For some Oklahoma high school varsity football teams, the 2018 season will get underway tonight (Friday) with 'Zero Week' games.

Two of Okmulgee County's six teams will be among those teams that will be participating in 'Zero Week' tonight.

The Beggs Golden Demons and Wilson Tigers will kick off their 2018 seasons tonight with non-district contests.

The Demons will begin their journey towards an 11th-straight playoff appearance and second-consecutive trip to the state championship game at home against the Scholars of Langston-Hughes Academy. The Beggs squad took last year's meeting by a 46-15 margin and will look for their sixth-straight season-opening victory when they battle the Tulsa school in the 2018 season opener.

The Tigers will begin their third year of high school football tonight at home against the Eagles of Eagle Point Christian Academy. Two of Wilson's four football wins in the past two years have come against Eagle Point. The Tigers defeated the Sapulpa school 54-6 on October 14, 2016, for the school's first football victory, then made it two in a row against the Eagles in Week 7 of the 2017 campaign with a hard-fought 66-56 win.

The other four county schools will open their 2018 season next Friday.

The Okmulgee Bulldogs will begin 2018 in Beggs against the Beggs Golden Demons, while the Morris Eagles will kick off 2018 in Henryetta, taking on their arch rivals, the Henryetta Golden Knights.

The Dewar Dragons will open their 2018 season next Friday on the road, traveling to Strother for a non-district meeting with the Strother Yellowjackets.

Below are offensive and defensive keys to the game for the two Okmulgee County teams that will be opening their 2018 season tonight.

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Beggs vs Langston-Hughes

Beggs Offensive Keys

The Demons will need to find a way to get the running game going this week if they want to start the 2018 season on a winning note. The Beggs offensive line will need to do their best to keep the Langston-Hughes defenders out of the backfield and open up running lanes for the ever-dangerous running backs in seniors Jared Sutter (5-11, 210), Kayson Toliver (5-11, 185), and T.J. Austin (5-11, 240). The Demon offensive line will also need to give senior QB Dalton Spring (6-4, 230) time in the pocket to find his speedy receivers - seniors Shaidan Jordan (5-11, 175) and Jaidan Grayson (6-1, 180) - downfield in the passing game. The Demons will look to utilize the run game in order to set up the pass game. The Demons will also need to find a way to avoid turnovers tonight if they are to start 2018 with a victory.

Beggs Defensive Keys

The Beggs defense will need to find a way to slow down the Scholars' skill players if they are to begin the new season on a winning note. Langston-Hughes has some talented players that the Demon defense will need to keep tabs on and not allow these skill players the opportunity to break off lengthy gains. The Beggs defense will need to find ways into the backfield and apply pressure to the Scholars' quarterback, forcing errant passes and creating turnovers that take away scoring opportunities. The Demons will need to control the line of scrimmage and slow down the tempo of the game, not letting Langston-Hughes the opportunity to use their fast-paced offensive attack. The Beggs defenders will also need to not let the Langston-Hughes ballcarriers to free themselves from tackles once wrapped up at the point of contact. The Demons will need to force turnovers and punting situations that get the ball back into the hands of the high-powered Beggs offense as much as possible.

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Wilson vs Eagle Point

Wilson Offensive Keys

The Tigers will need to establish a productive running game this week if they are to have any chances of opening the 2018 season with a victory. The gameplan entering tonight's season opener will be to control the tempo with the run game, while also mixing in a few pass attempts downfield to keep the Eagle Point defense off balance as much as possible. The Tigers will also need to find a way to win the battle at the line of scrimmage, not allowing the Eagle Point defenders into the backfield, providing running lanes for the run game to get going, while also keeping quarterback Colby Sellers upright in the pocket and give the Wilson signal caller time to find an open receiver downfield when the Tigers do go to the passing game.

Wilson Defensive Keys

The Wilson defense will need to find a way to be lined up right defensively, forcing the Eagles to go to the air more than they are accustomed to doing, as Eagle Point likes to run out of the Wing-T formation on offense, which is used primarily as a run attack. In last week's preseason scrimmage at Porum, the Wilson defenders were flying to the football and making contact with the ballcarrier at the line of scrimmage. The Tigers will need to continue to find a way to contain the Eagle Point ballcarriers at the line of scrimmage and not allow the Eagles opportunities to break off long run or pass plays.