NORMAN — Lexington is set to host just its second-ever home playoff game on Friday, and the Bulldogs (7-2) are excited to square off against Lindsay (7-3). But there is one thing that could work against the home team, and that’s the week off the Bulldogs just had.
Due to an uneven number of teams in District 2A-4, every team had an off-week, and Lexington’s happened to fall on Week 10. Unable to schedule another team for that time, the Bulldogs faced a rare idle week. The time off was helpful for those players still nursing lingering injuries, but it had its downside as well.
“I would have preferred to play because not playing got us out of our routine,” coach Jeff Hall said. “But on the other hand, we’re healthy and the kids who were banged up a little got an extra week of rest. In the long run, I’m hoping it will be a good thing.”
Keeping an eye to Owasso: Come Friday night, Norman High fans may want to keep an eye on the other side of the state.
If NHS defeats Yukon on Thursday, the Tigers will face the winner of the Owasso-Sapulpa game, which is being played at Owasso on Friday. If the Rams win as expected the Tigers will travel to Owasso for the third consecutive year. The Rams have knocked the Tigers out of the playoffs in the first round the past two seasons.
Tigers watching flags: Penalties are a concern for NHS heading into Thursday’s showdown with Yukon after NHS totaled 101 penalty yards on 11 flags against Lawton. The good news for the Tigers against Yukon is that penalties weren’t a deciding factor in the two teams’ first meeting. In that September game, NHS had 7 flags for 68 yards.
T-Wolves ready to mix it up: Norman North has shown a variety of looks on offense this season, and the Timberwolves are ready to use them all on Friday.
North’s surge in district play can be traced to the development of a running game behind Jordan Evans and the Wildcat formation in Week 4. But the Timberwolves also present a potent passing attack behind Peyton Gavras, and have snapped the ball to four different players under center this season.
“We’ll see when we get into the flow of the game what we see,” coach Wade Standley said. “That’s a decision we make in the game based on what we think we can do.”
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