Ada Cougars (Brad O’Steen, second year, 10-11) 7-4 in 2022

vs. Durant Lions (Todd Vargas, fourth year, 5-24) 2-8 in 2022 

Friday night,Paul Laird Field, Durant, OK

The Series: 80th  game, First game 1917. Ada leads 63-15-2.

This is the first time Durant and Ada have met to open the season and a first week zero contest for the Lion.

Next week- Ada will host Ardmore 

                  Durant at Broken Bow

+Ada has won nine of the last 11 games in the series including 42-16 last year. Leading 21-16 late in third quarter, the Cougars scored three straight touchdowns to pull away

+The Lions won 14-7 in 2015 and 14-0 in 2019.  The shutout was the first in the series… for Durant since 1920 when the final score was also 14-0.

+The biggest margin of victory for Durant in this series was 42-13 in 2008.  

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Looking at the Cougars 

+Ada has won 19 state titles in football. But, none since 1996.

+The Cougars are picked to finish second behind Poteau in Class 4A-district four. Durant’s opponent next week, Broken Bow, is picked third.

+The Cougars return six players on offense. However, they graduated three-year starting quarterback Carter Freeland. Brock Boyles, a 6-foot sophomore, enters the game number one on the depth chart

Other players to watch include:

+Speedy Xander Rhynes, 5’11,167, sr, who will be a threat at running back and also at linebacker. 

+Returning senior linebackers- Fisher Marr 6-1, 197 who also plays fullback and George Mattox, 6-1,195.

+Isiah Hayden, junior, 6-1 240,  on the offensive line and Will Johnson, junior 6-3, 190 at defensive end

Looking at the Lions:

+The 1983 Durant Class 3A state championship team will be honored at halftime

+The Lions are hoping to post the schools first winning season since a 6-5 mark in 2008.Durant’s last playoff appearance was in 2011.

+The Lions are picked to finish fifth in Class 5A-district 3 behind Del City, McAlester, Coweta and Sapulpla.

+ Durant has scrapped the FlexBone offense they used the past three seasons..n favor of a combination of a shotgun-wing T variation.

The Lions return several key players from last year’s 2-8 team..

+DE-Xadavian Sims, 6-4, 287,sr. has verbally committed to Oregon.On the Vype Oklahoma top 100. He recorded four sacks and was third on the team in tackles last season.

He will also play some at tight end.

+QB-S-Jaylon Saxon,5-11,160, sr, three-year starter at QB. Threw for 403 yards and six touchdowns last season while engineering the run-oriented flex bone..  He also picked off two passes on defense.

+RB-CB Cole Robbins, 6’0, 170, soph.  Third on the team in tackles in 2022. Triple-threat running, passing and receiving.

+RT-DL Tucker Dry, 6-5,280, sr, Injured in his first series of his first start as a freshman and is finally healthy after a rash of injuries and illness. Getting some college looks

+C-DL Carson Allivand, 6’1,281,r.  Expected to anchor the offensive line

+LB-Jayson Rangel, 6’2, 210, soph.  Made a splash in his freshman year before being sidelined by an injury.

+LB- Colton Yarbrough,6’2,225,soph. Vype Top 100 choice. Saw action as a freshman.

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Jim’s take:

Durant is as optimistic going into this season as they have been in many, many years and a win would be huge for a program that has struggled in recent years.  Ada, is used to handling the Lions and they always have talent.  This should be fun to watch..