WIN-LOSS RECORDS ONLY TELL PART OF THE STORY. WHAT TEAMS WILL SURVIVE IN WEEK FIVE?
VYPE Plus Editors Nick Hampton and Bill Huddleston weigh in on this week’s Top 5 Games of the Week.
SCOOP: A 3-1 RECORD IS NOT ALL THAT IT SEEMS, OR IS IT?
The Putnam City West Patriots boast that 3-1 record as they head into Friday’s district encounter with top ranked Muskogee which also stands 3-1. But that’s where the similarities end. The Patriots wins are against Western Heights, Putnam City North and Putnam City who are a combined 3-9 so far while the Roughers have beaten Enid, Putnam City and Sand Springs-much stronger competition. It would seem that PC West has some talented skill players back from last year in quarterback Shyheim Johnson and tailback Dujuan Knight plus a couple of good receivers. But they’re no match for the Roughers especially upfront where the Patriots have struggled, and the Roughers have gotten better. Putnam City West has traditionally been a doormat in the district but seem to be better though they have another new coach this year so there’s not a lot of stability in the program. Last year the Roughers dominated this game 61-0 and I think there will be a similar score this year.
VYPE PLUS PREDICTION: Muskogee 56 PC West 12
If the Hilldale Hornets can find a way to finish in the red zone they can have an excellent season. They nearly lost a game they should pretty easily have won against Stilwell last week and this week they have to travel to Ada to face the fifth-ranked Cougars who struggled to a 7-0 win over Sallisaw last week. Gage Rowland is sparking the Hornets at running back and Cash Schiller is keeping the offense alive with his kicking foot while the defense is pretty much holding its own (except in the blowout loss to Claremore). Coach David Blevins is keeping this young group competitive, and they go to Ada with a 3-1 mark. This will be a key game for the Hornets early in district play. A win would be huge towards making the playoffs which would be outstanding given the youth of this team. They’ll still have to negotiate Poteau down the line but the rest of the schedule seems manageable. Though I’d love to see the Hornets pull this one out, I’m afraid the “Cougs will be upset about their narrow win last week and Hilldale will be their whipping boy.
VYPE PLUS PREDICTION: Ada 27 Hilldale 13
DON’T LOOK NOW BUT HERE COME THE PIRATES
We’ve talked a lot about the Pirates from Poteau in this space but there’s another group of Pirates that are also making their presence felt and that’s the Pirates from Gore, ranked #8 in Class A this week and undefeated at 4-0. “This really isn’t a surprise to anyone around the program,” said coach Brandon Ellis. “Our seniors have really stepped up after we graduated 22 seniors last year particularly Hunter McGee who has already picked off 3 or 4 passes on defense and our sophomore quarterback Tate Brooksher. During spring ball, the guy we thought would b QB moved and so Tate moved and has done a great job for us. These are just a tough bunch of youngsters determined to win.”
This week the Pirates face Canadian and shouldn’t have a tough time posting win number five on the season. But they’ll find out a lot more about themselves over the next two weeks when they face Pocola and Sallisaw Central.
VYPE PLUS PREDICTION: Gore 35 Canadian 14 (AARG)
Speaking of the Pirate clan from further south, the Class 4A’s third-ranked Poteau Pirates just keep rolling along undefeated as well. This week they face winless Madill in a district encounter. The Pirates have been battling injuries the past few weeks so weeks like this are just what the doctor ordered and should be a good opportunity for coach Greg Werner to see what some of his backup players can get done with an easy W.
VYPE PLUS PREDICTION : Poteau 44 Madill 7
OPPONENTS PLEA – DON’T LET THE DAWGS OUT!
In what should be another walkaway game in our area, Class 4A’s top ranked Wagoner Bulldogs face Oologah .Quarterback Kale Charboneau, who probably isn’t getting the attention he deserves, has performed above and beyond for Wagoner so far and he’s got such a deep cast of characters around him. Even though Oologah is a respectable 2-2 coming into the game, they’ll be no match for the Bulldogs.
VYPE PLUS PREDICTION: Wagoner 50 Oologah 14
Email either of us if you have any thoughts, suggestions or opinions. nick.hampton@ vype.com or bill.huddleston@vype.com
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