MacArthur football coach Brett Manning met with The Lawton Constitution’s Kevin Green ahead of the Highlanders’ Friday night rivalry matchup with Duncan (7-1, 4-1).
Manning discussed the comeback win over Noble, how the team handled practice during Fall Break and what to expect from the Demons.
Week 8 debrief
Mac didn’t make it easy on itself, but a win is a win, especially in district play.
In the first of a three-week test, the Highlanders managed to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit and rally off 28 points in the second half to beat Noble, 35-30.
Manning said the comeback strategy’s simplicity was its beauty.
“We just started making plays,” Manning said. “In the first half, we were stagnant and couldn’t move the ball very well. In the passing game, we just weren’t making the plays we were in the second half. We made a few adjustments at halftime and started running Racer (Felter) a lot more and using some misdirection stuff.”
The Bears’ passing attack gave Mac the most trouble, accumulating 282 yards through the air on only 13 passes — about 21.7 yards per pass. Three of Noble’s four touchdowns were of the passing variety, coming on throws of 53, 31 and 75 yards.
District 5A-1 traditionally sports run-heavy teams, so the Bears’ offensive system takes so adjusting to for teams like Mac.
“Having gone against Ardmore and Altus, I thought it’d be a welcome changeup for us,” Manning said. “That fact that we haven’t faced a whole lot of passing teams kind of showed a few times. We had one busted coverage where we let the guy run right down the field alone, and then we had a guy trip and fall down, which allowed them to get back within five at the end of the game. I liked our pass coverage and our pass defense, it’s just something we haven’t worked a whole lot at.”
The win was the biggest of the season so far for the Highlanders, knocking one of last year’s semifinalist out of the playoff contention. Noble made it to within one game of the state championship in 2017 before suffering a 38-10 loss to eventual runner-up Bishop Mc-Guinness.
Although the Bears took a step back from last year’s historic run, Manning said he believes Noble is trending up.
“Traditionally, Noble has not been a powerhouse and has not been very good,” Manning said. “But I think they’re going in the right direction, and the coach is doing a good job. I think we’ll continue to see them playing at a high level.”
Handling Fall Break
Students were off for three extra days last week thanks to Fall Break, which called for a change in the Highlanders’ practice schedule.
Only Wednesday experienced a change because of the game being played on Thursday, and Manning said it had little to no impact on his team.
“We have a handful of days throughout the year where we don’t have school, but we have practice,” Manning said. “Labor Day, Fall Break and teacher workdays here and there. I don’t tend to think it’s that big of a deal. We had film at 9 a.m. and practice at 10 on Wednesday, and it was a short pregame practice that we normally have.”
What to expect from No. 9 Duncan
Much like Texas, Duncan is back.
The Demons are off to their best start since 1997, when they started 8-0 and made an appearance in the semifinals before finishing 11-2. Duncan currently sits at 7-1, with its only loss coming to No. 2 Ardmore last week, 34-7.
However, that score might be misleading.
It was the Demons’ first full game without star running back and linebacker Jonathon Babineaux, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury against El Reno the week prior.
Despite Babineaux’s absence, Manning said Duncan is still capable of moving the ball, both on the ground and through the air.
“They still have JJ Harris, and he’s a very capable and very good running back,” Manning said. “He’ll just have to carry most of the load now, but I don’t think their offense is going to change any. It’ll just be JJ doing all the work (on the ground) instead of half of it.
“We’ll have to do a good job of playing the run but also defending any big passes. They’ve got several receivers that can go, and the quarterback does a good job of getting them the ball.”
Duncan has one of the best defenses in Class 5A this season, surrendering only 87 points total this season, which is about 10.9 points per game.
Despite that, Mac has its own offensive weapons, and Manning said he believes quarterback Felter will be key to the Highlanders securing the win.
“They have shown to have a hard time, as most everybody does, with mobile quarterbacks,” Manning said. “We definitely have one of those that can run the ball, so I think having Racer involved in the run game is an advantage for us.”
Felter rushed for 149 yards and four touchdowns against Noble.
The teams have played every season since 1974, and Mac leads the headto-head series, 29-18. The Highlanders have won eight-straight in the rivalry by an average margin of 19.25 points.
The Demons last bested Mac in 2008 and 2009, but Manning said the rivalry could become more competitive in years to come.
“For years, this was a really good rivalry,” Manning said. “It was really similar to what us and Altus have now, being so close together. It’s kind of dropped off in recent years, but they seem like they’re back, and I can see that picking right back up where it left off. They’re a good team and playing with a lot of confidence right now, and I think it’ll be a great game.”