Another edition of Friday Night Lights will take place tonight when the Seminole Chieftains welcome bitter rival, the Tecumseh Savages, to Chieftain Stadium. Both teams come into the contest with 1-0 records. The Savages, having defeated Classen SAS, and the Chieftains taking down the Checotah Wildcats in week 1.

Tecumseh, a Class 4A team, finished the 2024 season with a 3-7 record, a 1-6 record in district play, lost their last six games, and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season. This Friday will be the 52nd matchup all-time between these two schools, with the Chieftains holding a massive 43-8 edge in the series. Although, as of late, the Savages have rallied, winning three out of the past five matchups.

However, last season’s matchup saw Seminole’s defense carry the team to a 24-8 victory over Tecumseh. The Green held the Savages to 73 rushing yards on 36 attempts, forced two fumbles, an interception, and pitched a first-half shutout. Head Coach Mike Snyder said this about the defense’s performance last time out against the Savages, “We thought we had a good defensive scheme, which we did.” A performance of that caliber would go a long way toward another victory over the Chieftains’ bitter rival. Quarterback Donavin Garfield will look to replicate his brother’s performance of 19-23 passing for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns on the Savages last year. Returning Senior WR Mason Bennett caught a touchdown pass in that game as well. Look for him to get more touches and find the endzone in Friday’s matchup.

This rivalry between the 3A #17 ranked Chieftains vs the 4A #23 Tecumseh Savages (rankings provided by MaxPreps) takes place at Chieftain Stadium on Friday, Sept. 12. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.