No. 3 Metro Christian staked a strong claim to the favorites’ role in District 2A-4 with a dominant 35-0 victory over Chandler Friday night.
The Patriots moved to 5-0 for the season and 2-0 in district, while the Lions moved to 2-3 and 1-1.
The Lions are back in action at home Thursday against Daniel Webster. The game is on Thursday due to Tulsa schools observing fall break next week.
Metro jumped out to a 7-0 lead with less than four minutes gone and never relinquished it, leading 21-0 at the half and 35-0 after three quarters.
“With the size they and the depth and size they have up-front in the offensive and defensive line, and just their overall depth, it’s like playing a 4A, 5A school,” Chandler coach Jack Gray said. “A 2A school playing an 85-man roster, it wears on you.
“They’re going to be a tough team for anyone to handle in 2A. Right now, Metro is probably a lot better than anyone else in our district.”
Gray said the Lions’ approach to practice for the next five weeks will be the key to the rest of the season and the playoffs.
“We have to know how to practice well and have the frame of mind of how we’re going to practice,” he said. “If practice is going through the motions, we’re not going to get any better. If practice is high intensity and working hard and you’re visualizing someone like a Metro Christian player in front of you, we can get better.
“More than anything, it’s taking every part of practice seriously and getting the best you can. It’s going to come down to discipline throughout the next five weeks and not slipping up and taking care of business.
“It’s going to take a lot of leadership that leads practice. As coaches, we can only do so much and leadership is going to be a big deal in getting where we want to be.”