Bulldogs look to rebound from season-opening loss to Roland with road win over Sequoyah-Tahlequah

After losing the season opener to the archrival Roland Rangers on Aug. 24, the Muldrow Bulldogs realize they cannot sulk about the loss. Thus, the best medicine is to get ready for the next game, which will b e against Sequoyah-Tahlequah at 7 p.m. at Northeastern State University’s Doc Wadley Stadium.

“If you’re on that losing end of that first one against Roland, it’s tough to overcome,” first-year Muldrow coach Logan Coatney said. “It’s emotional. The kids wanted to win that one. You obviously want to start the year off 1-0. Our kids did a great job this (past) weekend, watching film and started early on correcting things. They’re just focusing in on Tahlequah-Sequoyah. We have to take it one opponent at a time. We can’t get that Roland game back, so we have to try to be 1-0 this week. We can’t change the past. We can’t fix the mistakes that were made (in the Roland game) and replay it. We have to fix those mistakes and get ready for this Friday.”

The ’Dogs are excited to be playing at a college stadium, which is being forced to happen because Sequoyah-Tahlequah’s stadium is not through with its renovations.

“It’s going to be exciting for our kids,” Coatney said. “They’re excited to play on a college campus and in a college stadium. Our kids are going to be amped up for it, and their kids are obviously going to be amped up for it. I think both teams are looking to go 1-0 (this week).”

This will be the Indians’ season opener, while the Bulldogs played their season opener last week. Coatney believes that can work to Muldrow’s advantage tonight.

“It’s their first game, and we have a game under our belt,” he said. “I think that does give us a little bit of an advantage. I do think we have a little bit of an advantage just having understood what a (full, regular-season) game is like. It’s allowed us to correct some mistakes we had (against Roland) because we’re young. We’re a young, inexperienced football team. (Having a zero week game) gave our coaching staff and our kids the opportunity to really dive in and get back to some of the fundamentals from the mistakes we made (in the season opener).”

There is one individual the Indians have who will have to be stopped if the ’Dogs hope to win tonight.

“They’re a talented football team,” Coatney said. “They’re a much improved football team watching the film from their scrimmages. They’re going to be a physical football team from first quarter to fourth quarter. They’re vey much improved. (Sequoyah-Tahlequah) coach (Chad) Hendricks is a great football coach. He’s been up there for a while. They have a pretty good running back who plays defensive end for them. On film, he looks like a dude. They just seem well coached. They don’t seem to be out of position. They run a 4-3 defense. They’ll be multiple spread on offense. They’re just continuing to build upon that program and getting that (football) culture back to where it was.”

• • • To Get There — Take Interstate 40 west to Vian. Take Oklahoma State Highway 82 north to Tahlequah. Once in Tahlequah, Highway 82 becomes Muskogee Avenue. Continue north on Muskogee Avenue past Oklahoma State Highways 10 and 51 into the campus of Northeastern State University. Once on campus, Muskogee Avenue becomes Grand Avenue. Proceed north on Grand Avenue to Doc Wadley Stadium.