Four Okmulgee County football teams will open their 2018 season tonight (Friday), while the other two county squads will look to remain unbeaten in their second games of the year.

The Beggs Golden Demons and Wilson Tigers began 2018 last Friday with one-sided home victories. The Demons used a 27-point second half to rout Langston Hughes Academy 47-6, while the Tigers scored their first season-opening win in their three years of existence last Friday with a 48-6 drubbing of Eagle Point Christian Academy.

Beggs and Wilson will be seeking their second wins of 2018, while the other four county teams will be looking to start their 2018 campaign with a victory.

Week 1 will feature two county battles in Beggs and Henryetta. The Demons will play host to the Okmulgee Bulldogs, who will be one of the four county teams that will begin their season in Week 1.

The other county showdown in Week 1 will pit the Henryetta Golden Knights against their arch rivals, the Morris Eagles, at historic Cameron Field in Henryetta. Morris has won the last two meetings in the series and has won eight of the last 10 showdowns with Henryetta coming away victorious in 2014 and 2015.

Besides Okmulgee, Henryetta, and Morris, the Dewar Dragons are the other county team to kick off their season tonight (Friday). The Dragons will travel to Strother for a meeting with the Strother Yellowjackets. These two teams met in the first round of the Class B playoffs last year in Dewar with the Dragons coming away victorious by a 46-0 margin.

The Wilson Tigers will take to the road for the first time in 2018 in Week 1, traveling to Bartlesville and a battle with the Wesleyan Christian Mustangs. The non-district contest will take place at a special 5 p.m. start time, as the field Wesleyan Christian uses is having a light issue.

Below are the offensive and defensive keys to the game for the six Okmulgee County teams that are competing in Week 1.

Henryetta vs Morris

Henryetta Offensive Keys

The main goal for Henryetta on offense will be to control the pace of the game and take lots of time off the gameclock. The Knights will need to utilize a balanced offensive attack, getting the football into the hands of its talented running backs - Austen Macaulso and Jordan Hart - as well as having sophomore QB Jakob White complete passes downfield that moves the chains and keeps scoring chances on offense from stalling. The Knights will also need to avoid costly turnovers or penalties that take away those scoring chances. If the Henryetta offense can find ways to get into the end zone several times in the contest, it could very well result in the Knights beginning the 2018 season on a winning note for the first time since 2015 when they defeated Morris 26-12.

Henryetta Defensive Keys

The Henryetta defense will need to find ways to get past the Eagles very tough offensive line and get into the backfield, applying pressure to the Morris quarterback and tackling the running backs for negative yardage lots of times during the season opener. The Knights will need to force the Eagle QB to make errant passes that result in incompletions that lead to punting situations or turnovers that get the Morris offense off the field as quickly as possible. The Henryetta defense will need to find a way to contain sophomore tailback Jeremiah Ramos and not allow the speedy running back the ability to break off lengthy runs that keep drives going and keep the Henryetta defense on the field.

Morris Offensive Keys

The Morris offense will need to find a way to control the tempo of the game and keep the Henryetta offense off the field as much as possible. The Eagles will look to be a little balanced offensively in the county battle, looking to run the football on most plays, mixing in a pass play or two every once in a while to keep the Henryetta defense on their toes throughout the entire contest. The Eagles have to protect the football this week and not allow turnovers or costly penalties to take away from scoring opportunities.

Morris Defensive Keys

The Eagles will need to find a way to keep Henryetta QB Jakob White in the pocket. If allowed to run, White has the ability to scramble for lengthy gains. The Morris defense will need to find a way into the backfield and force White to throw the football and make errant passes that could possibly lead to incompletions or turnovers that gets the Morris offense back on the field. The Morris defense cannot allow the Knights to covert third down situations and allow the Henryetta offense to stay on the field. The Eagles will also need to find a way to contain Henryetta's top two running threats in junior Austen Macaluso and senior Jordan Hart, as both tailbacks have the speed and agility to run long distances if not contained to the line of scrimmage.

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Dewar at Strother

Dewar Offensive Keys

The Dragons will look to put most of the offensive workload on the shoulders of sophomore QB Joey Fowler. As a freshman last year, Fowler totaled more than 2,000 yards, including throwing for more than 1,500 yards. With the departure of running back Boogie Brown to graduation, head coach Josh Been will be looking to Fowler to be more balanced offensively, utilizing his running abilities to go along with his strong throwing arm. The Dewar offense will also need to find a way to utilize the three-headed running back trio of Tristan Melder, Shawn Maxwell, and Kameron Wadley, who have rotated at tailback in the two preseason scrimmages. The offensive line will need to find ways to keep the Strother defenders out of the backfield, allowing Fowler and the running backs to find opening lanes in which to run for lengthy gains, as well as give Fowler time in the pocket to locate one of his speedy and talented receivers, such as senior wideout Rhett Whitlow and senior tight end Braxton Loyd. The Dragons will also need to find a way this week to limit their mistakes on offense and not allow penalties or turnovers to take away scoring opportunities. The Dewar offense also cannot allow drives deep in Strother territory to bog down and result in scoring chances to be taken away.

