Stroud has finished its threeweek district meat grinder and looks to nail down a playoff spot over the next three weeks.
In successive weeks, the Tigers played Hartshorne, Beggs and Holdenville, who are a combined 19-2 overall and 12-0 in district with Holdenville and Hartshorne both undefeated going into their matchup this week.
The Lions are 1-3 in district play, but can claim a playoff spot if they win their last three games. They host the Atoka Wampus Cats this week for homecoming, then face Morris and Kellyville the final two weeks of the season. Atoka, Morris and Kellyville are the have-nots of the district, posting a combined 2-19 record.
“Barring some unforeseen circumstances, it looks to be Holdenville, Hartshorne, Beggs and then if we can win out, we’ll get the fourth spot,” said coach Josh Presley.
The Tigers’ district matches up with District 2A-II-3, which has Adair and Wyandotte tied for first place.
If they are, the No. 4 team in their district, the Tigers would travel to play the first-place team in District 3 in the first round.
The Tigers lost to Holdenville, 52-0, on Thursday for their third loss in a row, but Presley said there won’t be any major changes coming.
“We need to keep on doing what we do and not lose confidence, not lose faith,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. You go through trying times where you lose three straight, but you have to stay with the process.
“I’m not a big believer in jumping ship halfway through the season I’m not saying you can’t make tweaks to what you do, but stick with the process and keep working. Control what you can control - and that’s attitude and effort. Just stay with the process.
“We have a great group of seniors. They have been awesome for us. They’ve dealt with more adversity than in the past and they have done a tremendous job keeping their heads up and keeping everybody going and setting a good example for the young kids.”