

While Hannibal has piled up 1,254 rushing yards, Anders has been productive when called upon to pass. The senior has thrown for 609 yards and 10 TDs, with four of those scoring tosses coming against Mexico to three different receivers.

“I thought we were pretty balanced (against Mexico), but that’s not necessarily something that we’re making sure that we’re balanced,” Gschwender said. “We’re going to take what we think they’re giving us and call the plays that we think are going to be successful.

“(The players) understand we’re just going to do whatever the defense gives us and be happy with it. Sometimes that leads to big touchdowns or big, long runs, and sometimes it’s those 15-play drives. That’s what makes this group special. The kids don’t care who is having success as long as the team is winning.”

Kirksville hasn’t enjoyed much success in the past two decades. It already has matched its victory total from a year ago and appears poised to surpass its seven-win season in 2021 — the most since it won eight times in 2004.

Hannibal, on the other hand, has won eight or more games 16 times during that span and twice has played for the state championship. It also has reached at least the quarterfinal round in the playoffs nine other times, including in each of the last four seasons.

The Tigers are coming off a 40-0 win over Marshall. They’re averaging 30 points per game and have allowed only 20 points through five games, with no opponent scoring more than seven.

However, only one foe currently has a winning record (Savannah at 3-2), and the other four have combined to win three times. This will be the sternest test Kirksville has faced.

Still, Hannibal, which limited Mexico to just 28 yards on 26 rushing attempts and 75 yards of offense overall in a dominating defensive effort, is not taking anything for granted.

“Just come out and make sure we’re playing our best game,” Gschwender said. “Eliminate mistakes and don’t give them anything. Our kids understand that we can still play better. They’re never satisfied.”