Dewar Defensive Keys

The main focus for the Dewar defense this week will be to contain Strother QB Jaxon Douthit. Douthit is an athletic signal caller that can throw the football effectively. The sophomore quarterback is also not afraid to tuck the football to his side and run for positive yardage. The defensive line of the Dragons will need to find ways to get into the backfield and keep Douthit from executing pass plays downfield to his receivers, forcing errant passes that result in incompletions or turnovers. The Dewar defense will also need to force the Yellowjackets to become one-dimensional and make Strother run the ball, which will allow the Dewar defensive line and linebackers the opportunity to make tackles at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield and disrupt the Yellowjackets' offensive gameplan. The Dragons will also need to force punting situations and create turnovers that get the ball back into the hands of the high-powered Dewar offense as much as possible.

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Wilson vs Wesleyan Christian

Wilson Offensive Keys

The Tiger offense totaled almost 600 yards last week in their season-opening win over Eagle Point. The Wilson squad will need to have another productive showing offensively this week if they are to have any chance of winning their second-straight game of 2018. The Tigers will need to continue to get the ball into the hands of tailback Michael McKinney, who rushed 12 times for 182 yards and 2 TDs in last week's win. McKinney also hauled in five passes for 36 yards. Cobey Sellers, in his first start at quarterback, threw for 262 yards and 2 TDs on 21 of 24 passing. The Wilson signal caller will need to once again find a way to be effective throwing the football this week. Sellers' top two aerial targets last week against Eagle Point were Josiah Sellers and Malik Thompson, who combined for 13 receptions for 199 yards and 2 TDs. These two receivers will be looked at again this week to be the main targets for Sellers to throw to when the Tigers draw up a passing play. The Wilson offense will also need to continue to take care of the football and not allow penalties or turnovers to take away scoring chances.

Wilson Defensive Keys

The Wilson defense did a good job against Eagle Point last week, allowing the Eagles to score just once in the season opener. The Tigers also came away with a couple of takeaways on defense last week, including an interception that occurred on a bone-crunching hit. The Wilson defense will need to find a way to once again create turnovers this week, as well as find a way to contain the Mustangs' running attack. The Tigers will need to find ways to get into the backfield throughout the contest, stopping ballcarriers at the line of scrimmage for negative yardage, as well as apply pressure to the Wesleyan Christian quarterback, not allowing the Mustang QB time in the pocket to find an open receiver downfield. If the Tigers can find a way to dominate on defense, it could very well lead to their first-ever 2-0 start.

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Okmulgee at Beggs

Okmulgee Offensive Keys

The main goal for the Bulldogs on offense this week will be to control the tempo of the game and keep the ball out of the hands of the high-powered Beggs offense as much as possible. The young and inexperienced Okmulgee offensive line will need to find a way to keep the Beggs defense out of the backfield, opening up running lanes for the speedy tailbacks and provide senior QB Lewis Camacho time in the pocket to find an open receiver, such as senior standouts Trivion and Jaden Skinner, downfield for a sizeable gain. The Okmulgee offense will need to find a way to be a little balanced this week, switching up run and pass plays that keep the Beggs defense guessing at all times. The Buldogs will also need to try and limit penalties and negative yardage plays that take away scoring chances for the Okmulgee offense.

Okmulgee Defensive Keys

The Okmulgee defense will need to find a way to contain the powerful Beggs running backs at the line of scrimmage, while also getting into the backfield and applying lots of pressure to Beggs' gunslinger, senior Dalton Spring. The Okmulgee defense will also need to find a way to keep Spring from having the time to throw the ball downfield to one of his talented wide receivers, such as seniors Shaidan Jordan and Jaidan Grayson. The Bulldogs cannot allow those receivers to get behind their coverage, as was the case several times in last year's meeting. The Okmulgee defense will need to find a way to force punting situations, as well as create turnovers, that gets the high-powered Beggs offense off the field without putting points on the scoreboard.

Beggs Offensive Keys

The Demons will look to utilize the run game this week, as they seek their second win of the 2018 season. In last week's opener against Langston Hughes, the Beggs offense caught fire on their first two series, scoring two touchdowns in just four plays and took less than 1:30 off the gameclock to lead 14-0 early in the opening quarter. The Demons will also look to go to the air at times during the county battle. If the offensive line can find ways to open up running lanes for the tailbacks to run through and allow QB Dalton Spring time in the pocket to find an open receiver downfield, it could very well lead to the Beggs squad improving to 2-0 on the year. The Beggs offense will also need to avoid costly turnovers and penalties that take away long gains and scoring chances. Last week, the Demons had a 61-yard run in the first half called back by a penalty, eventually resulting in a Beggs punt. The Beggs offense will need to get out to an early lead and not allow the Bulldogs the opportunity to keep the game close.

Beggs Defensive Keys

The Beggs defense will need to find a way to contain the Bulldogs' run game, containing the tailbacks at the line of scrimmage and finding ways to get into the backfield and bringing down ballcarriers for negative yards, as well as coming away with several QB sacks that result in punting situations and getting the Beggs offense back on the field as quickly as possible. The Beggs defense cannot allow Okmulgee quarterback Lewis Camacho time in the pocket to find one of his dangerous receivers downfield. The Demons will also need to contain Camacho at the line of scrimmage, should the senior signal caller tuck the ball to his side and take off on a scramble play. The Demons cannot allow Camacho or the speedy tailbacks the opportunity to get to the outsides of the tackle boxes, as the Bulldog runners have the ability to break off lengthy runs if not stopped at the line of scrimmage. The Demons will also need to find ways to force turnovers if they are to come away with their second win of the 2018 season.