Prep Football: Fulton heading to Mexico for Highway 54 Bowl


The Fulton defense gangs up on
a Boonville rusher in the Hornets'
47-13 rout of the Pirates last Friday
night in Fulton.
The Fulton defense gangs up on a Boonville rusher in the Hornets' 47-13 rout of the Pirates last Friday night in Fulton.

After trouncing Boonville in a 47-13 North Central Missouri Conference romp for Homecoming last week, the Fulton Hornets know they are going to be tested more this week, facing off against the rival Mexico Bulldogs.

With both teams sporting records of 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the NCMC, Fulton will attempt to bring the Highway 54 Bowl trophy home for the first time since 2012 when it heads to state-ranked Mexico tonight. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

"It's always a big game for both teams," Fulton head coach Pat Kelley said. "It's about 20 miles between the two schools, the kids know each other, there are a lot of relatives in both towns and it's a big game for everyone, regardless of (win-loss) records.

"But this year makes it a little more special because we're both 6-1 and at this point in the year, you want to gain as much momentum as you can going into Week 10 and the playoffs."

The Hornets got back on track offensively against Boonville, accumulating 512 total yards. Senior running back Travis Dean gained 243 yards and scored three touchdowns. With two games left in the regular season, Dean has already rushed for 1,331 yards and 16 touchdowns.

"We don't talk a lot about records, but for him it's a career high and with each game he gets closer and closer to a lot of different records," Kelley said.

Even with Dean's success, Kelley noted he strives for a balanced playbook by keeping a run-to-pass ratio around 60-40. Junior quarterback Devin Masek has passed for 965 yards and 12 touchdowns, with only four interceptions, and has also picked up 284 yards rushing and five scores.

Masek threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns against Boonville, and also ran for a pair of scores. Kelley plans to continue a balanced attack tonight in order to find success against Mexico's stingy defense.

The Bulldogs - ranked No. 9 in Class 4 - have won three in a row and are coming off a 54-14 NCMC rampage at Kirksville last week. Mexico's defense has shut out four opponents this season and surrendered just 48 points.

"They're really good," Kelley said. "We're going to have to make sure that we get them off the line of scrimmage and hopefully use our speed to our advantage. But you know it's definitely a very tough task running against their defense."

Part of the Hornets' success last week came from their time of possession in key moments of the game. After giving up a score as a result of a turnover on the previous series, Fulton's second possession of the second half took almost five minutes off the clock.

Kelley knows time of possession will be especially important tonight. Of its 293 offensive plays this season, Mexico has only attempted 23 passes.

Karsten Ekern, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior, leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 1,058 yards (9.0 average) and 16 touchdowns, while fellow senior D'Milo Nunnelly (5-11, 183) has gained 383 yards (6.3 avg.) and scored five times.

Senior Spencer Thomas (6-0, 160) has rushed for 221 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore Avion Williams (5-9, 175) has 188 yards and three scores.

"It's no secret that they line up to run the ball," Kelley said. "They have a lot of motion with the double wings. They're going to try to get the ball to Nunnelly or Karsten.

"In a lot of their games they don't put up huge numbers, score-wise, but they put up huge numbers yard-wise just because they are grinding it out. They have the seven-, eight-, nine-minute drives and get 3, 4, 5 yards each play."

Fulton remains in second place in the Class 3 District 6 standings with 46.63 points. Blair Oaks (7-0) - ranked second in the state - is in first place with 50.62 points. Owensville (4-3) and Southern Boone (4-3) follow the Hornets in third and fourth place, respectively, with 37.98 and 36.14.

Fulton at Mexico - Updates on Twitter: @FultonSunSports. Listen live online: kfalthebig900.com

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Week 8 Preview: Fulton vs. Mexico