Football Game Preview: Antlers Bearcats vs. Spiro Bulldogs

The Antlers Bearcats will head out to challenge the Spiro Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Spiro took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Antlers, who comes in off a win.

For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last five times Antlers and Atoka have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. The Bearcats breezed past the Wampus Cats to the tune of 38-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Bearcats have posted against the Wampus Cats since October 18, 2018.

Ethan Williams

Rushing Yards (Career)

10/31/25 vs Atoka	149
11/08/24 vs Spiro	87
10/10/25 @ Morris	86
09/06/24 vs Coalgate	76
10/03/25 vs Vian	67

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Antlers to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ethan Williams, who rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown on only 15 carries. Those 149 rushing yards gave Williams a new career-high. Ben Copeland also helped with two TDs in total.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Antlers was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 325 rushing yards. They are 4-1 when they've run for more than 200 yards.

Antlers didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aden Wheat and Kyzer Mullins. Bryn Copeland was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making eight total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Meanwhile, Spiro was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their 11th straight defeat dating back to last season. They took a blow against Henryetta, falling 40-0. The game marked the first time this year in which the Bulldogs were not able to get on the board.

Spiro's loss dropped their record down to 0-9. As for Antlers, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-5.

Everything came up roses for Antlers against Spiro in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 52-19 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bearcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.