Games of the Week: Week 3

<p>Week 2 of the high school season is in the books and rankings will be coming out today. Stay tuned as we will have coverage of the first rankings and what those could mean going forward but until then, let’s take a look at week 3 games that will be worth a watch. </p> <p><strong>4A Cache and 5A Piedmont @ 5A Lawton Macarthur 08/26</strong></p> <p>Yes, you read that correctly. Lawton Macarthur will be the host of what is called a "tri-match". This is where they will take turns playing each other and essentially get to play two matches this Thursday compared to the typical one match. Let’s take a look at each team.</p> <p>Lawton Mac is currently 15-2 on the season. Likely to be ranked in the top 3 to start their season, they went undefeated at the El Reno tournament this past weekend and the previous week they went 8-1 in the Coweta tournament, taking home 1st place in both tournaments. They have a big front row that not only is tough to hit at but they bring plenty of firepower of their own on offense. 5A Piedmont is currently 7-6 but don’t let that fool you, they have played a tough schedule thus far and will be prepared for tough battles such as this. They have competed with the likes of 5A Mount Saint Mary, 6A Norman, 4A Holland Hall, and 3A Cascia Hall. All of which will likely be ranked in their respective classes. Picking up two wins tonight could help start an avalanche of wins for Coach Willaims and crew. 4A Cache has a new head coach in Dalton Dismuke and currently sits at 4-2. He drove his team to the east side of the state and brought back the silver championship plaque from the tough Commando Shootout. Cache has already seen Piedmont and lost in 4 sets. They will be looking for some revenge, as well as some momentum, heading into the heart of their schedule. </p> <p><strong>6A Bixby @ 6A Booker T. Washington 08/24</strong></p> <p>This is likely to be a big game for both teams. Bixby will be looking to keep their losses at only 1 thus far. Their only loss was to Sand Springs in the Sandite Invitational, where they lost in the final set and took home the second place trophy. With the recent transfer of Sr OH [player_tooltip player_id="144101" first="Karson" last="Pirtle"], the Spartans got revenge for their 1 loss the following Tuesday at home. Pirtle and Vance both playing as 6 rotation outsides make them even stronger than they already were, both in terms of offense and defense. They each have the ability to get achieve double-doubles on a nightly basis. BTW has really come alive since Coach Lee has taken over at the wheel. They started 0-3 on the season but have since put together a 7-0 run of wins and taking home first place at the Muskogee tournament. Led by 2022 6 rotation OH Sydney Thompson, the hornets have started to hum. Since last season, she has increased her power in her swing, become more consistent in the back row, and become the undeniable leader of the team. They have two talented MBs that have really come on strong early in the season, 2022 Taryn McIntosh and 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="145999" first="Kendall" last="Johnson"]. This matchup will definitely be big in terms of how the Frontier Valley Conference shakes out. </p>