FULTON - Though it may seem obvious based on the time of year, there's one word fueling the Fulton Hornets this week.
Finish.
Winless on the season and preparing for their regular-season finale, neatly putting a bow on their nine-game schedule before district play starts is No. 1 with a bullet atop the priority list for Fulton coach Trey Barrow and his Hornets.
"That is one of our keys this week," Barrow said. "We need to get better at finishing drives both offensively and defensively - we did some good things last week on both sides of the ball, now we just have to finish."
Fulton (0-8) gets that opportunity tonight with a season-ending home date against the Sweet Springs Greyhounds. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Robert E. Fisher Stadium.
In light of last week's 33-0 North Central Missouri Conference loss at Kirksville, it might seem as though the Hornets aren't trending in the necessary direction, but the final margin doesn't quite paint a full picture.
Fulton trailed 13-0 to start the fourth quarter last week and had played the Tigers about as close as it had played any of its preceding seven opponents. The Hornets forced four turnovers on defense, spent a good chunk of the game in plus field territory and exhibited methodical and prolonged offensive rhythm.
But Kirksville pulled away with 20 unanswered points off a pair of offensive scores and an interception of Fulton sophomore quarterback Courtland Simmons that was returned for a touchdown.
On the night, Kirksville doubled up Fulton in offensive output (332 total yards to 166), allowed 140 yards rushing and limited Simmons to just 26 yards passing, keeping him from any kind of aerial flow as the Hornets were shut out for the second time this season.
"Kirksville came out in a zone most of the night, which we thought they may do," Barrow said. "By doing that, we had numbers one way or another all night long - the timing was just off most of the night."
With those numbers in mind, however, Barrow said his team isn't feeling any sort of added urgency heading into tonight.
"We are not putting extra pressure on ourselves," Barrow said. "We work hard in practice to perfect our blocking, running, reads, etc., and will continue to let our offense work and try to get the ball in space."
The Hornets welcome a Sweet Springs team that enters tonight's game at 4-1 and - unlike Fulton - is coming off an impressive high of its own. The Greyhounds turned back Class 4 Windsor: Imperial 34-33 in overtime last week.
Like many of the opponents the Hornets have faced this year, Sweet Springs brings in a deliberate and straightforward playing style that won't try to do anything too confusing.
"Sweet Springs is a physical and disciplined football team," Barrow said. "They gained even more confidence after beating a Class 4 team last week, and they look to be rolling after the shutdown - they run the ball and block well."
The offense is led by junior quarterback Zapher Lea, who will present a dual-threat look for the Fulton defense. Lea will be joined in the backfield by senior Grant Knipmeyer and junior Cole Lovercamp, both earmarked by Barrow as players capable of providing chunk plays.
Senior Wade Phillips will likely be Lea's main outside target, and he'll be a big one at 6-foot-7.
All four are defensive contributors as well and Barrow said, "they're all equally effective on that side of the ball."
That will put the charge on the Hornets' offense to maintain forward momentum heading into district play. Fulton eclipsed 30 points in its opener against Osage, a result bolstered by a 28-point second quarter.
In spite of the goose egg against Kirksville, the Hornets have offensive confidence - particularly up front - that Barrow believes they can transform into a solid finishing kick.
"The line is getting more confident each week, more comfortable with the blocking schemes, making minor tweaks, communicating effectively," Barrow said. "Our problems were physical most of Friday night, and we will get that fixed."