The Stigler Panthers will square off against the Checotah Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Stigler hasn't scored more than seven points for three games straight, a trend the squad is eager to reverse.
Stigler managed to slip by Idabel the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Panthers lost 28-7 to the Warriors on Friday. The Panthers gained 92 more yards on the day, but it was the Warriors that made the best use of them.
Despite the loss, Stigler saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Graham Easttom rushed for 169 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for 100 yards on 11 of 24 attempts.
Meanwhile, Checotah had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 25 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They came within four points of losing the streak, but they secured a 21-17 W against the Bulldogs.
Checotah found their leader in sophomore Cole Rolland, who rushed for 115 yards and a pair of scores, and also threw for 115 yards and one TD. Those 115 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Rolland.
One reason for the win was Checotah's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Woodrow Spears, Elijah Muhammad, and Bryce Marshall, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Muldrow's side was Spears, who picked up a sack and made ten total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Checotah's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Stigler, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Stigler has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Checotah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 214.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Stigler suffered a grim 31-6 defeat to Checotah in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Rolland, who threw for 320 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes, and also rushed for 33 yards. Now that the Panthers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
