Weatherford, Clinton square off in renewal of the 'Custer County Conflict'

By Collin Wieder 

Weatherford team photo courtesy of Steve Wheeler

It’s Red River Rivalry week in Oklahoma, but along the I-40 corridor, this week features another big-time rivalry matchup - the Custer County Conflict between Clinton and Weatherford.

The two nearby rivals will meet for the 76th time in the series history at 7 p.m. Friday at Clinton’s Tornado Bowl. The Red Tornadoes lead the all-time series, 56-19, according to IWasAtTheGame.com.

Although CHS leads the series by a large margin, it’s been a much closer matchup since Weatherford coach Reagan Roof took over in 2017. The Reds hold a slight, 3-2 lead in his tenure, but the Eagles have kept it competitive outside of last year’s 42-0 shutout by CHS.

This year’s game looks like it’ll be another tightly contested game, and it’s a must-win in terms of district play. Class 4A No. 7 ranked Clinton comes in 3-2 overall with a 1-1 district record, after falling to rival Elk City in a 14-12 nail-biter last week.

Weatherford worked through some issues early in the year and improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in district last week with a 33-14 win against winless Woodward.

Clinton coach John Higbee said there’s been no discussion specifically on who his team is playing, because they should know how important this game is. He also knows the quality of the Reds’ opponent, including an offensive weapon in 6-foot-5, 216-pound sophomore star wideout C.J. Nickson.

“We know who we’re playing, and I don’t have to tell them a thing,” Higbee said. “I’ve never even alluded to the fact that it’s Weatherford. If our kids handle themselves right and do what they’re supposed to do, we’ll be fine.

"They (the Eagles) are tough with that player (Nickson). We’ve got our hands full, and I know that for a fact.”

Clinton’s secondary has another tough test after early-season games versus private-school spread attacks in Bishop McGuinness and Heritage Hall. It faced off a polar opposite offense in Elk City, who is running the option-based, flexbone offense this year.

The Eagles bring in one of, if not, the best passing attacks in District 4A-1. The district is known mostly for physical, ground-reliant offenses, however Weatherford boasts an experienced, senior quarterback in Reece Villines that distributes the ball well to a bevy of talented young receivers.

Villines boasts a nice stat line of 60-of-117 passing for 792 yards, with 10 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The two-year starter holds a career TD-to-INT ratio of almost 3-to-1.

His season started off a bit slow, but he’s rebounded nicely, completing 28-of-43 passes for 391 yards, four TDs and one interception over the last two weeks.

That production has obviously been helped by the towering Nickson and speedy Nick Jett, a fellow sophomore. The duo has 300 yards each on the season, and has combined for 34 catches for 628 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Roof is excited for the matchup, especially after what he calls the most complete win of the season against Woodward. With that said, he’s still not satisfied with where the run game is at currently.

He knows his team can throw the ball well, but it’s got to improve on the ground.

“Hopefully, it’s an advantage to us that we’ve been getting better in the passing game, because it’s not something that they see a lot of,” he said.

“We’ve got a talented receiving core in the district. It at least makes them do something they’re not used to doing and that’s defend the pass, but I still believe at the heart of the matter, you’ve still got to be able to run the football to win games in this district."

Clinton’s defense has proven to be one of the best in the district, allowing just 14.6 points per game this year and that number is pulled down significantly to 6.75 points per game, if the game against 5A McGuinness isn’t in the calculation.

It’s the Reds’ offense that’s struggled with consistency and ball security. The Reds have fumbled the ball in every game this year and lost a fumble in all but one contest.

Higbee said in preparation for Friday, a few of the backs are carrying footballs with them everywhere in order to get used to the feel, and sometimes teammates will try to force a fumble in the halls.

One player the team hasn’t had to worry about is senior fullback Trey Bennett, who’s getting the bulk of the carries and using his low-to-the-ground, tough running to power CHS on offense.

Higbee and the Reds will rely on Bennett and quarterback Cooper Sulley, who has cleaned up his early-season fumble issues to record two straight, turnover-less contests.