It’s a new season for the Durant Lions beginning this week as they start District 5A-3 action at home Friday night against perennial powerhouse Tulsa Booker T. Washington.
The Lions will try to get their first victory against a Hornet squad that comes to Paul Laird Field with a 1-2 record having lost to Class 6A top-ranked Muskogee as well as Del City before defeating Tulsa Central, 42-8, two weeks ago.
This will also be the first gridiron meeting between the two schools since future Arkansas Razorback and Dallas Cowboy Felix Jones led the Hornets to a 77-26 victory in 2005.
The Hornets, who struggled to a 2-8 record last year in Class 6A, don’t appear to have that same type of offensive explosiveness but will have plenty of big, talented linemen that will lead the charge. That includes 6-foot, 320-pound senior Derek Chambers and 6-3, 290-pound sophomore Joseph Graves, who is already drawing college interest on the defensive line.
“Anytime Booker T has been in Class 5A they have competed extremely well,” Durant head coach Todd Vargas said of the Hornets. “I don’t know if they are as talented as they have been in the past, but they still have plenty of talent to scare you. They are very athletic and their two losses came to very, very good opponents in nondistrict. They have a good, tough quarterback and running back. Their receivers are fast and they are big up front on the offensive line. They are able to throw the football but seem to like to run it if they can.
“On defense they have a couple of Division 1 prospects on the defensive line that are very large and athletic. That is definitely a concern for us being able to handle those guys because we are already undersized on the offensive line. We have kids up there that play hard and have good technique though. Booker T wants to pin their ears back and come after you so we want to really try to do some things to keep them off balance and on their heels. We have to be able to weather the storm and move the ball. We’ve got to get it out quick and to the edges and force those big interior linemen to have to move side to side.”
For the Lions, it’s an opportunity with a fresh slate to start the allimportant district play with a 1-0 record if they can come up with a victory.
Vargas admitted that they spent much of the bye week, working to clean up mistakes that have plagued them in costly times, mostly of which have come on penalties at inopportune moments.
“We’ve only had one turnover and that came on basically a Hail Mary against Broken Bow,” he said. “We have been in every game with a chance to win but just haven’t got it done in the end. We’ve got to eliminate those critical penalties offensively and then avoid giving up the big play on defense, especially when we have a chance to get the other offense off the field.”
