The Ada Cougars still control their own postseason destiny.
At least that's the way head coach Wade Boyles sees it heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
Boyles believes the Cougars need to win two of their final three games to put themselves in position to secure a playoff berth.
Heading into Week 8, Ada and Poteau are tied at 2-2 in the District 4A-4 race. They trail No. 3 Sallisaw (4-0), No. 4 Broken Bow (3-1) and No. 9 Stilwell (3-1).
The Cougars host a 4-3 Mannford squad Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Norris Field. The Pirates snapped a three-game losing skid last week with a dominant 37-0 victory over Tulsa McLain.
Ada closes out the regular season with a road trip to Broken Bow next week before hosting Stilwell on Nov. 6.
“We kind of painted the picture for the guys about what it’s going to take to get in the playoffs,” Boyles told The Ada News Thursday morning. “We have to find a way to win two football games. If we win two of our next three, it could put us in a two-way or three-way tie with Poteau and Stilwell. A playoff berth is still in our hands. The opportunity is still there.”
The Ada coaching staff delivered a special message to its large group of talented seniors this week, reminding them that the clock is ticking on their high school football careers.
“We told them they have three guaranteed games left in an Ada Cougar uniform. If you want more than that, we have to go get them,” Boyles said. “We challenged them to go play as hard as they can for these next three games.”
Despite the ups and downs of a roller-coaster season, Boyles has been pleased with his team's work ethic and determination.
“Our kids have had a great week of practice and prep. They still have great attitudes, and that’s one of the things that makes this group special,” he said.
Now the Cougars must find a way to extend their season beyond those final three games. And once they reach the playoffs, anything can happen.
“They know we’ve had opportunities to win football games and have been real close. We just have to get to the playoffs. Then. we may get hot. I’ve seen it happen before,” he said.
Scouting Mannford
When Mannford comes to town Friday night, Ada coaches aren't expecting many pre-Halloween tricks from the Pirates' offense.
Mannford makes no secret of its offensive game plan. The Pirates want to pound the football on the ground, control the clock and wear down opposing defenses.
“Mannford is a running football team. What you see is what you get. They’re going to line up and come at you and try to sustain long drives,” Boyles said. “They’re not going to throw it a whole lot.”
The Pirates are averaging 282.4 rushing yards per game, with two running backs doing most of the damage.
Junior JJ Hindsman leads the ground attack with 855 yards and 14 touchdowns on 119 carries. Ryder Tidwell has also been a workhorse in the backfield, rushing for 633 yards and five scores on 87 attempts.
“They have two pretty good running backs, and both are bigger guys,” Boyles said. “They both fit that mold of a grind guy that they can hand the ball off to over and over again.”
And when Boyles says Mannford doesn't throw the football much, he's not exaggerating.
Pirate quarterback Kayden Leslie has attempted just 26 passes all season, completing 10 with four interceptions.
That makes Ada's defensive assignment pretty clear — slow down Mannford's ground game and force the Pirates into uncomfortable passing situations.
“The big key for us defensively is getting off the field on third down and get some tackle for loss and try to put them behind the sticks and make them throw the football,” Boyles said.
Defensively, Mannford operates out of a 3-4 alignment designed to clog running lanes.
“They try to get some guys in the box and will bring a little bit of pressure here and there. They want to take away your run game,” he said.
Hindsman is also a force on the defensive side of the football, leading the Pirates with 71 tackles from his linebacker spot.
Lyndon Hamilton is next with 52 tackles, followed closely by CJ Russell with 50.
Fred Giles has been a ball hawk in the secondary, accounting for seven of Mannford's 13 interceptions.
Young guns
Injuries to three key Ada offensive players — receiver Canaan Parker and running backs Cody Carpenter and Kolten Fuller — could open the door for some younger Cougars to make an impact Friday night.
“We’ll have some key guys out, but we also have some young guys chomping at the bit to get their opportunity,” Boyles said.
Two of those youngsters are freshmen Aiden Lawson and Ryder Bynum, who could find themselves thrust into more prominent roles Friday night, giving starting tailback Jaylon Wortham some much-needed breaks.