MacArthur suffered its worst loss to a city team since 2010 when it fell to Lawton, 50-20, last Friday.
The Highlanders had success moving the ball early, but five turnovers -- including three interceptions -- prevented them from matching the Wolverines' offensive firepower.
Mac coach Brett Manning said the loss was a humbling experience for all the players and coaches.
"We all have to look at ourselves and see what we can do better in order to be better," Manning said. "That's the silver lining in losing a game -- you can address some of those things that may not show up if you win.
"I think I need to do a better job of having our team ready, and I think I need to do a better job in my play-calling selection. We relied heavily on our run game, and it was very good, but I need to open it up more, and we need to throw the ball better."
Manning said a major reason for his team's lackluster performance against LHS was its energy at practice throughout the week, but the Highlanders have shown the ability to bounce back after a loss.
"Last week, practices were not up to our standard, and it's kind of dangerous when you practice like we did and then go out and win the game," Manning said. "I was impressed with our guys after going up to McGuinness and not doing well. We came back and had great practices the next week, and it showed against Mustang and Carl Albert.
"Hopefully it'll be the same this week, and we'll have a longer memory next time and remember practice is important."
End of a streak
The Highlanders' loss on Friday was far from ordinary.
It was the first regular season hiccup since Oct. 16, 2014 -- a 27-22 loss to Ardmore.
However, Manning said he didn't put much of an emphasis on n't put much of an emphasis on the streak.
"I hadn't really thought about it until earlier this year when somebody brought it up or I read it somewhere," Manning said. "We try to do the best we can. It's no fun to lose, but if we're going to lose one, any of these first three are better than a district game or a playoff game.
"We'll take it for what it's worth, and hopefully we can get better."
Short week
Mac is dealing with a quick turnaround this week, playing Tascosa High on Thursday in Amarillo.
However, that is no problem for the Highlanders. In fact, Manning looks at the short week as a positive.
"Any time you can come back after a loss and play a Thurday night game, it's a good thing," Manning said. "You always want to get that bad taste out of your mouth and try to get back on the right track, and if you can do that a day earlier, that's good.
"We're used to playing on Thursday, so Thursdays are not a real big deal to us. We'll get out there a day earlier -- I don't mind that at all."
Travel plans
Long road trips can have a detrimental physical impact on the players.
Traveling long distances in a vehicle often makes people feel tired and fatigued, and when looking at a 3.5-hour drive, there is certainly room for concern -- especially for a predominant run team like Mac.
Manning said the crew plans to hit the road at 11 a.m. and make the trek to Amarillo without stopping.
"I wanted to stop and find a place to have a pregame meal between here and Amarillo, but there's not a whole lot between here and Amarillo," Manning said. "We're going to go all the way there and stop at The Big Texan and have our pregame meal there. I think we're having hamburgers, fries and water."
Manning said he wanted the players to have a different atmosphere they can't find in Lawton.
"I think it'll be cool for our kids to see that because it's kind of a historical place," Manning said. "We had a few options -- Buffalo Wild Wings, Cracker Barrel or The Big Texan -- so we're going to spend a dollar more and go to The Big Texan.
"Nobody is going to be trying the 72-oz. steak, though."
The Hammer
Isaiah Passi will be carrying the green sledgehammer onto the field in Texas tonight. Passi, who is only a sophomore, is the starting right guard.
"He's had two weeks of really good play," Manning said. "He had six pancakes the week before and five pancakes last week."
West Texas connections
There are several coaches on the Mac staff who are familiar with the West Texas scene.
Manning grew up in Pampa, which is about an hour northeast of Amarillo.
"If we wanted to go to a movie or the mall, it was a trip to the big city of Amarillo," Manning said.
Max Plunk, one of the linebacker coaches, is also from the Texas Panhandle and still has family living in Amarillo. However, even though the Tascosa coach has the same last name, he's not related to Mac's Coach Plunk.
Phil Dennis, the running backs coach and special teams coordinator, fielded his first job at Caprock High in Amarillo, spending a year at the school.
Defensive line coach Odell Gunner was a security guard at a prison in Amarillo before he got into the education field.
Furthermore, quarterback JR Winningham's father graduated from Tascosa High.
Injury Report
McKain Hammond was released from his doctor's hold this week, and the senior will see time at tackle against the Rebels. Hammond was recovering from foot surgery he underwent at the beginning of July.
Manning said Hammond will have to ease back into his on-field duties.
"Right now, he's not in very good football shape, but that's not his fault -- you can't be in football shape unless you're out there playing football," Manning said. "Practices are pretty hard on him right now like they were hard on everybody else at the beginning of the year when we started. We'll see where it goes and how much he's able to play."