Two classic high school football programs will meet this Friday in a battle for supremacy in district 3A-2 as Sulphur and Seminole hook up in a 7:30 p.m. start.
The Chieftains will be the home team this year and that has its advantages, especially in Seminole with a legendary high school coach leading the way.
“This is a very tough place to play and a very tough place to win; this Seminole team is loaded with athletes and big physical kids,” said Sulphur coach Corey Cole. “They are coached by one of the legends in Oklahoma high school football, Mike Snyder, who is closing in on 400 career wins. He always has his teams ready to play and finds ways to win close games. They have a great offense that is fast and explosive with a ton of athletes, we need to be disciplined on defense and physical upfront.”
Seminole (2-2, 5-2) started off the season with a bang, winning four consecutive games before losing their final two, but still will pack a big punch in a game when playoff implications are concerned.
The Chieftains began the season with a 60-49 win over Checotah, followed by a 24-8 triumph over Tecumseh, a 16-6 win over Harrah (Class 4A), then a 42-13 win over Lone Grove.
In their last two games, the Chieftains lost to opponents Sulphur has already beaten this season, 58-48 to Bristow and 51-8 to Perkins-Tryon, but past scores don’t win future games, it’s the game at hand that really counts.
“We have to be focused and take care of the ball this Friday and limit our mistakes because Seminole is very talented and will take advantage of our miscues,” said Cole. “This is a big test for us on the road and we need a great performance to reach that district championship.”
Cole said the Dogs have to be razor sharp the entire game to have a chance to win at Seminole.
“We have to be sharp for the entire game,” Cole said of his team’s focus against Seminole. “All in all though, with all the mistakes we made (last week), our kids played with great effort and great energy - it was great win against a really good team.”
The Dogs (4-0, 6-1) weren’t as sharp in the opening minutes of their 41-0 win over the Bristow Pirates last Thursday, but Cole said the team settled down in the second, third and fourth quarters to win their sixth straight.
Sulphur’s lone loss came in the season’s opening game at Washington in a double overtime thriller to last year’s state champion, Washington, a team undefeated so far this season.
Game-time Friday will be at 7:30 p.m., 30 minutes later than normal for most fans.
