Five games to watch in SW Oklahoma this week
5ALawton MacArthur(1-0) at 5ALawton Eisenhower(1-0)
Players to watch: Kingston Tito, Eisenhower DE; Jeremy Hutcheson, MacArthur RB
Eisenhower looks to avenge its 42-21 loss from a year ago. The Eagles have not defeated MacArthur since 2010, back when they played in 6A. This year, Eisenhower has one of the best weapons in the state in Kingston Tito, a Division I prospect who made 47 tackles and five sacks a year ago. Is it finally Eisenhower’s year? Will MacArthur keep its streak alive?
3AAnadarko(0-1) at 5A #9Elgin(0-0)
Players to watch: Tres Lorah, Elgin QB; Matt Lund, Elgin RB; Ritson Meyer, Elgin RB; Jakobi Tallent, Anadarko RB
A year after the Owls had their best finish in over a decade, fans should be excited about Elgin’s outlook this season. Friday’s home-opener against an area opponent will be a great kickoff for the Owls, which finished 8-3 last year. Anadarko looks to return to its winning ways after finishing 4-7 last year.
C #1Tipton(0-0) at BAlex(0-0)
Players to watch: Keon Wade, Tipton OL/DL; Kyler Boatright, Alex QB
Tipton’s highly anticipated campaign after going undefeated and winning the Class C state title last year will run through a worthy opener in Alex, which, save a winless campaign last year, has been a perennial contender in the past decade. The Longhorns will put up a fight against the Tigers as fans from both communities will likely come out in full force to make this game one of the most-attended in the area this Friday.
5AAltus(0-1) at 4ACache(0-1)
Players to watch: Kelby Bates, Altus LB; Connor Muldowney, Cache RB
One thing that is certain this season: the Altus Bulldogs will be better than they were in 2022, especially with the return of head coach Jeremy Reed, who coached Altus to a state championship in 2015. Cache, which also looks to return to success after winning three games last year, won’t back down from the challenge of playing a bigger school.
3A #10Kingfisher(0-1) at 4A #6Weatherford(0-1)
Players to watch: CJ Nickson, Weatherford DE/LB/WR; Paytun Burnham, Kingfisher QB/WR/CB
Neither of these teams feel good about entering this matchup with 20-point losses on their record, which should build up the fun of it all. Weatherford’s got one of the best cards in the deck with edge-rusher-receiver-athlete CJ Nickson, a surefire Power 5 recruit, but has a slew of playmakers in quarterback Paytun Burnham, feature back Dallen Barton and linebacker Jake Reagan.
