Up next: Kellyville on Friday
The Chandler Lions played up two classes Friday night, traveling to Poteau to face the Class 4A Pirates, and played them on even terms for three quarters.
Poteau pulled away in the fourth quarter and posted a 42-21 win, dropping the Lions to 3-1 for the season going into their district opener next week at home against Kellyville.
The game was a good measuring stick, with Poteau ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by Max Preps, and Lions’ head coach Jack Gray liked what he found out about his team.
“We had a lot of guys play with a lot of determination, and that started last week,” he said. “I think we’re more rounded overall. The defense has a lot of young guys who are getting a lot of experience.
“We learned a lot about ourselves and we’re look forward to district.
“That’s what fun about playing teams like this in non-district. You get to go find out how good you are and how you stack up,” he said. “They expose where you’re weak and where you need to get better instead of somebody you have a big win against.
“That’s why I schedule the Bristows and the Poteaus and the Beggs. They’re going to find out where you weak.
Chandler scored first, when a 38-yard run by Carson Clagg set up a 2-yard sneak by quarterback Alec Jackson with 8:43 left in the first quarter.
Poteau tied the score later in the period on a touchdown throw from quarterback Sam Tecla to Aiden Sockey.
Poteau went ahead early in the second period on an 8-yard run by Holden Mattox, but Chandler tied the score less than a minute later when Jackson hit Corbin Hollon, who has had at least one long pass reception in each game so far.
This one went for 81yards and a touchdown with 10:02 left to ply.
The Pirates scored twice more in the half to go up 28-14 at intermission, but Chandler cut lead to 7 when Ty Garver caught a 4-yard scoring pass in the right side of the end zone.
The game was still in question at that point and on into the fourth quarter, but Poteau added two touchdowns and Chandler couldn’t answer.
“We were in the game the whole game,” Gray said. “We didn’t capitalize on some things. We got some holding calls on them and got them backed up and they were able to hit some passes and catch back up on the chains.
“That’s something we should have taken advantage of but didn’t. And they had some fumbles pop out that they recovered and we didn’t. In the first half, that could have been a big swing.
“We messed up a lot of detail things and we can’t do that against teams like this.”