District 4A-4 Football Preview

<h4>District 4A-4 Preview</h4> District Prediction 1. Sallisaw 2. Poteau 3. Okmulgee 4. Ft. Gibson 5. Idabel 6. Broken Bow 7. Hugo 8. Wagoner Six

Monday, August 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

District 4A-4 Preview

District Prediction

1. Sallisaw
2. Poteau
3. Okmulgee
4. Ft. Gibson
5. Idabel
6. Broken Bow
7. Hugo
8. Wagoner

Six Players to Watch

1. Chris Sharp- Sallisaw- Quarterback- 6â€™2â€ 200 lbs. 3,400 yards passing in two years and 2,000+ in 1999. May top the list of high school signal-callers this year.
2. Erick Warren- Poteau- Running Back- 1,200+ yards rushing and 25 TDâ€™s in 1999. Great in the open field with power to boot.
3. David Moore- Hugo- Running Back- 1,250 yards rushing in 1999. 200 tackles in two years as a linebacker.
4. Ricky Bradford- Idabel- Running Back- More than 1,300 yards rushing in 1999. Explodes through the line.
5. Nick Neff- Sallisaw- Defensive Tackle- 6â€™1â€ 235 lbs. Strong on interior line and a good run blocker on offense.
6. Brett Holuby- Ft. Gibson- Kicker- Consistent from 40-45 yards. Had a 54-yarder called back due to penalty.

Six â€œCanâ€™t Missâ€ Games

1. November 3rd- Sallisaw at Ft. Gibson- One, Ft. Gibson, almost won state last year. The other, Sallisaw, thinks it can win it all this year. Makes for good drama on the last week of the regular season.
2. September 15th- Okmulgee at Muskogee
3. October 20th- Hugo at Poteau- Imagine Erick Warren and David Moore meeting in the hole about 20 times. That will be fun to watch.
4. September 8th- Catoosa at Poteau
5. September 1st- Muldrow at Sallisaw
6. September 8th- Shawnee at Idabel

Team Capsules

Sallisaw
Head Coach: Ron Lancaster
Last Year: 7-5
Strength: Very experienced. Seniors have several games under their belts. The defense should be improved.
Question Mark: Thereâ€™s not great speed at skill positions and the offensive line lacks depth.
Outlook: Those are minor problems for a team thatâ€™s very talented. Should be a preseason top five in the state.

Poteau
Head Coach: Jerry Johnston
Last Year: 11-2
Strength: Large offensive line. Five starters average 235 pounds.
Question Mark: Defense is young and lacks significant game experience.
Outlook: A tradition is being built. Pirates have made state quarters each of last five seasons. Donâ€™t bet against it again this year.

Okmulgee
Head Coach: John Walker
Last Year: 4-6
Strength: The offensive backfield is deep and talented. Skill positions as a whole are very fast.
Question Mark: New offensive system, switching from winged-t to I-backfield, could take some time to learn.
Outlook: If the offensive transition goes smoothly, thereâ€™s enough talent for a playoff berth.

Ft. Gibson
Head Coach: Lonnie Reed
Last Year: 13-1 (State Finalist)
Strength: Offensive backfield is strong and fast at every position.
Question Mark: Lost all three linebackers and all five offensive linemen.
Outlook: Graduation shredded the state runners-up, but returners know how to win.

Idabel
Head Coach: Kevin Hime
Last Year: 7-4
Strength: Offense returns a starting tailback, fullback and two wide receivers.
Question Mark: Lost four offensive linemen and all four defensive backs.
Outlook: Bradford and the rest of a talented offense could point the Warriors to a playoff spot.

Broken Bow
Head Coach: Frank Marsaln
Last Year: 2-8
Strength: New coaching staff seems to have players excited.
Question Mark: Is there enough talent to sustain that enthusiasm?
Outlook: No one knows the answer to the above question, but based on recent history a playoff season could be tough.

Hugo
Head Coach: Tommy Bare
Last Year: 3-7
Strength: Four offensive linemen return averaging 245 pounds.
Question Mark: Kenny Mac Butler is gone at QB. Who takes his job?
Outlook: Watching David Moore run and hit will be fun this year, but he may only get ten games to show himself.

Wagoner
Head Coach: Max Caldwell
Last Year: 4-6
Strength: Overall team speed is very good.
Question Mark: Only five starters return and depth could be a problem as well.
Outlook: New starters will get great experience, but wins may be tough to come by in this district.

District Previews

Eight-man Districts
Class A Districts
Class 2A Districts
Class 3A Districts
Class 4A district 3: Wednesday, August 23
Class 4A district 2: Thursday, August 24
Class 5A district 4: Friday, August 25
Class 5A district 3: Monday, August 28
Class 6A district 4: Tuesday, August 29
Class 6A district 3: Wednesday, August 30