Preview: Ponca City Wildcats vs. Muskogee Roughers
Ponca City has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Muskogee Roughers at TBD on Friday. Muskogee took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Ponca City, who comes in off a win.
With a playoff game on the line, Ponca City rose to the challenge on Friday. They managed a 27-21 win over Putnam City West. The win was just what Ponca City needed coming off of a 48-13 defeat in their prior game.
Meanwhile, Muskogee unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak two weeks ago. They fell 30-20 to Stillwater. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Muskogee in their matchups with Stillwater: they've now lost three in a row.
The losing side was boosted by Jamarian 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. Ficklin hasn't dropped below two rushing touchdowns for three straight games.
Ponca City now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Muskogee, their loss dropped their record down to 8-2.
Ponca City ended up a good deal behind Muskogee in their previous meeting back in November of 2022, losing 18-0. Can Ponca City avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
