Continuing to ascend up the Class B1 state rankings, the unbeaten Caddo Bruins will have their biggest test to date Friday night when they travel to defending state runner-up Weleetka for their final non-district tune up.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. TheOutlawswererankednumberone in the state before a turnover-plagued 28-8 upset loss to Davenport two weeks ago. They bounced back impressively last week however by throttling Seiling, 52-6, to avenge a loss in last year’s Class B2 championship contest.
Like Caddo, Weleetka also incorporated a new head coach this year but hasn’t missed much of a beat with a versatile offensive attack that is spurred by athletic sophomore quarterback Jakory Bagby. He has three senior receivers and a big offensive line to lead the way up front.
“Weleetka is a really good football team,” Caddo head coach Chad Speer stated. “Their quarterback is outstanding and they have several physical linemen. They are well coached and do a good job on both sides of the ball. They didn’t turn the ball over last week against Seiling like they did against Davenport and just cruised to an easy win. It’s going to be our biggest challenge of the season by far. They have several guys that go both ways but are the best team we have played. We know there is also a good chance we could see them again sometime down the line in the playoffs.
“We are on the road for the fourth time in the first five weeks but we are looking forward to the stretch run when we have three of the last five at home.”
Speer felt good about his team’s work during the bye week, which allowed them to work on execution and cleaning up a few issues that have lingered during the 4-0 start.
He also knows the Bruins may be playing in sloppy conditions this week with heavy rain expected throughout the state of Oklahoma.
“I feel good about our week of practice last week and hopefully we get a few more in this week before the rain hits,” Speer added.
“We have to be more disciplined. There are still a few too many pre-snap issues that we need to get cleaned up before the district starts for the stretch run. We also may have to adjust to wet conditions this week.
They are very similar to us with the ability to throw or run. The weather could force us to focus on running the ball, which we need to work on. We’ll have to lock in and make sure to take care of the football and avoid turnovers.
That hasn’t been much of an issue but ball security could be vital if it’s sloppy.”