Cougs set to open district play Friday at Sallisaw

Sep. 22—The most important part of the football season starts now for the Ada Cougars.

The Cougars will begin District 4A-2 play by making a 144-mile trip to Sallisaw for a matchup with the host Black Diamonds.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Perry F. Lattimore Stadium.

The Cougars will enter the game at 2-1 on the year, while Sallisaw (0-3) is still searching for its first win of the 2022 season.

Ada head coach Brad O'Steen said his team is fully aware that the football stakes get higher this week.

"We're excited where we're at. It's a new season. Everybody in the state is now 0-0," O'Steen told The Ada News. "We have to go in with the mindset that every play, every snap, every practice, every weight room workout, everything matters. We have to go out and give it everything we got every moment in this phase."

The Cougars will head into district battle without the services of senior quarterback Carter Freeland, who suffered what O'Steen called a "sprained knee" in the third quarter of Ada's 42-16 win over Durant last week.

Enter Brock Boyles. The freshman — who stands at 5-10, 160 (probably soaking wet) — replaced Freeland against the Lions. All Boyles did was throw two touchdown passes — a 16-yarder to Jack Morris and a 15-yarder to Andrew Hughes — with his first-ever varsity tosses to help put the Lions away. The game was very much on the line. Boyles entered with Ada clinging to a 21-16 lead.

O'Steen said he has full confidence that Boyles can bridge the QB gap for as long as Freeland is sidelined, which could be several weeks.

"For a freshman, he has a very calm demeanor. He has a great arm and a really good understanding of the offense," O'Steen explained. "He can manage the offense and put the ball where it needs to be. I think he has the ability to be a great quarterback here at Ada before it's all said and done."

It won't be all Brock Friday night. O'Steen said sophomore quarterback Kolten Carlock will also be thrown in the mix Friday night.

"We'll run a dual system Friday night. We'll bring the Carlock kid in and do some things with him at quarterback also," he said. "Carlock is a run-type, threat quarterback. He has a strong arm, but he also brings a running aspect to the quarterback spot. It's two different styles of offenses and I think that will be a good attack for us."

Inside look at Brock Boyles

No one knows Brock Boyles better than Ada assistant coach Wade Boyles, his father.

So The Ada News asked Wade Boyles to give some inside knowledge about Ada's young soon-to-be starting quarterback.

"Brock was born into a football family. He has spent his entire life surrounded by coaches and players that have mentored him," Wade Boyles said. "He has been on the sidelines as a ball boy for the Ada Cougars for the past eight years, prior to putting on the official uniform."

Wade said Brock made it a point to try and get to know every Cougar football player each year.

"Every year he has created a bond with and learned from each player that has passed through the system," Wade said.

This year, Freeland took Brock under his wing and tried to teach him the quarterbacking ropes.

"He has built a close relationship with Carter Freeland, watching and learning and still being mentored by him," Wade said. "Brock loves the game of football, he loves the strategy and most importantly he loves his teammates."

Wade said Brock might have felt some nerves when his No. 12 was called last Friday against Durant, but he quickly calmed down thanks to many reassurances from his teammates.

"Brock was lifted up and carried by the upperclassman when he had to step into last week's game. The lineman, the receivers, all of them encouraged Brock with words and actions," Wade said.

Brock is a 4.0 student, born and raised in Ada and has attended Ada City Schools since kindergarten. Brock has been the quarterback for both his seventh and eighth-grade seasons. He also plays baseball and basketball.

Morris has big night

Ada senior Jack Morris, who wears No. 44 at home but is really No. 4, had a huge game in the Cougars' win over Durant. He finished with six catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

O'Steen said the best still could be yet to come for Morris.

"Jack's a very talented young man with a lot of ability. He can catch the football. He can block. He can play defense. He does a lot of things," O'Steen said. "This is only his second year of football so I think if he'll really did down and keep working and keep committed to what we're doing he's going to be a great football player for us. He did a great job for us the other night."

Don't sleep on Sallisaw

O'Steen said the Black Diamonds are better than their 0-3 record might indicate. Last week, Sallisaw pushed Class 6A Tahlequah to its limit before dropping a 35-27 decision to the Tigers on Homecoming night in Tahlequah.

"They do have some ability. Overall, they're a good football team that is trying to find their identity as to what their strengths are," he said. "They run a lot of sets. They're very multiple. I don't know how else to describe it because they do a lot of stuff you have to prep for."

Sallisaw, led by quarterback Parker Jackson and receivers Ce'alm Kilpatrick and Broque Oft, accounted for 310 total yards of offense against Tahlequah.

Jackson completed 33-of-40 passes for 228 yards with a pair of touchdowns with one interception.

Kilpatrick — who ran a 10.77 in the 100 Meter Dash in a preliminary round at the Class 4A State Track Meet last spring — had a game-high 10 receptions for 69 yards, and Oft led the Black Diamonds with 81 receiving yards on three catches.

Sallisaw got to show off its talented junior kicker Christian Taylor, who made field goals of 42 and 38 yards against the Tigers.

Sallisaw's biggest play against Tahlequah came on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Oft.

Ada leads the all-time series with Sallisaw 2-1.

Experienced coach

After going 1-9 last season, Sallisaw hired former NFL assistant coach Mark Hutson to be the head man for the Black Diamonds.

"He has them playing hard. They're struggling a little bit, but they're playing hard. They're big and physical and they have a couple of skill guys that are really fast," O'Steen said.

Hutson is a two-time All-American at Oklahoma who has been a college coaching conference champion and an SEC Special Teams Coach of the Year. During his college playing career, Oklahoma won the national championship with a 1986 Orange Bowl win over Penn State.

A 1988 third-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys, Hutson suffered a herniated disc and was waived in June 1989 after spending his entire rookie season on injured reserve.

From 1990-92, Hutson served as a graduate assistant under Gary Gibbs, before coaching tight ends and special teams under Houston Nutt at Murray State, Boise State and Arkansas.

After being an offensive line coach at Tulsa (2000-02), he went to Eastern Illinois (2003-06), where associate head coach and offensive coordinator positions were eventually added to his offensive line job. He took over as interim coach in 2006 when head man Bob Spoo underwent surgery.

At Tulane (2007-11), he served as an offensive line coach and became interim coach after Bob Toledo's resignation. From there, he went to the Oakland Raiders (2012-14) as the tight ends coach, before a second tour at Eastern Illinois (2015). He coached the likes of Joe Thomas as an assistant offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2016-18.

After three seasons with Cleveland, Hutson worked under LSU's Ed Orgeron as an offensive analyst. This includes the 2019, 15-0 national championship season that featured Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.

He recently worked at Tennessee State, where the Tigers went 5-6 in Eddie George's first year as coach. After the season, he was named the offensive line coach at Grambling but then left for Sallisaw.