HARRISONVILLE AT HANNIBAL
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Porter Stadium, Hannibal, Mo.
Records: Harrisonville -- 0-1. Hannibal -- 1-0.
Coaches: Harrisonville -- Chuck Lliteras (0-1 at Harrisonville, first season; overall, same). Hannibal -- Mark St. Clair (89-33, 12th season; overall, same).
Last meeting: First meeting.
As the fans see it: According to those registered for the "Are You Smarter Than The Sports Guys?" contest at www.whig.com, 74 percent favor Hannibal.
A tough week: The Pirates won't go through any weeks tougher than what they've been through this week. Junior wide receiver/defensive back Colin Krigbaum died in an automobile accident near New London on Monday night.
Krigbaum was a returner starter at wide receiver and defensive back for the Pirates. In the team's season-opening 49-13 victory at Troy, Krigbaum made six tackles and caught two passes for 30 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown reception.
A new look: Harrisonville had its 41-game winning streak snapped last week when it fell 27-21 to Webb City to open the season.
Lliteras takes over for Fred Bouchard, the former Palmyra and Culver-Stockton coach who is now at Staley High School outside Kansas City. Lliteras was promoted to head coach after serving as the team's defensive coordinator under Bouchard.
Strong opener: About the only thing the Pirates didn't do during their opener was go on one of their patented long drives. One of St. Clair's favorite offensive stats is drives that last at least 12 plays. Hannibal didn't have any of those against Troy, but was still efficient with the football.
The Pirates didn't commit any turnovers and were forced to punt just twice. Eight different players rushed the football, including three who had at least 75 yards rushing -- Jay'Kob King (120), Zach Nichols (76) and Michael Forrest (75).
Key matchup: Hannibal's front seven vs. Harrisonville running back Derek Naida. The Pirates had trouble with Troy tailback Daniel Lindemann last week. Lindemann rushed for 119 yards and was a pain in the Pirates' side for most of the night. Naida was just at tough on Webb City, rushing for 101 yards on 16 carries, including scoring runs of 43 and 49 yards. The Pirates will have to contain Naida's big-play ability in order to better their chances of winning.
-- Don O'Brien
