“Cardiac Roughers” Host Choctaw In 6A-2 Showdown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Muskogee Roughers are 3-0 on the season and they have been playing some very exciting games through the first three weeks of the season. There aren't many 3-0 teams in Oklahoma that have been more exciting to watch than the Roughers. They opened the season with a 19-13 win over Springdale. They followed that up with a 20-17 win over McAlester. And then last week, the Roughers had one of the best wins of week two. They trailed Claremore 21-0 at halftime and outscored the Zebras 28-3 in the second half to win and improve to 3-0 on the season. We've given Muskogee the nickname "Cardiac Roughers" because of the late game heroics that have become a weekly part of Muskogee football. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>RELATED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://youtu.be/LYRjg7NJM-k" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/LYRjg7NJM-k">- Interview With Muskogee HC Dale Condict</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week, Muskogee prepares for a 6A-2 showdown with Choctaw on Friday night. This will be their first match-up against a 6A-2 opponent and the same can be said for Choctaw. The Yellowjackets just got their first win of the season last week when they ran away from Union in the second half. They lost to Mustang and Moore in the first two weeks, playing 6A-1 competition in their first three games. According to head coach Dale Condict, Choctaw will be the most athletic and talented team that Muskogee has seen so far and it's easy to see why. They have a handful of P4 commits and more coming up through the pipeline.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of these teams expect to contend for the state championship in December. And both have recent championship success. For Choctaw, it was at the expense of Muskogee as the Yellowjackets knocked off the Roughers to capture the 2024 title. For Muskogee, it's an opportunity to get better and see where they stack up against one of the better teams in their class. After this week, Muskogee has week four off before hosting Piedmont in week five to wrap up non-district play. A week after that, they host Booker T Washington and that begins a five week dash for the district championship and playoff positioning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Below, we take a look at a handful of Roughers that have been critical to the 3-0 start this season. </strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1718190' first='Anthony' last='Harris'] - 2027 Defensive Lineman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>According to Condict, the strength of Muskogee's defense starts with the play of the line of scrimmage. And when you're talking about that side of the line, the conversation begins with 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='1718190' first='Anthony' last='Harris'] and he's off to a great start this season. Harris moved from Wagoner to Muskogee this offseason and he's given the Roughers a major spark on defense. He has a nose for the football, coming up with four fumble recoveries in the last few games. He's a guy that knows how to get into the opposing backfield and cause absolute chaos. The Roughers will need that to continue as they face a Choctaw offense that can be explosive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anthony Hyche - 2028 Running Back</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Roughers are waiting to get 2028 running back Anthony Hyche back into the lineup because once they do, they'll be in a much better spot on the offensive side of the ball. Hyche came out in the first week of the season and had a terrific performance in their season opener. In the win over Springdale, Hyche finished with nearly 250 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Unfortunately for Hyche and the Roughers, he's missed the last two games, nursing an ankle injury. Muskogee is hopeful that he will return to the lineup sooner rather than later. It might be up in the air for this week's game but they seem confident he'll return for at least district play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2141893' first='Anthony' last='Mcnac Jr']. - 2027 Wide Receiver</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third straight Anthony on this breakdown, 2027 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='2141893' first='Anthony' last='Mcnac Jr']. saved his best for last in the win over Claremore on Friday night. He had some uncharacteristic drops earlier in the game but when it came down to making a play late in the fourth quarter, the Roughers went to the senior playmaker at receiver. Facing fourth down, it was Mcnac that came down with the game-winning touchdown pass. He's had a solid start to the season and seems to be picking up momentum as the Roughers get closer to district play. Mcnac came into this season as a player Muskogee circled as being a potential breakout player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1836765' first='Brayden' last='McMullen'] - 2029 Quarterback</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1836765' first='Brayden' last='McMullen'] was a 2029 prospect we were fired up to see this season. After flashing signs of being a solid signal caller this spring, he's gotten off to a good start this fall and seems to be playing with more and more confidence. He's coming off a very efficient showing in the win over Claremore. And of course, he was the guy that threw the game-winning touchdown to knock off the Zebras and complete their comeback. But all eyes are going to be on McMullen this week. The sophomore is going against a Choctaw defense that has some dudes at all three levels and this will be his toughest test so far this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->