Roland Rangers making best of bye week (UPDATED WITH CENTRAL OFFENSIVE LEADERS)
The Roland Rangers lost their first game of the season last Friday night in a road game against the Stilwell Indians.
The Roland Rangers lost their first game of the season last Friday night in a road game against the Stilwell Indians.
The Rangers had hoped to have a chance this week to rebound from the loss. That won’t get to happen as for the second straight season the Rangers have a bye for the second Friday night of September.
“We would love to play to try to forget about the (Stilwell) loss,” Roland coach Austin Cantrell said.
However, Cantrell and the Rangers must wait until next Friday night’s home game against the Central Tigers to have a chance to get the bad taste out of their mouths from the Stilwell loss.
Cantrell said the bye week is good to help them prepare for the Tigers, but there’s nothing like playing a game.
“It (the bye week) will help give us two weeks to prepare for our next game, but we’d like to be playing this week to get that loss behind us.”
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Three local teams did get wins No. 1 for the 2023 season. The Muldrow Bulldogs notched win No. 1 with a 3614 road win over Sequoyah-Tahlequah. The Central Tigers won their season opener 32-23 over Heavener, while the Vian Wolverines notched their first win by capturing their home opener 35-27 over Eufaula.
Two other teams remained undefeated as the Gore Pirates beat Keys (Park Hill) 30-7, while the Webbers Falls Warriors outlasted Wesleyan Christian 56-27 as well as about a seven-hour round-trip bus ride.
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WEEK 1 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
100-YARD RUSHERS
Maddux Shelby, Webbers Falls — 214 yards.
Draighton Fletcher, Vian — 173 yards.
Dakota Moore, Webbers Falls — 169 yards.
Mason Wright, Vian — 149 yards.
Dalton Crossno, Roland — 142 yards.
Coy Blackburn, Central — 103 yards.
Joseph Lee, Central — 102 yards.
100-YARD PASSERS
Joseph Lee, Central — 204 yards.
Tate Brooksher, Gore — 173 yards.
Logan Thomas, Roland — 121 yards.
100-YARD RECEIVERS
Cade Tucker, Central — 178 yards.
SCORING-12 POINTS/MORE
Maddux Shelby, Webbers Falls — 24 points.
Dakota Moore, Webbers Falls — 16 points.
Logen Thomas, Roland — 12 points.
Draighton Fletcher, Vian — 12 points.
Masyn Wright, Vian — 12 points.
Hunter McGee, Gore — 12 points.
DEFENSIVE HONOR ROLL
Dakota Moore, Webbers Falls — 15 tackles, 10 solo.
Maddux Shelby, Webbers Falls — 10 tackles, seven solo, two tackles for loss.
Aiden Turley, Webbers Falls — 10 tackles, five solo, a tackle for loss and an interception.
Masyn Wright, Vian — Six tackles.
Cash Collins, Vian — Six tackles.
Ben Ward, Webbers Falls — Six tackles, four solo, two tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.
Tristan Wiley, Vian — Five tackles, a safety.
Nathan Creasey, Vian — Interception.
Gunner Shelby, Vian — Interception and four tackles, two solo.
Spencer Thao, Webbers Falls — QB sack and three tackles, two solo.
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Coaches, I need to make sure I get your offensive and defensive statistics either put on your MaxPreps website wall or emailed to me at davids@cookson.news by no later than 10 a.m. Thursdays to be able to give your player(s) some special recognition from the week before in each week’s Gridiron Notes column.
David Seeley is sports editor for Your TIMES. He can be reached by telephone at (918) 775-4433, Ext. 139 or by email at davids@cookson.news.