MACARTHUR FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK/Week 10

— Compiled by Steve Sinderson



    Pulling it together

    The Highlanders have been dominant in almost every game they’ve played, so much so that until last week they had never trailed at the half. But a sluggish first half in which the Highlanders were anything but sharp put them in unfamiliar territory, trailing Western Heights by seven, 14-7, heading into the third quarter.

    Like any good team, the Highlanders didn’t press the panic button. Instead they corrected their mistakes which enabled them to pull off a 24-14 win over the then No. 6 Jets, which clinched the District 5A-1 title.

    “I was proud of the way we came back in the second half,” said head coach Ernie Manning, whose team will be going for a perfect regular season when it faces Altus Friday night at Cameron Stadium. “They showed a lot of will to win that football game.

    “We started making plays, started playing better defense and the kicking game came together. It seemed like everybody jumped on and played as one to win that football game, to get the job done. I was proud of the fact that we did that. Nobody panicked. We had just a horrendous first half but we were only seven down.”

    Battling quarterbacks

    Friday night’s matchup with the Bulldogs will feature the top two passing quarterbacks in Class 5A.

    Mac senior quarterback Austin Giles, who had his worst game passing last week against the Jets with four interceptions, has completed 141-of-209 for 1,829 yards 14 TDs, making him No. 2 in Class 5A.

    Leading Class 5A is Altus’ Blake Stepanovich. Stepanovich has connected on 133 of 265 attempts for 1,847 yards, 21 TDs and 13 interceptions.

    Fans attending Mac’s Senior Night against the 2-7 Bulldogs can expect a lengthy game.

    Bumps, bruises, other concerns

    It’s the final week of the regular season and like any team, Mac is bruised and battered. But fortunately for the Highlanders, no player is hurt enough where he’ll miss Friday’s game. Mac’s biggest concern, injury wise, is defensive back Neiko Williams who is still nursing a dislocated shoulder.

    The Highlanders will, however, be without the services of tailback Kevin Williams who, because of disciplinary reasons, has been sidelined indefinitely.