For five of the six Okmulgee County varsity football teams, the 'real' season begins.

Five of the six county teams will begin district play this week with the Dewar Dragons being the only county squad still competing in non-district play, as they are part of a 6-team district, while the other five teams compete in 8-team districts.

The Dragons will take to the road for the second straight week, traveling to Weleetka to battle the tough and talented Weleetka Outlaws, who have introduced new head coach Larry Crenshaw in 2018. Crenshaw is well-known in Okmulgee County, having coached at Morris from 2000-2013 before leaving to take over the Wetumka head coaching job, guiding the Chieftain program from 2014-2017. After the non-district battle with former district mate Weleetka, the Dragons will conclude their non-district schedule next Friday at home against Davenport.

For the remaining county football teams, Week 4 of the 2018 high school football season will begin a journey through seven grueling weeks of district play in hopes of being one of the top four teams in their respective districts at the end of Week 10 and earning a spot in the 2018 postseason.

The Okmulgee Bulldogs will open District 3A-3 play tonight (Friday) at home against the seventh-ranked Idabel Warriors. The Bulldogs enter district play with a 1-2 record, suffering shutout losses to Beggs and Vian and defeating Tulsa Rogers two weeks ago by a 26-10 margin. Idabel comes into the district opener with a 2-1 mark with the loss coming in the season opener to Broken Bow (57-0). The Warriors have rebounded from the season-opening loss with back-to-back wins over Hugo (60-7) and Valliant (54-46).

The Beggs Golden Demons and Morris Eagles will open up district play against one another tonight in Morris. The two county teams will be part of District 2A-3 for at least the next two seasons. Beggs owns wins over its county rival in the last seven meetings with the last Morris win in the series coming in 2010.

The Henryetta Golden Knights opened district play Thursday night at home against the Okemah Panthers. The district opener was moved from its scheduled Friday time slot due to the threat of inclement weather in the forecast for Friday night. The Knights and Panthers have split the last two meetings with Henryetta taking the 2016 battle by a 56-55 margin and Okemah winning last year's showdown 71-34. Both teams will be battling six other talented teams for a Top 4 finish in 2A-2.

The Wilson Tigers made history Thursday night, hosting the Sasakwa Vikings in their first ever district football game. The Tigers will be part of District C-4 for the next two seasons, having a chance to earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time in school history.

Here is how the county teams fared in Week 3:

• Okmulgee fell 48-0 to Vian.

• Beggs dropped a 28-21 decision to Shiloh Christian for its first loss of 2018.

• Morris suffered its first loss of 2018, falling to Kellyville 35-0.

• Henryetta dropped to 1-2 after 50-13 loss to Hartshorne.

• Dewar remained unbeaten in 2018 with a 58-50 win over Wetumka.

• Wilson suffered a 38-8 loss at Life Christian Academy to fall to 1-3 on the year.

Below are the offensive and defensive keys to the game for the six Okmulgee County teams that are competing in Week 4.

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Henryetta vs Okemah

Henryetta Offensive Keys

The Knights need to find a way get a lead and keep it this week if they are to come away with a crucial district win early in the season. The Henryetta offensive line will need to find a way to keep the Okemah defense out of the backfield and allow the running game to materialize this week, while also allowing time in the pocket for QB Jakob White to find a receiver downfield when a pass play is called. The Knights will need to sustain time-consuming drives this week that keeps the Okemah offense off the field as much as possible and will also need to control the tempo of the game, while avoiding penalties, turnovers, and negative plays to take the ball out of the hands of the Henryetta offense.

Henryetta Defensive Keys

The Henryetta defense will need to find ways to contain the Okemah offense at the line of scrimmage, forcing several three-and-out situations that gets the Panthers off the field offensively. The Knights will need to be aggressive at the line of scrimmage on defense, getting into the backfield and apply pressure to the Panther signal caller C.D. Harjo (6-2, 225, Sr.), forcing errant passes that result in either incomplete passes or interceptions. The Henryetta defense will also need to find a way to contain Okemah running back Corey Ramsey (6-0, 190, Sr.) and not allow the speedy runner the opportunity to break off long-distance runs. If Ramsey is not contained at the line of scrimmage, it could prove to be a long night defensively for the Knights in the district opener.

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Dewar at Weleetka

Dewar Offensive Keys

The Dragons will look to be balanced offensively this week and will try to spread out the Weleetka defense. The Dewar offense will look to sophomore quarterback Joey Fowler to continue to guide the movement of the football this week. The Dragons will also look to get running backs Tristan Melder and Thomas Brownfield and receivers Braxton Loyd, Rhett Whitlow, and Ty Whitlow more involved in the balanced offensive game-plan this week to give the Weleetka defense more weapons to focus on instead of just Fowler. The Dragons will also need to take care of the football this week and not allow scoring chances to be taken away by penalties and turnovers. The Dewar offensive line will need to be more physical this week and allow Fowler time in the pocket to throw the ball effectively downfield. The Dragon offensive line will need to keep Weleetka defenders out of the backfield and not have Fowler rush a throw that could result in an interception.

Dewar Defensive Keys

The Dewar defense will need to do a better job of stopping opposing offenses on third and fourth downs this week. Last week against Wetumka, the Dragon defense allowed the Cheiftains to convert on third and fourth downs instead of getting off the field and giving the ball back to the high-powered Dewar offense. The Dewar defense will need to force the Outlaws to throw the football more than they are accustomed to doing, as Weleetka likes to run the football at an opposing defense. If the Dragons can shut down the run game, force errant passes, and create turnovers, as well as stopping third and fourth down conversions, it could very well lead to the Dewar squad continuing their winning ways in 2018.

