Rocky road twists: Red-White Rumble Rock sole aim for one, just part of prize for another

Nov. 2—For Hilldale, there's much more of this season at stake. For Fort Gibson, it all comes to an end Thursday night.

While the Hornets are eyeing a District 4A-4 championship with all the chips falling right, the Tigers are playing for just one famous memento to conclude a disheartening season with.

The Rock.

It's an item, found in the river bed under the Arkansas River bridge on U.S. 62 to symbolize the winner of a rivalry name contest done by the Phoenix in 2004 — before many of these current players were born. It's even given berth to a new trophy called The Pebble, given to the winner of the JV game between the two schools.

After getting their first win of the season in an injury-plagued year last week against Sallisaw, the visitors coming into Hilldale have both some momentum and much-needed confidence.

"It feels great, but it sucks it's this late in the season," said quarterback Cole Mahaney, whose high ankle sprain sat him for half a season.

Mahaney last took hold of The Rock his freshman season. For his head coach, Ryan Nolan, this is all new in his first season at the helm, but he's fully aware of the rivalry, the Rock, and a lot of the history.

"You know when you have a season like we've had, the injuries come early and the losses pile up and that's how you finish," Nolan said. "Now we've got the opportunity to finish strong."

With a win, the Tigers would in all likelihood deny the Hornets a District 4A-4 title as some far-fetched things would have to happen. For one, Poteau would need to lose to Stilwell and by a margin that protects Hilldale's necessary five-point title edge. Hilldale can't wind up tied or behind in tiebreaker points (15 marginal points per outcome), given that they lost to Poteau in week six. A loss could drop the Hornets to third and out of a home field playoff game.

So given the tiebreaker points involved, even keeping it close could help the Tigers ruin Hilldale's season.

"I don't know Ryan well but I don't think he's worried about how to keep us out of first but then again he might," said Hilldale head coach David Blevins.

"For us, we're going to take it like we have all year long. Yes, it's our rivalry, yes we'll get their best game, but right now we're playing pretty good football. We're not perfect, we still need to get better, but I'd say defensively we're playing pretty dang good. These seniors have answered the call of getting better every day and I've been really impressed how we are jelling right now."

Besides, with the scramble to move games, Hilldale may not know where it stands through Friday's outcomes, which at this point includes Broken Bow vs. Ada.

"All we can do is control the controllable," said Blevins.

Nolan knows what his team can impact, and it's in the minds of his players, but it's down the list of what is primary.

"What I've been emphasizing all week is about ending our season correctly and playing the best we can play, which with some key guys back in the lineup is an opportunity we haven't had much of to show what we thought all along we were capable of," Nolan said.

Mahaney looked early on like he might lead his team to a win last year, leading his team to two first-quarter touchdowns and an 18-0 lead. Hilldale answered in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 28-7 in what became a 49-46 Hilldale victory.

"We rolled on explosive plays and they made some adjustments on us, then we kind of fixed that as the game went on," he said.

But they couldn't stop Hornets running back Eric Virgil, who scored three of his four touchdowns in that second-quarter surge, then finished with 280 yards rushing on the night, including a 70-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter that put Hilldale up 10.

Virgil, a senior, needs 192 to top Mikey Winston's career rushing mark, but his ramped—up play on defense has led to him sharing totes with Jace Walker and now, Dejay Pierce, returning from an ankle injury suffered in week 6.

"I've grown to love playing defense. I've never played it until this year," Virgil said. "It's taken away some of my yardage, but I'm more concern with winning. I think I'll eventually get the record, but that's not the most important thing."

Back to the Tigers.

Cade Waggle, who returned to the lineup for the first time last week since breaking his collarbone, needs 175 yards to reach Devon Murry's school record 1,472 receiving-yard mark for a career. He already owns marks for career receiving touchdown and most receptions in a season. He had 136 yards on eight catches in last year's game, the first in a while the Tigers shifted from a run-oriented attack.

"He was a killer last year," Blevins said. "They threw it all over the place against us and we were lucky to escape at the end."

Fort Gibson linebacker John Lewis has been among the top five in the area in tackles with 87 and is one of the few seniors who have stayed healthy.

"It's been tough, I've tried to stay consistent with my mind-set and lead with my words and keep a level of energy, but last week's win kind of reignited that energy," he said.

And he added, this rivalry is personal, with deep roots in him.

"I started school in pre-K and kindergarten at Hilldale, then we moved out of state and came back to live in Fort Gibson," he said. "I remember some of those guys. There's always a lot of trash-talk."

On the Hornets' side, one key reason for being in the position they find themselves in is Wyatt Branscum's play on the defensive front. And despite the trash talk, he said he and his team have had one thing in particular impressed in their heads since the regular Sunday team meeting — don't let it flow into some extra-curricular activity on the field.

"We heard it three times in practice Monday as well, They don't have a next game, but if we let them get to us in the wrong way we could miss two playoff games," he said.

"Don't get me wrong, I mean every game is fun and competitive, but they're right over there and it makes you want to hit them harder. But let's not do it with our mouth, let's do it with pads on, be smart, and do it within the game."

Yet there's going to be trash talk.

"The Rock, it really doesn't mean that much to me," said Virgil. "I mean, we've had it for several years and kind of got used to it, but I want more than that now."

Game time is still 7:30, albeit moved up due to severe weather in Friday's forecast.