RaShawn McCain is back on the football field with his teammates for the first time in over a year and the Poplar Bluff senior may be better for it.
"Hopefully," McCain said, "We'll see this fall."
McCain, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, watched as the Mules won eight games for a second straight season. He wasn't alone on the sideline.
Poplar Bluff's postseason hopes last fall, however, were dashed by a series of injuries leading up to a district semifinal loss to Vianney, which went on to win the MSHSAA Class 5 championship.
"It's tough just sitting back and watching everybody because you want to be out there," McCain said.
"You've been playing football your whole life then it's taken from you for a season, you realize that it can be gone at any time."
The Mules, who open the season August 18 at home against Riverview Gardens, return all-conference players in receivers Tyson Cox and Myanza McCain with linebacker Tanner Dunivan. Seven defensive starters, including the entire secondary, are back along with five starters on an offense that set a team record for points in a season.
"We've got a pretty solid defense right now," said Dunivan, who led with 104 tackles last year at linebacker. "Our D-line is looking pretty good. If we can stay healthy, we're looking pretty decent."
Poplar Bluff's offense last year was more than decent --averaging 41.0 points per game while quarterback Zane Foust set team records for passing in a game and season. Foust, who has graduated, took more snaps following a knee injury to fellow quarterback Logan Bell in the third week.
Bell is back and healthy for his senior season along with Cox and McCain who didn't finish the final game following injuries.
"The injuries we had, we've never had a history of that," said Mark Barousse, who starts his 12th season as Poplar Bluff's head coach.
"We haven't changed what we were doing in the weightroom or anything else. We had two, three knees (injured) and we don't usually get that. We usually get a knee every two or three years."
Barousse didn't think moving into Mules Stadium, with its artificial surface, was much of a factor, noting injuries suffered on grass fields. This year all of Poplar Bluff's nine regular-season games will be played on turf -- a first for the program -- and only one district team plays on a grass field.
"I tend to see more ankles (injured) on turf," Barousse said. "They get caught and somebody roles an ankle. Those new molded cleats, I don't like the stability of them. They've all gone lighter and narrower. It doesn't work for running backs and wide receivers."
Opposing defenses will have plenty of running backs and receivers to chase on this fall.
Cox already holds the school record for receiving yards in a season (1,313) and career (1,884). Myanza McCain's 702 receiving yards last year ranked eighth most all-time while three more players return with catches.
Brett Barousse, the leading rusher on the team last year with 421 yards, moves to receiver with the return of RaShawn McCain and Isaiah Johnson in the backfield. McCain averaged 6.5 yards per carry as a sophomore two years ago. Bell ran for five touchdowns last year in 20 attempts as quarterback.
"We've got a lot of experience," Coach Barousse said. "We're trying to find a few guys up front. Offensively up front scares me a little bit more than defensively."
Four of the five starters on the offensive line graduated with senior Preston Burroughs back at guard. Andrew Dugas also returns with fellow senior Boone Vandover while Steven Jackson, Kendrick Gordon, Ben Norwood and Wyatt Lazalier, all juniors, are back. Andrew Ellsworth is back after missing all of his junior year with a back injury.
The coaching staff will get their first look at the retooled line and the younger players Friday when the Mules travel to Rolla for the preseason jamboree.
It will be one of the few times the team will leave Poplar Bluff this fall. The first three games -- Riverview Gardens, Dexter and St. Charles --will be at Mules Stadium. After consecutive road games at Farmington and Cape Central to open conference play, the Mules host Jackson before Sikeston for homecoming and then Hillsboro. Poplar Bluff ends the regular season at Festus while the top two seeds in the district will once again get a first-round bye and a home game in the semifinal.
To win the program's first district title since 2000, Coach Barousse said the team just has to keep improving each week.
"You know it's going to be really tough down the line so you better keep getting better and better," he said.
Said Dunivan, "We come out here and try to work our best we can every practice."