In the practices leading up to tonight's MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 semifinal, Poplar Bluff junior Steven Pierce stood in as quarterback Cooper Callis while senior Nic Hampton was the other half of Jackson's backfield as running back Ethan Laster.
Poplar Bluff's scout-team offense huddled around a coach holding up a diagram of a play that the Indians had run in past games. After a brief look, the players break the huddle and quickly move into position and run the play.
"We've just got to learn what they're doing," Hampton said. "It's very important because we've got to be on top of our game.
"They're depending on us to win, to do what we've got to do so we have a good game."
Hampton has gotten just 10 carries on Friday night, but the likely hundreds he and his scout-team members have run in practice this fall have been vital to Poplar Bluff's successful 9-0 run.
"They're just as important as the starters," Mules coach Mark Barousse said.
It's not lost on the players. Several two-way starters have pointed to the scout team following wins throughout the season as reasons why they were prepared for an opponent.
Poplar Bluff's preparation has led to some key plays that helped the Mules rally to win during their unbeaten run.
In the first meeting with Jackson, Poplar Bluff trailed by five with just over three minutes remaining when the Mules saw a familiar formation. With five receivers all lined up to one side and the defensive recognized it as a play they dubbed "Cinco."
Senior cornerback Brett Barousse jumped on Callis' quick pass after the snap and returned it 82 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
"We've practiced it because they ran it once or twice in previous games and the coaches got us ready for it," Brett Barousse said after the 29-28 win. "They walked us through how we were going to stop it, and if they (ran it) they were going to do it fast, and that's what they did."
The previous week, Tanner Dunivan's punt block set up the go-ahead score when the senior ran through the line untouched.
"Coach been talking about it all week," Dunivan said after the 29-28 win at Cape Central. "(The punter) takes a long time back there so it was quite easy going through there, just ran through and gave it everything I got and blocked it."
In a 21-20 comeback win over Hillsboro, the Mules made a pair of stops on 2-point attempts after touchdowns.
"Mannon and them did a great job of kind of figuring out their two-point situation," Coach Barousse said. "We brought Tanner Dunivan two, three times to the point of attack. They did have a tendency on film."
The scout team's job is to take that tendency and show it on the practice field.
Scout teams are mostly underclassmen on the junior varsity team but a large class of 21 seniors means the Mules could have a full practice on Mondays when the JV team was at a game.
Starters that only play offense or defense will also be on that scout team.
"The talent level on the scout team really helps," Coach Barousse said. "If you get a really bad look, the players aren't real good, you're not near as affective."
The first-team offensive line has had to face senior nose guard Laramie Goodluck and linebacker Makarius Bell during practice.
"They let us see what will be in the game," Bell said of the scout-team offense. "They help us get a better understanding of what the plays are going to be."
On any given play, scout team may not gain a big chunk yards or stop the first-team offense but getting out of the huddle quickly and running the play correctly is more important, Coach Barousse said.
"You can see what the play is doing before it even starts," Bell said.
Players can study an opponent's game film with the team's online video service called Hudl. Mostly, they just look up at the play sheet in the huddle and listen to the instructions of the coach holding it. The scout offense is run by coach John David Pattillo while Jeff Mannon and Lance Bell run the defense.
"You've got to find where you're suppose to be and what you're suppose to do and the object of the play," said Hampton.
After nearly 65 practices, not to mention summer camp work in the sweltering heat, with repetitive reps and Coach Barousse's booming words and whistles, the Mules are still enjoying practice.
"It's just fun to come out here and play," said senior lineman T.J. Abney who plays outside linebacker on scout-team defense.
"It's fun to strap up the helmet and go at it."
Tonight when they host Jackson at Mules Stadium to earn another week of practice, many of the players that helped with preparation may not get off the sideline but they've been a key part of Poplar Bluff's historic run.
"It means a lot to us," senior lineman Brian Welborn said of the program's third undefeated, untied season. "We're proud of what we've accomplished."