MacArthur faced little resistance from Eisenhower in the season opener, and coach Brett Manning is optimistic about his team's chances to regain the city championship against Lawton High.
Just 24 hours prior to the Highlanders' 39-7 drubbing of the Eagles, the Wolverines fell 45-35 at home to Altus, which was a 13-point underdog, according to The Oklahoman.
Here's what to expect from the 46th edition of the city rivalry:
Perspective
LHS leads the all-time series between the teams by a rather lopsided margin of 30-15. The Wolverines won last year's meeting, 50-20, but before that, Mac had won four of the last six, including three-straight from 2014-2016.
Line
The Oklahoman picked LHS to squeak past Mac, 35-34.
LHS strength
Adjustments: This might seem like more of a weakness for a team that suffered a 10-point defeat, but it could've been much worse.
The Wolverines fell behind 14-0 early, and after quarterback Eric Wiley Jr. threw an interception deep in LHS territory, Altus could've easily pushed that lead to 21-0. However, LHS coach Ryan Breeze rallied his troops, and the Wolverines held the Bulldogs scoreless on that drive.
LHS then went on a 27-3 run before its late collapse that featured four unanswered Altus touchdowns in the final 17 minutes.
Breeze said aside from the opening two drives, he felt the offense played well.
"We still scored 35 points and had 55 snaps," Breeze said. "When we got the lead in the third quarter, I thought that's how the game should've been going all along, and I felt like we were going to hang on to win. We're up 10, and before you know it, three offensive snaps later we're down 10 just like that."
LHS weakness
QB inexperience: Wiley Jr. is still adjusting to life as a starting quarterback, and his jitters were apparent early against the Bulldogs.
The junior fumbled a snap on the Wolverines' opening drive, followed by an interception on the next possession. Wiley Jr. rebounded and finished the game with three touchdown passes, but he completed less than 40 percent of his passes.
Despite his first-game numbers, Manning said Mac knows the threat he presents if given the adequate time to operate from the pocket.
"He's got a good, strong arm, and from what I've seen and heard, he's a really intelligent kid who's going to correct those mistakes," Manning said. "I'm sure he'll be a lot better in Week 2 than he was in Week 1."
Mac strength
Defensive pressure: The Mac defense didn't let much get by it last Friday night.
Aside from one play, a 72-yard touchdown toss, the Highlanders shut Ike down, coming away with 17 tackles for loss, including eight sacks. The Eagles managed only 83 yards on the night, quite the contrast from last year's meeting when Ike finished with 316 yards and 29 points.
Mac has improved a great deal defensively since 2017, when it surrendered an average of 337 yards and more than 29 points per game. Teams might find it a challenge to score on the Highlanders this season.
"They're very aggressive, and they fly to the football," Breeze said of the Mac defense. "They're not as big as they've been in the past, but they're going to get after you and bring a bunch of pressure. Eleven hats are going to run to the football, which is typical of a coach (Mike) Reffett defense. We're going to have to match their physicality and protect up front."
Mac weakness
Complacency: Despite putting up 39 points and racking up 346 yards and 21 first downs, there were stretches where the Highlanders seemed to have lost their urgency to score.
Mac's conversion rates on third and fourth down were underwhelming -- 1-of-8 and 0-of-2, respectively. Against LHS, every possession will count, so the Highlanders must find a way to move the chains and keep the Wolverines off the field.
"We seemed like we were either really good or really bad," Manning said. "We went forward or backward — there was no in between. But we have some young guys who are still learning, and we can deal with that. The attitude and the effort are there."