POTEAU WILL BE A FIRST TO SET SAIL FOR BEARCAT STADIUM

Bearcat Stadium will open its gates for a 57th season Friday night. Poteau will be the first Oklahoma high school to play on its field.

The Pirates are also the last Oklahoma school to play the Bearcats in Arkansas, doing so at the precursor to the Home of Champions in 1957.

The history with the Pirates, as you’ll see below, consists only of that one two-game home-and-home series in the 1950s. As is the case this year, those games also served as season openers as well.

Overall, the Bearcat football program is 5-6 against Oklahoma schools. The wins have come over Panama (twice), Pocola, Sallisaw, and Vian, with the Pocola win the most recent in 1992. The most recent game with an Oklahoma school was in Stigler in 2021.

In preparation for the season opener, the Bearcats played a scrimmage in Dardanelle on August 20 and were on the short end of a 28-14 score over the three quarters deemed as varsity action.

For its scrimmage Poteau came across the state line on August 22 and scored 38 first half points at Rogers Heritage and won 38-28.

Both teams return starting quarterbacks from successful 2023 seasons. For the Bearcats that is Jace Washburn who was under center taking a knee at War Memorial Stadium to wrap up a Class 3A state title. For Poteau, who was 12-1 last year, that is Sam Tecla, who though a junior, is a third year starter.

• Mascots: Booneville Bearcats; Poteau Pirates
• When: 7 pm, August 30, at Doug Scheel Field at Bearcat Stadium
• Series: Booneville trails 0-2 (0.000)
• Streak: Poteau has won last 2
• Last Meeting: Poteau 12 Booneville 6 on September 13, 1957
• First Meeting: Poteau 44 Booneville 0 on September 14, 1956
• Conference Affiliations: Booneville is Arkansas 3A-1; Poteau is Oklahoma 4A-4

TODAY IN BEARCAT FOOTBALL HISTORY: The August 30 history is even shorter than the history with Poteau. There has been only one game played on August 30 which occurred in 2019 in Clarksville.

There, Randon Ray made the start at quarterback as a sophomore and started his career with the first of his four, four touchdown games. Ray rushed 22 times for 116 yards in a 41-35 loss to the Panthers.

NOTES: Poteau is the third different out of state opponent the Bearcats have faced under head coach Do Crowley but the first to appear on the schedule at the start of a season as Stigler, OK and Timpson, TX were both COVID era replacement games. Poteau is one of three Pirates on the regular season schedule with the others being conference foes Greenland and Cedarville with all three showing up on the schedule by October 11. While Poteau is the first varsity opponent to make its way from Oklahoma to Bearcat Stadium, they are not the first overall as Spiro was here for a junior high game in the 1995. Following their week 0 game, Poteau will stay in the Sooner state and face McAlester while the Bearcats will next face Ozark.

THEME: The pep rally theme calls for a white out.