Last year, the Cardinals of Collinsville came into round 2 of the Oklahoma High School football playoffs as a heavy underdog, as they visited Cameron Stadium to take on the top ranked MacArthur Highlanders. The Cardinals marched into Cameron Stadium last year, manhandled the Highlanders all game long and marched off with a 44-27 victory on the way to the 5A State Finals, where they fell to Altus 31-28.

macarthur highlanders
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There will be no such march this season, as the MacArthur Highlanders, quite probably fueled by memories of last seasons untimely upset, used a dominating run game and a resilient defense, to down the Cardinals 28-14, reminding the entire 5A division why they are the top ranked team in the state.

The Highlanders came out of the shoot looking to break the Cardinals early, and after a 35 yard touch down run by Teddy Thomas and a B.J. Davis scoring run, MacArthur held a 14-0 lead at the half. Collinsville responded in the second half, scoring twice to cut the Highlander lead to seven points each time, but the Highlanders responded with two more second half touchdown runs, to seal the 28-14 victory.

MacArthur Highlanders
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Junior quarterback Anthony Love-Kemper led the way for MacArthur, rushing for 114 and a touchdown, leading the way for a squad that compiled 260 yards on the ground last night. Thomas rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, adding a 54 yard burst in the fourth quarter to seal the win, but it was Love-Kemper, who missed last seasons upset loss after tearing an ACL midway through the season, that made the difference for the Highlanders.

MacArthur, now 12-0 on the season, will travel next Friday to a neutral site, where they will take on third ranked Carl Albert, 11-1, for a trip to the state finals. Carl Albert defeated McAlester Friday night 42-26 to advance to Friday night semi-final.

MacArthur Highlanders Football
MacArthur Highlanders Football
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