Mexico made all the right plays in the playoffs a season ago in Kirksville and did the same on Friday.

The Bulldogs won 14-0 at their North Central Missouri Conference and district rival Kirksville (3-4, 2-2 NCMC) following a 21-14 double-overtime victory in districts last year. Other than it being Mexico’s first shutout this season, this the team’s first regular season win against Kirksville since 2020 and the first regular season win in Kirksville since 2019.

Head coach Steve Haag said Kirksville has been a tough matchup for Mexico (5-2, 3-1 NCMC) in recent years because of the good players it finds out of the many who participate in its program. Kirksville has two all-conference defensive linemen and an all-conference linebacker to play for longtime head coach Gregg Nesbitt. Mexico has played and won shootouts this season, but its defense has also limited opponents to 22.4 points per game.

“In games like this, yards are pretty valuable,” Haag said. “When you play these, each possession and each play has a bigger value to it. Just to make those adjustments and find things that work is big.”

Mexico finished with 226 total yards — 169 rushing yards — while Kirksville had 222 total yards, including 137 passing yards. Drew DeMint led with 76 yards and one touchdown on four carries.

Haag said Mexico made high-value plays. The defense came through when Kirksville wanted to go through the air, picking off the Tigers three times. Kyler Benne had two interceptions in the second half and Korbyn Dorsey intercepted Kirksville when its offense was 5 yards away from the end zone.

“This was the best game probably adjustment-wise,” Haag said about the defense. “They threw the ball more than we thought and caught us off guard. We were able to adjust and take the pass away in the second half.”

DeMint ran 71 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to put Mexico ahead 7-0. Dorsey had a key play on offense as well when he caught a 40-yard pass by Charlie Fisher on a third-and-long play that eventually led to a Brysen Hammers rushing touchdown.

Mexico, whose record against district foes moved to 3-1, went from one extreme to the other in two weeks, winning a 63-42 shootout at Fulton and then bested another conference rival in a low-scoring affair. Now, the week for the Bulldogs will be busier as it holds Homecoming at 7 p.m. against conference foe Moberly (2-5, 2-2 NCMC).

“We ran some plays tonight that we didn’t run last week that ended up working for us,” Haag said. “Sometimes teams, no matter the record, they match up better against each other. I think that was the case tonight.”