Football Preview: Idabel Warriors vs. Sulphur Bulldogs
The Idabel Warriors will challenge the Sulphur Bulldogs on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Idabel is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They strolled past Sequoyah with points to spare, taking the game 39-21.
Anthony Clay had a dynamite game for Idabel, throwing for 302 yards and four touchdowns while completing 81.3% of his passes. Mack Dixon was in the mix too, providing Idabel with two touchdowns.
Idabel didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Dixon. Markee Townsend was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 14 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Sulphur had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 49.9 points) and they went ahead and made it ten on Friday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 66-0 win over the Yellowjackets. Considering the Bulldogs have won ten matches by more than 34 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Sulphur's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Cash Matlack, who rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Jojo Gray, who rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
Sulphur was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 261 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 163 rushing yards in nine consecutive games.
Sulphur's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 8.2 points per game. As for Idabel, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-3 record this season.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Idabel has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Sulphur struggles in that department as they've been averaging 236. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Idabel suffered a grim 56-31 defeat to Sulphur when the teams last played back in November of 2018. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Idabel was down 35-10.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
