Tahlequah is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Claremore Zebras at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Tahlequah took a loss when they played away from home on September 5th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed two weeks ago. They walked away with a 38-31 victory over Wagoner.
Ashton Morgan went supernova, picking up 92 receiving yards and two scores. His longest reception was for an incredible 74 yards. Tahlequah also got a significant boost from Jake Girty, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.
Meanwhile, Claremore put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They came within six points of losing the streak, but they secured a 39-33 W against Hilldale.
Tahlequah better keep an eye on Cecil Garrett. He was instrumental in Claremore's win, rushing for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Those 224 rushing yards gave Garrett a new career-high.
Claremore was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 226 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 217 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Tahlequah now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Claremore, their win bumped their record up to 3-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Tahlequah has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 165.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Claremore struggles in that department as they've been averaging 225 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Tahlequah came up short against Claremore in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, falling 28-21. Thankfully for the Tigers, Brad Hoisington (who rushed for 120 yards and one TD while picking up 7.1 yards per carry, and also threw for 112 yards on eight of 12 attempts) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
