MacArthur is reeling after surrendering an 11-point fourth-quarter lead to Lawton High in a 41-32 loss last Friday night.
Clinton experienced a similar result, dropping a 20-12 decision to Heritage Hall despite holding a 12-0 advantage at halftime.
Here’s what to expect from the first meeting between the perennial powers looking to get back on top of their respective classes:
Perspective
Mac has never lost a game to the Red Tornadoes, winning all six meetings since 1972. Four of those matchups came from 2012-2015, a period in which the Highlanders outscored Clinton, 135-40.
Mac won the last meeting in 2015, 33-7.
The Highlanders are favored, but if the Red Tornadoes were to claim the victory, they would be the second-straight team to reach 800 wins at the expense of Mac. The Wolverines did so last week against the Highlanders, becoming the first team in Oklahoma history to reach the milestone.
Clinton strength/weakness
The Clinton of old is starting to rear its head once again.
The Red Tornadoes have experienced a down period recently, accumulating a 25-22 record since 2014. Last season marked one of the worst in program history, for Clinton finished 3-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time in 28 years.
This year, however, the Red Tornadoes appear reformed, opening the season with a 42-12 victory over Woodward of Class 5A, followed by the close loss to Heritage Hall.
Now that the Chargers are in 3A, the door could once again be open for Clinton to make a run at its first 4A state title since 2012.
“They’re starting to look like the old Clinton,” Mac coach Brett Manning said. “They’re running offensively and defensively what they used to back when Mike Lee was there. We scrimmaged them for years, so we’re really familiar with them. Then from 12-15, we played them, and two of those years were when Mike Lee was the head coach, and the other two were when Phil Koons was the coach. They’ve got a pretty good group that’s pretty rejuvenated, and they seem to be excited about football.”
Despite being improved, Clinton must deal with depth issues.
The Red Tornadoes start multiple players on both sides of the ball, which could prove troublesome in a close game like last week against Heritage Hall. Fatigue set in, allowing the Chargers to forge the comeback.
Clinton’s goal in the first half will be to limit Mac and its variety of receivers, keeping the Highlanders off the board in the process. If the Red Tornadoes can manage that and limit their two-way starters’ time on defense, an upset could be in the realm of possibility.
Based on past experiences, Manning said he knows Clinton’s secondary will present challenges.
“They play really good pass defense,” Manning said. “We had some good skill players back in 2013-14 and really struggled throwing the ball against them. Their scheme is pretty good.”
The Highlanders will also be up against a talented offense, which features perhaps one of the most underrated running backs in the state, Dayday Simpkins.
“Their running back is someone we’ll have to concentrate on,” Manning said. “He’s a good runner, and he’s their man of offense. I don’t remember ever playing them when they didn’t have a Simpkins running the ball. It’s a big family there, and they just keep on coming.”
Simpkins tallied one of Clinton’s touchdowns against Heritage Hall, scoring on a 23-yard run. He also recorded an interception.
Simpkins has run for 119 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries through two games, averaging 7.93 yards per carry.