The 21 seniors on the Poplar Bluff football team will be honored prior to Friday's game at Mules Stadium, then continue their chase of history.
The Mules, ranked seventh in the latest state media poll, are 7-0 for the first time since 2003 and one of just 28 unbeaten teams left in Missouri.
There have been only two unbeaten and untied regular seasons in nearly 100 years of Mules football -- four more teams were unbeaten with a tie.
Like a baseball team with their pitcher throwing a no-hitter, the Mules are not bringing it up with two games left in the regular season.
"We hadn't talked about it," Mules coach Mark Barousse said without saying what "it" was.
"One at a time," he added. "You slip up and you lose."
Hillsboro (6-1) can enact a measure of revenge Friday after Poplar Bluff ended its unbeaten season last year with a 43-28 road win.
The Hawks come in with a potent offense averaging 43.4 points and 461.5 yards per game led by a 1,000-yard rusher.
"They come at you, and come at you, and come at you," Barousse said.
Hillsboro running back Micheal Keller has scored 23 times and already amassed 1,096 rushing yards by averaging 13.0 per carry. The senior has ran for over 200 yards in a game twice this season.
The Hawks also have two more backs with multiple 100-yard rushing games in Luke Skaggs and Joe Garner. Each has ran for eight touchdowns and averaged 7.0 yards per carry while combined, the two have 1,181 yards.
Skaggs and Garner will pound through the line while Keller is "really explosive" Barousse said.
Hillsboro's starting offensive line is almost entirely new, featuring Ryan Larking, a 5-foot-10, 250-pound center, with senior Mike Lalk, 6-1, 240-pound junior Bob Doerner, senior Zach Bodway and senior Paul Stewart. But they've come through a system put in place by fourth-year coach Lee Freeman, a former assistant coach at Poplar Bluff until 2007.
"We're going to have to read well and we're going to have to be physical at the point of attack," Barousse said.
Josef Marschuetz, 6-3, 210, is the tight end and leads the Hawks in receiving yards with 53 on two catches.
Senior quarterback Tyler Isaacson has attempted just 43 passes for 215 yards. Last year against the Mules, he completed 3 of 7 passes for 10 yards.
The Hawks have punted just five times but have turned it over 12 times, losing 10 of 14 fumbles.
"It's real important this week that we get some stops on defense," Barousse said.
That has been difficult in two of the previous three meetings when Hillsboro has scored 28 or more points. The Mules are 62-5 when holding an opponent to 21 points or less under Barousse, including 19 straight wins.
"They've scored a lot of points against us," Barousse said. "Last two years have basically come down to turnovers."
Poplar Bluff's seniors include T.J. Abney, Brett Barousse, Logan Bell, Makarius Bell, Preston Burroughs, Tyson Cox, Andrew Dugas, Tanner Dunivan, Andrew Ellsworth, Laramie Goodluck, Luke Johnson, Cameron Jones, Mason Libla, Myanza McCain, RaShawn McCain, John Page, Victor Rivera, Boone VanDover, Rufus Ward and Brian Welborn.
Cox (knee), the all-time leader in receiving yards for a game, season and career, will be a game-time decision for a second straight week, Coach Barousse said.