Cougars sit atop district standings, but dangerous waters await
· Yahoo Sports
The Ada High School football team is right where it wants to be at this point in the season.
After a 22-7 win over Tulsa McLain last week on Homecoming night at Norris Field, the Cougars are sitting atop the District 4A-4 standings.
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However, they’re looking down at shark-infested waters.
“I told the kids we’re exactly where we need to be — at the top of the district,” Ada head coach Wade Boyles told The Ada News. “Even after the 0-3 start, they continued to work hard, and that work has paid off over the last two weeks.”
Boyles said the Cougars have maintained positive attitudes despite their rough start.
“When you start the season 0-3, your kids can go one of two ways. Our kids have responded really well to our coaching and have worked hard in practice,” he said.
Ada, Sallisaw and Stilwell are all 2-0 in district play, but the Cougars own the maximum 30 district margin points (teams can collect up to 15 per game), followed by Sallisaw with 16 and Stilwell with 15.
“The kids have been showing up and plugging away each day. It’s been really good to see them get the results from their hard work and their commitment to being better football players for our program,” Boyles said.
Now the Cougars face another stiff challenge when they make the nearly three-hour bus ride to Poteau Friday night.
The Pirates — ranked No. 6 in Class 4A by The Oklahoman — are fifth in District 4A-4 at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Costner Stadium.
Other ranked District 4A-4 teams include No. 3 Sallisaw, No. 4 Broken Bow and No. 10 Stilwell.
Pirate power
Historically, Poteau has been a tough place for visiting teams to play.
“It’s always interesting going over there and coming over that mountain and settling in down there. It’s a football town. They love football over there,” Boyles said. “Their kids are well-coached and work extremely hard. It’s a hostile environment for sure every time you go to Poteau to play.”
The Poteau offense is directed by sophomore quarterback Levi Taylor, who has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“They’ll do a little bit of anything and everything offensively,” Boyles said. “They give you a lot of different looks and use a lot of motions and shifts. They have a sophomore quarterback that’s pretty good. They’ll throw the ball around.”
Two of Taylor’s favorite targets have been a pair of seniors — wide receiver Logan Waymire and big tight end Ryder Waddell.
Waymire has hauled in 22 passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns, while Waddell has 16 receptions for 255 yards and two scores.
“Waddell is a big senior kid they like to include in their offense in a lot of ways,” Boyles said.
Sophomore running back Wrigley Downs leads the Poteau ground attack with 306 yards on 63 carries. Javier Ortiz is next with 216 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Boyles said the Poteau defense will show the Cougars a variety of formations and looks throughout the game.
“Defensively, they will also give you a lot of multiple looks and fronts. They like to pressure you, and we’ll have to be ready for that pressure up front,” he said.
Waddell leads the Pirates with 33 tackles, followed by Deacon King with 28. Jaedon Waugh has collected 24 tackles, including six for loss, along with an interception and two fumble recoveries.
Banged up
The Cougars will head to Poteau with several starters nursing injuries. Some have been limping around the Craig McBroom Football Complex this week and are considered game-time decisions.
“We’re kind of beat up a little bit, but we have some guys that are eager to step up and get their opportunities to fill some roles,” Boyles said. “We have a lot of young kids we’ve had confidence to put out there.”
Big ending
Ada didn't secure its maximum 15 district margin points against Tulsa McLain until freshman kicker Diego Solorio booted a 21-yard field goal as time expired.
The kick capped an impressive 10-minute drive to finish the game and was the first field goal of Solorio's young varsity career.
“It was really big. We were trying to get all our district points right there at the end of the game,” Boyles said. “It was rewarding for Diego to get that kick through in a big moment like that.”
Boyles was particularly pleased with the Cougars' ability to control the football and grind out the lengthy, game-clinching possession.
“That’s the first long drive I can remember us putting together in a long time and controlling the football like that to put the game to bed,” he said. “And we had as many as six sophomores out there at that time due to injuries and needing to get others some rest. It’s always good to have some young depth and get them that game experience at this point.”
Ada finished with 28:43 of possession time against the Titans.