The Ada Cougars will venture to McAlester Friday night to battle the archrival Buffaloes.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hook Eales Stadium.
Both teams enter the game looking for their first victory of the season after losing their opening two games. Ada dropped games to Durant and Ardmore, while the Buffaloes absorbed losses to Broken Bow and Muskogee.
Friday’s matchup marks the 101st meeting between the two schools. Ada leads the all-time series 65-34-1 dating back to 1915. However, McAlester has won nine of the past 13 meetings.
Both sides would love nothing more than to get back on the winning track this week.
“Any time you go to McAlester, it’s a tough environment. It’s bright lights. It’s a rivalry game. The emotions are high. It’s a fun atmosphere — a crazy, chaotic night for high school football,” Ada head coach Wade Boyles told The Ada News. “It’s a game where both sides circle the calendar every year. It’s cherry on top of the three rivalry games we play to start the season.”
Tiger tales
Last week’s 34-7 loss to Ardmore was much closer statistically than the score might indicate. The Cougars finished with 282 yards of total offense and controlled the ball for nearly 25 minutes.
“I thought we played really well at times and showed glimpses of what this team can be. There were opportunities there for the taking, and we just missed them,” Boyles said. “We controlled the football like we wanted to and established our run game. We simply have to get points on the board when you sustain those long drives. That’s a growing point for us this week.”
Ardmore had scoring plays of 88, 81, 68 and 73 yards.
“Defensively, we have to be better tacklers and play our assignment football,” Boyles said. “Ardmore showed why they are a Top 5 team in the state. They’re good. They’re explosive and well-coached.”
Scouting McAlester
Boyles said McAlester head coach Jeff Craig, who spent 18 seasons at Blanchard before landing with the Buffaloes last year, is one of the best in the business.
“Coach Craig does a fantastic job as always. He’s a legend in the game,” he said. “He does a good job of getting his kids to play at the highest level they can play.”
Junior quarterback Brody Parker runs a spread offense and will scatter the ball all around the field. He has completed 41 of 63 passes for 387 yards and three touchdowns.
“They’ll spread the ball around and have a really good quarterback that gets the ball out quick and gets it to his playmakers,” Boyles said.
Receivers Kyle Moss, Dacien Pouncil and tight end Denver Durant have been Parker’s top targets so far.
A pair of juniors — John Marchant and Blayde Smith — lead the McAlester ground game.
“Their run game is solid. We’re going to have to get after them and be as physical as we can be,” Boyles said.
Defensively, McAlester employs a three-man front.
“They’re going to give you an odd front and bring some pressure now and then. They have some big bodies up front and their linebackers do a good job of coming downhill and plugging up the run,” Boyles said.
Smith, a free safety, and linebackers Santiago Monreal and Karsen King have been McAlester’s top tacklers so far. Senior nose guard Gavin Mason (6-1, 270) provides the defense with a big body up front.
However, the McAlester defense has taken a hit to start the season with an ankle injury to last season’s leading tackler, linebacker Trevin Simons. The senior missed the first two games and is officially “day-to-day” leading into Friday night’s matchup with Ada.
“We’ll have to execute at a high level and play the style of football we want to play,” Boyles said.
Injury report
Ada was down three starters last week, but Boyles is hopeful those players can return to the lineup against the Buffaloes.
“We hope those guys will be back this week. We still have a couple that are dinged up … but hopefully they can go this week,” he said.
Big target
Ada lineman Gus Matthews was a little more involved in the offense against Ardmore last week. He lined up at tight end and hauled in a 13-yard pass from quarterback Hunter Boren.
Boyles said he expects to reward the hard-working senior with more targets as the season progresses.
“He does a really good job of blocking in our run game. We want to get the ball out to him and give him some opportunities to be a big target for Hunter,” he said. “He does a good job when the ball is in his hands. I wouldn’t want to try and tackle him.”
Matthews also has lined up at quarterback in the Cougars’ jumbo package in short-yardage situations.
“He was a quarterback in junior high so we can put him under center and do some different things with him,” Boyles said. “The sky’s the limit with that kid.”
Boyles hinted that there’s a chance the big guy could throw a pass or two at some point.
“Maybe so. He can throw it a little bit. You never know,” he said.