Sports
Broncos begin practice on new turf

Caleb Soptelean

The Mustang High football team began practicing on their new artificial turf Monday.

“The kids love it,” said first-year head coach Ty Prestidge.

Monday’s practice was in the morning, but the rest of the week will consist of afternoon practices. Opinions of the new field could change a bit due to warmer temperatures, however. In the afternoon, the field will be 10 to 15 degrees hotter than on a natural grass field, Prestidge said.

The Broncos will head to Jenks on Friday, where they will scrimmage Jenks and Owasso. Both schools are 6A. The junior varsity scrimmage begins at 6 p.m. with the varsity to follow at approximately 7 p.m.

Jenks has won at least six state championships over the past 10 years, Prestidge said. “It’s as tough an opening scrimmage as anyone’s playing in the state.”

The Broncos have 68 players on the varsity this year, which is a smaller number than Prestidge expected. The number is largely due to a small senior class, he said, noting the team only has 15 seniors.

The players look to be in good shape, Prestidge said, who noted the team’s annual Red-White scrimmage on Saturday was injury-free.

“We took 60 snaps. It got ‘em used to running around in pads,” he said. It was the second day the players wore pads.

The scrimmage was filmed and will enable coaches to use it as a teaching tool.

Starters for the regular season’s Sept. 1 game at Yukon won’t be decided until the last week of August, Prestidge said.

The remainder of the Broncos' schedule is as follows:

Friday, Sept. 8
Putnam City

Friday, Sept. 15
at Choctaw

Friday, Sept. 22
at Putnam City North

Friday, Sept. 29
Lawton Homecoming

Friday, Oct. 6
at Moore

Thurs., Oct. 12
Norman North

Thurs., Oct. 19
at Putnam City West

Friday, Oct. 27
U.S. Grant

Friday, Nov. 3
Edmond Santa Fe