By Mike Kays

Phoenix Sports Editor

Week 11 has come to be anything but the start of the offseason for the Muskogee football program.

So have weeks 12 and 13.

But this week, after three straight trips to the Class 6A semifinals, the Roughers have joined the ranks of programs planning for the offseason after a stunning 16-9 first-round upset to the Stillwater Pioneers at Indian Bowl. A loss that represents Muskogee’s earliest exit since Stillwater’s first-round win back in 2004.

“I think we fought hard in all aspects of the game but overall, things just weren’t in our favor,” defensive lineman Robert Thomas said on Tuesday, having had time to reflect after some very painful moments walking around Indian Bowl after the game Friday. “Having been to the semifinals every year I’ve been there and then to go out early, it hurt bad.”

It was also different for coach Matt Hennesy, whose three-year head coaching tenure at the school has seen nothing but semifinal appearances.

“This team overcame a lot from a depth and experience standpoint. A lot of kids became men,” he said.

“For teams like us to compete for a state championship we have to stay healthy and have a little luck along the way. For the most part, we were healthy and we had some lucky breaks at times. But in week 11, we didn’t have the luck and we didn’t have the health.”

With the loss of nine college signees including Oklahoma Sooners Jameel Owens and Stacy McGee, the Roughers had significant holes, particularly at the receiver position that lost four starters. Promising sophomore quarterback Archie Bradley stepped up, and the team had its leading tackler back from 2007, linebacker Erik Howell, along with Thomas, who committed to Arkansas after decommitting from Kansas State in the preseason. Thomas’ presence helped offset the loss of McGee on the defensive line.

The offense struggled and the team was 1-2 in what could have been an 0-3 start against a buzzsaw of a non-district slate of Owasso, Norman North and Union, then 1-4 with then-No. 1 Broken Arrow looming in a critical 6A-3 contest at midseason.

Two victories, however, shaped this team’s fortunes. With Bradley in his first start, Muskogee rallied from a 16-0 halftime deficit to beat Owasso in the season opener, getting a game-winning field goal from freshman Matt Bishop in his first-ever varsity attempt.

Then it was Cole Chapman’s leaping grab in the corner of the end zone off a throw from Bradley as time expired that ultimately gave Muskogee a shot at a district title, winning 25-22 to drop BA from the top spot in the Associated Press rankings at the time.

“Without those two games going our way, we’re probably 5-6,” Hennesy said. “That’s an attribute to our program and kids that had been in that situation. Some of them had last year when we came back in our playoff game against Norman North but others hadn’t. Having been there before as a program the kids know you can because others have.”