Edwards, Mac have new urgency after first loss

Dane Edwards comes from a family that makes a living building Websites and promoting the work of businesses of all sizes and handling any issues that a business might encounter during a normal week.

For MacArthur’s football team, last week was not a normal happening as the Highlanders suffered their first loss of the season after six straight victories. As one of the two quarterbacks getting playing time for Mac, Edwards was very close to the situation and he tried to put a positive light on the tough 42-7 loss to Midwest City.

“I think the thing that I would try to put forward was how we stayed together and how there was no blame being directed at any one person,” the 6-4, 185-pound senior said. “We talked about the game on the bus ride home and I think everyone was trying to say the right things as we move forward after the loss. Everyone was accepting the blame; we all agreed that each of us bore some responsibility and that we just wanted to move forward and make sure we were ready for this week’s game.”

This week’s game will be just as tough as last week’s challenge as the Highlanders will host El Reno at 7 p.m. Thursday in another District 5A-1 battle.

Last week’s Mac loss leaves the 5A-1 standings with Elgin alone at the top with a 4-0 district mark and a 7-0 overall record. Midwest City, Mac and El Reno are all 3-1 and Noble is 2-2. The top four teams will make the playoffs and the top two teams will host first-round playoff games.

Edwards could probably whip up the odds of each team’s chances thanks to a classroom load that has already included Algebra II, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus.

“Yes, I want to get a degree in finance,” Edwards said. “I hope to stay close to home and go to OU, ORU, or Tulsa. If something would come along that includes football, I’d obviously consider it.”

Edwards may not eat like the offensive linemen who protect him, he still can do some damage to a big, medium-rare steak or devour Mexican specialties with his grandfather at Julio’s.

“My grandfather has turned me on to Mexican food and while he’s known to try his with plenty of hot sauce I’m one of those who likes a bit less bite than he prefers,” Edwards said.

While Mac has put the Midwest City loss in the rear-view mirror, this week’s challenge is also a tough one as El Reno brings its big, physical offensive line to Cameron Stadium for a 7 p.m. game on Thursday.

“They are really big and stout up front but they have been known to give up some points,” Edwards said in reference to a 68-67 loss to Noble earlier this season. “They have good back and we are going to have to play well.”

And while the Indians can move the football, so can the Highlanders if they avoid the bad snaps, dropped passes and other mistakes that they had last week against the Bombers.

“The things we struggled with can be fixed; we just have to fix those little things,” he said. “We might have been looking ahead to other games; I’m not sure that was the case but it taught us a valuable lesson. We still have trust in our coaches and teammates.”

Edwards continues to split time with sophomore Aivan Locklin at quarterback and the senior says it’s been an efficient system.

“We really work well together,” Edwards said. “If Aivan is on the field and comes off after a bad series I try to boost him up and offer any advice that might help him on the next series. We both try to motivate each other regardless of who is out there on the last series.”

While the coaches make their decision on which QB will start after evaluating the video and what type of defensive scheme Mac will be facing, sometimes it may come down to a hunch from offensive coordinator Michael Pooschke or head coach Brett Manning.

Thus far that two-QB system had worked well but after last week’s offensive struggles, Edwards is worried about one thing and that’s just avoiding mistakes and starting a new winning streak.