Sallisaw senior glad Black Diamonds returning to action tonight at Eufaula

While the Sallisaw Black Diamonds football team was on a bye week last week, the players still were practicing hard to get ready for the return to the gridiron with a road game against the Eufaula Ironheads at 7 tonight at Paul Bell Stadium.

“It feels great,” Sallisaw senior defensive lineman Kash Keepes said about getting to play a game tonight. “The bye week felt a little bit weird not having a game to prepare for.”

However, Keepes is quick to point out the Black Diamonds used the bye week to their advantage.

“We just practiced super hard, knowing we wouldn’t have a game (last Friday),” he said. “We tried bringing that game-like intensity into practice. It was mission accomplished.”

Keepes and a few of his teammates went and watched the Ironheads play at Sequoyah-Tahlequah last Friday night, a 22-19 overtime win for the Ironheads.

“They’re definitely not a bad team at all,” Keepes said. “They’re one of the better teams in (Class) 3A, but I went during our bye week and watched them play Sequoyah-Tahlequah. I saw some good things from them, but after seeing them I am very confident that we’ll do great.” The last game the Black Diamonds played was a 35-21 victory over the host Stigler Panthers on Sept. 6 to not only end a seven-game losing streak to the Panthers, but to go to 2-0 for the first time in nearly a decade. To start 3-0 with a win tonight would be just amazing.

“That would be great,” Keepes said about getting a road victory tonight before the District 4A-4 opener next Friday night at Hilldale. “Football is all about momentum. Having that 3-0 start just leads to great momentum going into districts. It’s all about mindset, too. Knowing you’re 3-0 and how good you are, that just gives you all the great momentum you need during districts.” There are a bunch of mixed feelings Keepes is feeling right now about this being his final Sallisaw Black Diamonds football season of his prep career.

“A lot of it is just trying to make the most of it and try to enjoy every moment, whether that be practice or games or no matter what it is — just try to give it my all, and just try to soak in everything,” he said. “I don’t like to think that far ahead (to the end of the season). I want to live week by week. That (final football game takes place) is in the back of my mind, knowing the days are counting down — but I’m enjoying the ride so far.”