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Wilson vs Sasakwa

Wilson Offensive Keys

The Wilson offense will need to do a better job of converting on third down this week and not have drives end due to ineffectiveness of moving the football down-field. The Tigers will need to find a way to be more consistent in the run game this week in their first-ever district game. The Wilson offensive line will need to open up running lanes for the run game, while also keeping the Sasakwa defense from making tackles at the line of scrimmage, allowing the running backs to pick up sizeable gains every time they touch the football. The Tigers will also need to continue to take care of the football on offense and not have drives end because of turnovers, penalties, and negative plays.

Wilson Defensive Keys

The Wilson defense will need to be more aggressive this week, bringing more intensity upfront and getting into the backfield and disrupting the offensive gameplan of the Vikings. The Tigers will need to find a way to slow down Sasakwa's run game, forcing the Viking QB to put the ball in the air a lot more than he is used to doing. The Wilson defenders will need to make tackles at the point of contact and not allow the Sasakwa ballcarriers the ability to break free for lengthy gains. The Tigers will also need to create more turnovers and 3-and-out situations this week if they are to open district play on a winning note.

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Okmulgee vs Idabel

Okmulgee Offensive Keys

The Okmulgee offense will need to do a better job sustaining long drives this week. In last week's loss to Vian, the Bulldogs finished with 48 yards of total offense and punted the football eight of their 10 offensive drives. If the Bulldogs are to begin district play on a winning note, the offense needs to move the ball down the field, picking up first downs and finding a way to put points on the scoreboard. The offensive line needs to do a better job upfront, opening up running lanes and not allowing the Idabel defense to get into the backfield if the Okmulgee squad is to have any chance of taking the first step in securing a district championship and a spot in the postseason. The Bulldogs will also need to take care of the football this week and not have penalties and turnovers cost the offense scoring opportunities.

Okmulgee Defensive Keys

The Bulldogs will need to do a better job of containing an opponent's run game at the line of scrimmage and not allow running backs and quarterbacks the opportunity to break off runs that force members of the secondary to make tackles beyond the first-down markers. The Okmulgee defense will need to find a way to get into the backfield this week and apply pressure to Idabel QB Raydavis Golston (6-2, 175, Jr.), not allowing the Warrior signal caller time in the pocket to find an open receiver downfield or tuck the ball to his side and get to the outside running lanes when the Warrior quarterback scrambles. The Bulldogs will also need to find a way to contain running back Mesiah Block, who leads the Warriors in rushing with 410 yards on 35 carries and 4 TDs in three games this season. The Okmulgee defenders will need to force errant passes and create turnovers if they are to have any chance of starting off district play with an upset victory. The punt returners on special teams also need to do a better job of not fumbling punts when the defense forces an opposing offense to give up the football.

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Morris vs Beggs

Morris Offensive Keys

The Eagles will need to get back to moving the ball downfield effectively this week. Last week, the Morris offense was limited to 151 yards against Kellyville after averaging 305 yards in the first two games. The Eagles will need to find a way to get the running game going this week, while also being efficient in the pass game. The Morris offense will need to sustain long, time-consuming, drives that take time off the gameclock, as well as keep the high-powered Beggs offense on the sidelines as much as possible. The Eagles will also need to avoid turnovers and penalties that stop drives, force punting situations, and stalling scoring chances. The offensive line will need to do a good job of keeping the aggressive Beggs defense out of the backfield if they are to have any chance to move the ball effectively down field, picking up first downs.

Morris Defensive Keys

Defensively, the Eagles will need to find a way to disrupt the Beggs high-powered offense. If the Demons are not contained at the line of scrimmage, it could prove to be a long night defensively for the Morris squad this week. The Morris defense will need to find a way to get into the backfield and apply pressure to senior QB Dalton Spring (6-4, 230, Sr.), as well as stopping the running back trio of Jared Sutter (5-11, 210, Sr.), Kayson Toliver (5-11, 185, Sr.), and T.J. Austin (5-11, 240, Sr.), as well as Spring. If these talented runners are not contained in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage, the chances of the Morris defense getting off the field without points being put on the scoreboard are very slim. The Morris defense will need to create turnovers this week in an attempt to get the high-powered Beggs offense off the field as quickly as possible.

Beggs Offensive Keys

The Demons will need to find a way to effectively pick up first downs and put points on the scoreboard in the first half. In its first two games this season, the Beggs offense averaged 20 points in the first two quarters. Last week, the Demons were kept out of the end zone in the first half for the first time in 2018. The offensive line will need to find ways of continuously opening up running lanes for the running backs, while also giving senior QB Dalton Spring time in the pocket to find one of his speedy receivers downfield for lengthy gains. The Demons need to find a way to jump out to a huge lead in the first half and not allow Morris the opportunity to keep the game close going into the fourth quarter. The Demons will also need to take care of the football this week and not allow turnovers and penalties to take away scoring opportunities.

Beggs Defensive Keys

The Beggs defense needs to do a better job of being aligned correctly this week. The Demons will need to find ways to continuously get into the backfield and disrupt the offensive rhythm of the Eagle offense, forcing errant passes, creating turnovers, and stopping the Morris running backs for short or negative yardage every time they touch the football. The Beggs defense will need to get back to being aggressive at the line of scrimmage and not allow the Morris offensive line to keep them out of the backfield if the Demons are to earn another win over their county rivals.