Pirates look to continue trend of being locked in both offensively and defensively against Bulldogs

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Seventh-seeded Mexico beating No. 2 seed and previously undefeated Kirksville in the Class 4 District 5 football quarterfinals may have looked like a significant upset on paper, but Hannibal coach Jeff Gschwender did not necessarily see it that way.

“I can’t say that I was super shocked,” Gschwender said. “Mexico is a really good team, and Kirksville has had a lot of things going their way this year. I knew that if Mexico was still in the game in the second half, then I would have picked them to win. You can ask my assistant coaches. They thought I was crazy, but it really did not surprise me.”

The Bulldogs eliminated the Tigers from the postseason with a 21-14 double-overtime triumph on Nov. 1, setting up a semifinal trip to Porter Stadium on Friday to take on the third-seeded Pirates, who rolled over Wentzville Holt 50-14 in their quarterfinal matchup.

“Offensively, I thought we were firing on all cylinders,” Gschwender said of the Pirates’ victory over the Indians. “We had a pretty good idea of what we were going to see as far as Holt’s defense, so we had a really good plan together offensively, and I thought the kids executed it very, very well.

“Defensively, it was the same deal. Holt had some real deal athletes out there, but we knew that we had the upper hand up front. We really just tried to lock on, work our coverage, and make sure that we were able to use our front, our box to stop the run and get some pressure on the quarterback.”

The Pirates handled Mexico 40-0 in their previous meeting on Sept. 27, outgaining the Bulldogs 429-75 in the process.

“Our defense was lights out,” Gschwender said. “Our defense was just flying. We handled the option well. We took great angles on their outside stuff. We were just good tacklers. We got multiple guys to the ball, and I think that’s going to be another key this week, making sure that we’re aligned properly on defense, which we’ve done much better the last handful of weeks, and that we’re getting multiple guys to the ball and tackling.”

Despite that domination last time, Pirates senior middle linebacker Dylan Bock is not taking the Bulldogs lightly this go around, especially considering Mexico’s most recent showing.

“I don’t think that really matters,” Bock said of the score of the first meeting with Mexico. “They had a lot of injuries and they’re coming off a big win, so I think they’re going to come into this game with a lot of confidence. We can’t say, ‘Oh it’s just Mexico. We already beat them.’ We just need to take them as another team we haven’t played before.”

While it will not be as simple as copy-and-paste, Bock has confidence in the Pirates on both sides of the ball. Hannibal has not given up more than 20 points since its 35-29 loss to Troy Buchanan in Week Three, and the Pirates have outscored their seven opponents 298-79 since that game. That stretch includes a 16-15 loss to Kirksville on Oct. 4.

“It’s exciting seeing our defense and our offense playing really well right now, especially since right now, if you win you keep on playing, but if you lose you don’t play next week,” Bock said.

That offense is highlighted by senior running back Mike Ferreira, who rushed for 195 yards — 167 in the first half — against Holt and has battled his way back to as close to full health as he’s been in several weeks.

“He’s been banged up since about Week Three. He’s had little stuff with his ankle, his knee, his hip,” Gschwender said. “This was really the first week that he has really felt 100 percent like he was Week One, and it showed. He ran angry.”

Having the old Ferreira back gives Gschwender a huge bode of confidence.

“You get what you get out of him, but even when he’s banged up a little bit, he still gives you good stuff,” Gschwender said. “When he’s feeling good, he’s a force.”

Pirates senior quarterback Waylon Anders loves to see it, too.

“Last time we played Mexico, (Ferreira) was banged up,” Anders said. “He ran the ball extremely hard last week, like he hasn’t in a while. Having him at 100 percent makes us so much more dangerous. He was running like old Mike, just running hard, lowering his shoulder, those kinds of things.”

Anders, who threw for 132 yards on 9-of-13 passing with two touchdowns against Holt, said dealing with Mexico’s defensive pressure can prove difficult, but the Pirates are in a good spot to handle it.

“We struggled at times handling their blitzes and their fronts, but I think we’re really figuring out how we’re going to scheme against them,” Anders said. “Then it’s just up to us to execute that.”

That will be one of the many moves made during Friday night’s chess match on the gridiron, a match of wits that Gschwender welcomes with open arms against his good friend, Mexico coach Steve Haag.

“It’s good, hard-nosed football,” Gschwender said. “It may not be the most exciting for the fans, but when we get out there and play, it’s fun trying to manipulate formations on both sides, trying to control the clock and field position. It really is fun to go out there and battle.

“We’re both cut from the same cloth. We’re both physical football teams that are fine with getting 3 or 4 yards a pop and taking 15 plays to score a touchdown. I don’t really see an advantage either way because we’re both similar in how we attack the game.”