(Games are at 7:30 p.m., unless noted otherwise)



Grove at Tahlequah

Where: Doc Wadley Stadium (at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Allen Road).

Radio: Game will air live locally on KEOK, FM-102.1.

Nicknames: Tahlequah Tigers; Grove Ridgerunners.

Coaches: Tahlequah (Brad Gilbert, 1-9, second season); Grove (Dennis Millican, 55-29, eighth season).

Records: Tahlequah 0-3; Grove 1-2. First District 5A-4 game for both teams.

Rankings: Neither team is ranked in Class 5A.

Series record: Tahlequah leads 7-6-1.

Last meeting: In 2011, Grove and Tahlequah closed out their seasons with a 26-24 Ridgerunner victory.

Last week: Sallisaw 38, Tahlequah 20; Wagoner 51, Grove 14.

News to know: Grove finished sixth in 5A-4 last season, with Tahlequah a spot behind in seventh. ... Tahlequah is ranked 29th, out of 32 teams, in scoring defense in Class 5A. The Tigers are allowing an average of 41 points per contest. ... Grove is giving up an average of 30.3 points per game.

Players to watch

Tahlequah: David Dick (QB), Mason McMillan (RB).

— Junior quarterback David Dick suffered a rough outing (7 of 26 with four interceptions) in the Tigers' season opener at Fort Gibson. But he's improved as the weeks have progressed. Last week against Sallisaw, he completed 8 of 17 passes for 139 yards with only one INT. He's also found comfort in wide receiver, Tyler Eisensmith.

— McMillan continues to impress in Tahlequah's running game, averaging 147.3 yards and 26.7 carries per game. Against both Fort Gibson and Sallisaw, he had 100 rushing yards by halftime.

Grove: Jake Spychalski (QB), Benny Steffenson (RB).

— Spychalski, a junior, had completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes (29 of 61) and has tossed four interceptions, but he has thrown for 412 yards and three touchdowns.

— Steffenson, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior tailback, is gaining an average of 7.6 yards per carry this season. He has 381 yards and four touchdowns on 50 carries in three games.

Looking ahead: On Sept. 28, Tahlequah will embark on a trip to Claremore for its first 5A-4 road game. Grove will take on Collinsville.



Sequoyah at Locust Grove

Where: Leonard Yarborough Stadium (north on Highway 82, near the intersection of Highway 82 and Joe Koelsch Drive).

Radio: Game will air live on KTLQ, AM-1350, and it will stream online at www.sequoyah.cherokee.org.

Nicknames: Sequoyah Indians; Locust Grove Pirates

Coaches: Sequoyah (Brent Scott, 71-23, ninth season); Locust Grove (Matt Hennesy, 3-0, first season).

Records: Sequoyah 2-1; Locust Grove 3-0. It's the first 3A-7 game for both teams.

Rankings: Sequoyah is No. 8 in Class 3A in the Associated Press' prep poll; Locust Grove is not ranked in 3A.

Series record: Sequoyah leads 12-9.

Last meeting: In 2011, Sequoyah beat Locust Grove 48-0.

Last week: Victory Christian 35, Sequoyah 34; Locust Grove 32, Stilwell 7.

News to know: Sequoyah dropped three spots in 3A's top 10 after allowing Victory Christian to score 35 points in the fourth quarter last week. ... Sequoyah quarterback Brayden Scott now holds the school record for passing yardage and passing touchdowns. ... Hennesy is the former coach at Muskogee. ... Sequoyah has outscored Locust Grove 96-14 in games played in 2011 and 2010.

Players to watch

Sequoyah: Kyle Helsley (RB), Niko Hammer (WR).

— Helsley's workload has been curtailed because of a game in Week 2 that was cut short, but he is averaging 14.4 yards per carry on 28 rushes this season. He's also scored four times.

— Hammer, as predicted, has emerged as Scott's favorite target in the passing game, racking up 13 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns thus far.

Locust Grove: Cameron McIntire (RB).

— The Pirates' tailback had a monster game against Stilwell last week, posting 229 yards and two touchdowns on 31 rushes.

Looking ahead: Sequoyah will take on Cherokee County rival Keys on Sept. 28. Locust Grove will play Westville.



Westville at Keys

Where: Cougar Stadium (at Keys High School on the east side of campus).

Radio: Game will air tape-delayed following the Tahlequah game on KEOK, FM-102.1.

Nicknames: Keys Cougars; Westville Yellowjackets.

Coaches: Keys (Gary Willis, 70-43, 11th season); Westville (John Gleason, 1-2, first season).

Records: Keys 1-1; Westville 1-2.

Rankings: Neither team is ranked in Class 3A.

Series record: Keys leads 3-1.

Last meeting: Keys blanked Westville, 38-0, in 2009.

Last week: Keys 19, Eufaula 13; Kansas 25, Westville 0.

News to know: Points have been hard to come in Keys' games. The Cougars have scored an average of 14.5 per game while allowing 22 per contest. ... Westville has allowed 24.7 points per game.

Players to watch

Keys: Trevor Eubanks (QB/FS), Josh Ferguson (RB), Tyler Blankenship (WR).

— Eubanks completed 11 of 16 passes for 130 yards against Eufaula last week. He found Blankenship for five of those passes for 93 yards.

— Ferguson, who shifted to running back last week, had 30 yards on eight carries against Eufaula.

Westville: Justin Self (QB).

— The Yellowjackets' quarterback passed for 116 yards last week against Kansas.

Looking ahead: Keys will host Sequoyah on Sept. 28, while Westville will take on Locust Grove.



Colcord at Hulbert

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Rider Stadium (at Hulbert High School).

Nicknames: Hulbert Riders; Colcord Hornets.

Coaches: Hulbert (Mitchell Crittenden, 7-15, second season); Colcord (Terrill Denny, 1-2, first season).

Records: Both teams are 1-2. It's the first 2A-8 game for both.

Rankings: Neither team is ranked in Class 2A.

Series record: Hulbert leads 21-20.

Last meeting: In 2003, Colcord blasted Hulbert, 53-0.

Last week: Kiefer 29, Hulbert 0; Colcord 34, Sallisaw-Central 21.

News to know: Both of Hulbert's losses this season have come at home. ... This will be Hulbert's first 2A-8 after competing in Class A last season. ... Colcord opened the season with losses to Haskell (44-20) and Westville (21-14). ... Hulbert’s last win over Colcord came in 1995, when the Riders won 7-0.

Players to watch

Hulbert: Brandon Thompson (RB).

— If Hulbert quarterback Chris Vance is still hobbled, Thompson could be called upon to run the ball a lot in Hulbert's offense. Thompson rushed for 83 yards against Kiefer if Week 3.

Looking ahead: On Sept. 28, Hulbert will travel to Wyandotte, while Colcord will host Salina.