Altus Times

The Altus Bulldogs cleared their first serious district hurdle last week with a 21-0 victory over Chickasha. This week they face an equally big task when they take on 5-0 and second-ranked Ardmore.

The win over the Chicks was the 200th career victory for Altus head coach Jim Holloway. He currently stands at 73-58 in his 12 plus years at AHS, and has a 200-129 career mark.

The Altus defensive unit turned in an excellent performance last week, posting its first shutout. Roger Shaw was the top tackler with three unassisted and 18 assisted tackles for a total of 21 stops.

The other members of the double-digit tackle club were Neal Lundby (17), Devon Davis (13) and Kipp Moss (10).

Andy Curtis graded highest out of the offensive linemen and Alex Fisher was second.

The Bulldogs, now 4-1 and 2-0 for the season, have avoided serious injuries thus far. Omar Nails is questionable for this week's contest with an ankle injury and Moose Wathen is probable, also with an ankle injury.

Ardmore features multiple offensive sets, having run from 51 different formations this year, adding two or three new wrinkles each week.

"They make you prepare for everything," Holloway said. "They execute well and they are a well-coached team."

Quarterback Drew McAdoo is an outstanding player who makes few mistakes and has very few negative yardage plays. He runs the option well and throws a very catchable ball to his receivers.

"Ardmore has one of the best running backs in the state in Roy Roberts, a three-year starter at tailback," Holloway said. "He has good speed, gets the extra yards and runs inside with power."

The Tigers feature a 245-pound fullback in Virgil Harmon. He is a strong runner and may be the best blocking fullback the Bulldogs have faced this year.

Ardmore also has three excellent wide receivers in Zelto Anderson (6-4, 195), Edward Nelson (6-1, 210) and 6-5 sophomore Jermaine Gresham.

Put the group above behind a solid offensive line and it is clear that the Bulldog defense will face a tall task in keeping them out of the endzone.

The Ardmore starting defensive unit has surrendered just 10 points in five games. The Tigers' non-district wins came against Ada (13-0), Shawnee (10-7) and Durant (50-21). In district play they have beaten Southeast (35-3) and Duncan (51-7).

The Bulldogs are also making a defensive statement, giving up just 42 points in five games for an average of 8.4 ppg.

Top players on the Tigers' defensive unit include ends Harmon and Nelson, and inside linebackers Zack Weaver and Brad Downing. Roberts is a three-year starter at free safety and cornerback Rodney Fuller is a second-year starter. Cornerback Travis Lightsey may be the fastest player on the field Friday night.

"Ardmore has a strong kicking game and probably has better team speed than either Clinton or Chickasha," Holloway said "We're facing another huge challenge and I hope we can respond with another good effort."

The starting offensive linemen for the Bulldogs will be Fisher, John Mandery, Tomas Sanchez, Austin Leverett, Curtis and Braden Cunningham. The starting wide receivers are expected to be James Holt, Shawn McBlain and Moose Wathen. The offensive backfield will include Matt Howard, Marc Thompson and Jason Kornmeyer.

The starting defensive linemen for Altus will be Kipp Moss, Shaw, Trey Walker, De'Arteuy Jones, Sanchez, Lundby and Daniel Tabon-Cox. The secondary will include Holt, Wathen, Davis and Mark Shelly.