Preview: Stillwater Pioneers vs. Muskogee Roughers
The Stillwater Pioneers will square off against the Muskogee Roughers at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Stillwater will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
With a playoff game on the line, Stillwater rose to the challenge on Friday. They managed a 33-29 win over the Yellowjackets. Stillwater's win was all the more impressive since Choctaw was averaging only 12.5 points allowed on the season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Stillwater to victory, but perhaps none more so than Holden Thompson, who rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown. Thompson has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last four times he's played. Chance Acord was another key contributor, throwing for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Muskogee's offense rose to the challenge against a Antlers defense that boasted an average of only 15.15 points allowed. Muskogee pulled ahead with a 36-35 photo finish over Deer Creek. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Muskogee.
It was another big night for Jamarian Ficklin, who rushed for 194 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.8 yards per carry, and also threw for 250 yards and a touchdown on only 16 passes. Ficklin was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 53 yards. Another player making a difference was Kayden Mcgee, who picked up 104 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The last time Stillwater lost on the road was back back in September. Having now won four straight away games, they've pushed their record up to 10-2. As for Muskogee, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as both teams have no problem gaining yardage. Stillwater has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 452.5 total yards per game. However, it's not like Muskogee struggles in that department as they've been even better at 484.6 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Stillwater was able to grind out a solid win over Muskogee when the teams last played on November 3rd, winning 30-20. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Muskogee's Ficklin, who rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, and also threw for 253 yards and a touchdown while completing 74.1% of his passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Stillwater still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
