The seventh-ranked Tigers finished their non-district schedule unbeaten after last week's 17-7 road win over Sallisaw.
The Bulldogs closed the non-district portion of their schedule with a 38-6 road win over Tulsa East Central last Friday. Skiatook enters Friday's contest at 2-1. The Bulldogs defeated Glenpool, 30-7, in week one, and followed that with a 35-16 setback to Class 4A No. 3 Oologah.
"Skiatook will present a lot of challenges on both sides of the ball, and it's important that we win the battle of the line of scrimmage on both sides," Gilbert said. "They've got a good football team. Coach (Vance) Miller has done a great job with that program and he's built them to where they're expected to be competitive and compete for district championships."
Big moments in all three phases, many of those in crucial situations, have carried Tahlequah to a 3-0 start.
Against Sallisaw, it was a dominating defense and superb special teams play.
In week two against Glenpool, it was a response to early second-half mishaps with big plays on both sides of the ball.
In the opener against Fort Gibson, it was a clutch game-winning drive in the closing minutes.
Cayden Aldridge, Seth Berry, Brian Resch and Dae Dae Leathers have been the constant big-play threats offensively for Tahlequah.
At quarterback, Aldridge is completing 49 percent of his passes and has thrown for 360 yards with four touchdowns. His best outing through the air came against Glenpool where he was 10 of 18 for 243 yards with three TDs. Aldridge has added a team-high 254 yards on the ground with another two scores.
Berry has been the biggest weapon as a receiver with 97 yards on six grabs. Three of his catches have gone for touchdowns, two of those against Glenpool.
Resch is averaging 14.5 yards each time he touches the ball. He has 150 rushing yards on 10 carries with a pair of touchdowns and one reception for 10 yards.
Leathers had his breakout game against Glenpool with 142 yards on only six attempts, including a 63-yard sprint to the end zone.
The big plays have been there, but Gilbert wants to see his offense consistently move the chains and sustain drives.
"We need to get that corrected," he said. "We were 1 for 10 on third downs conversions Friday night. We played behind the sticks all night and the only third down we converted was a third-and-four. We haven't been able to put drives together. We've been living off the big play.
"We need to balance that out better and be better on that side of the ball overall. It's been a point of emphasis this week in practice. We've got to run the ball efficiently and move the chains, put some drives together, and of course score points."
Defensively, the Tigers have caused four turnovers, including one
that went for a score on a Frankie Aispuro fumble recovery in the end zone against Glenpool. Opponents are averaging just over 14 points and 4.1 yards per play.
Berry paces the defense with 30 tackles, four of those for losses. He has caused one fumble and has three pass breakups. Senior linebacker Dalton Caldwell follows Berry with 28 tackles and has three tackles for losses and one sack. Dylan Parish and Resch have added 26 tackles each, and Parish has recorded one sack.
"We played assignment football defensively last week," Gilbert said. "We ran to the football really well and once we got there it was a physical game. You can't give enough credit to how they performed, from the defensive staff to the players. They were on the field for most of the game, but they stayed with it had a great performance."
The special teams units were what you could call special against Sallisaw after lackluster performances in the first two games. Aispuro blocked a punt that set up a short field, and eventually a touchdown in the third quarter, and Leathers recovered a fumble on a Sallisaw punt return in the fourth that would lead to a Ryan Hembree 38-yard field goal.
"When I look back and see what I saw the week before it was embarrassing for me because that hasn't been who we are," Gilbert said of the special teams. "But we responded really well last week. We challenged them across the board and they came out and had a really productive night."
Hembree has been a vital part to the Tigers' success, both in the punting and kicking games. He clinched the win over Sallisaw, and since missing the opener with an injury, has connected on both of his field goal attempts and is averaging 43 yards per punt, which includes a long of 59 yards.
"You can't say enough about what Hembree has done," Gilbert said. "He's averaging 43 yards a punt, and he really turned the tide with those punts. He then comes in and seals the game with the field goal. It's great to have a guy like that can change the outcome of games."
Senior running back T.K. Wilkerson will be the focus point of the Bulldog offense. The University of Tulsa commit will be the best offensive skill player the Tigers see all year, according to Gilbert.
"I don't know that we'll see a better tailback this year," Gilbert said of Wilkerson. "He's big, physical and has speed. He runs really well behind his pads and can create big plays. They do a good job in their scheme to get him the ball."
Wilkerson has reached the century mark in each of Skiatook's three games. He had a season-high 205 yards and averaged 9.8 yards per carry with two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' season-opening 30-7 win over Glenpool. Through three games, he has rushed for 485 yards on 60 carries with six touchdowns. He had a single-game best three TDs in the Bulldogs' 38-6 win over Tulsa East Central in week three.
Junior quarterback Cody Evans has been steady behind center. Evans has completed 17 of 32 passes for 211 yards and two TDs. He rushed for 111 yards on just eight attempts against Glenpool.
Fullback Korbin McLaughlin is another weapon that Gilbert talked about as a key piece in Skiatook's offense. McLaughlin rushed for 81 yards with a score against East Central.
"He's just a great football player," Gilbert said. "He's able to get out in the flat and catch a ... Click here to read full article
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