Schedule change may spark Highway 9 rivalry

A season-opening schedule switch is a twofold pot of honey for Tecumseh’s football squad.
The Savages, slated to play their Sept. 5 opener at Lone Grove, will instead entertain Noble. Not only will Tecumseh save some considerable gas money, but it could be the start of a natural rivalry between the state highway 9 neighbors.
Tecumseh head coach Greg George is even talking about incorporating a traveling trophy — should an annual series with Noble come to fruition.
“We hope to make it an annual deal with Noble,” George said. “We should get a good gate because it’s only about a 20 to 25-minute drive for the fans of both teams. I have talked to the Noble coach about possibly having a traveling trophy, with the winning team keeping the trophy for a year.”
The schedule switch will also allow Tecumseh to quickly show off its spanking new stadium — located just north of the high school.
“It’s going to be really nice,” said George. “We will probably move into the facility in another month or so. Everything we are doing in the new facility is first class. It’s going to be as nice as any place out there.”
 Noble will be the first of three Class 5A non-district opponents for 4A Tecumseh. Western Heights will play at Tecumseh Sept. 12 and the Savages will travel to Harrah Sept. 19.
Noble and Western Heights advanced to last year’s playoffs.
George said his squad got a good taste of football in an early June team camp at the University of Central Oklahoma. “It was just a very competitive camp. We went up against Shawnee, Del City, McLoud, Stillwater and Yukon. We are a very young team and we saw what it will be like to play against some outstanding speed.”
Tecumseh also competes against Shawnee every other Wednesday in a 7-on-7 passing format. Shawnee and Tecumseh will also scrimmage Aug. 22 at Shawnee’s Jim Thorpe Stadium.
On Aug. 29, the Savages will travel to Deer Creek for a scrimmage.
There’s even something special this summer for the younger Savage set. A youth camp for grades one through six is scheduled for June 25, 26 and 27 with a $20 entrant fee. “We will even have some fundamental games that are about 30 or 40 minutes in length,” George said. “We usually get about 100 kids.”
George said interested participants can enroll June 25. The camp runs each day from 9 to 11:30 a.m.