Each coming off bye weeks in the schedule, both Madill and Kingston football teams open district play at home Friday night with all-important matchups to start off the fresh slate on the right foot.
Madill tangles with Tecumseh while Kingston faces off with two-time returning state semifinalist Kiefer. Each is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Tecumseh enters Friday’s game at Madill with a 2-1 record and coming off a comefrom- behind 38-35 victory over McLoud after trailing 14-0 in the contest. Their only loss came to Class 3A perennial contender Seminole.
The Savages are big and athletic and provide a multitude of different looks both offensively and defensively to prepare for. They have one of the most versatile athletes in 4A with senior speedster Kaseon Pine, who plays a key role on both sides of the football. Fellow senior Darrien Clark is also one of the top defensive backs in the class.
“They definitely have talented players and are big up front,” Madill head coach John Heavner commented. “One thing that is really challenging about them is they run a lot of different formations and variations. They might come out in spread or might come out in two tight. We’ve seen film of them in both. Adjusting on the fly will be critical. If we have a good week of practice, we should have an opportunity. We are going to have to play well and eliminate mistakes.
“We started working on Tecumseh a little last week to get the kids introduced but mostly took the off week to work on fundamentals and make corrections. Off weeks are tough because you are usually always building toward gameday,butIthought kids did a good job staying focused. We really focused more on us and the day-today process of improving as a team.”
Kingston meanwhile has had Kiefer circled on the calendar for several months since the 2024 schedule was released.
TheRedskinsareextremely familiar with the Trojans’ tradition, which had included 24 combined victories in 2022 and 2023.
Although they have started this season with a 1-2 record that is a bit deceiving with the two defeats coming at the hands of 2A powers Jones(33-0)andVian(45-14). Last Friday they went on the road to defeat Sperry, 18-12, for their first win.
The Trojans welcomed back six starters offensively and seven on the defensive side with senior running back Bradley Breland the headlinerintheSpread-Wing T attack.
“We know what kind of program and tradition they have,” said Kingston head coach Brad Hill. “Their offense is something you don’t see that often, so we are going to have to know our assignments.”