POTEAU — Mannford spent the first three weeks of the season making other teams miserable.
Friday night, Poteau returned the favor.
The Purple Pirates entered the district opener unbeaten at 3-0, but the Pirates from Poteau controlled the game from the start and handed Mannford its first loss of the season, 37-6.
Poteau led 9-0 after the first quarter, stretched the advantage to 16-0 at halftime and carried a 23-0 lead into the fourth before Mannford finally broke through.
By then, the Pirates were hopelessly trying to climb out of a hole Poteau had been making deeper all night.
Mannford quarterback Kayden Leslie threw for 89 yards and one touchdown, while J.J. Hindsman rushed for 44 yards and added 53 receiving yards.
Hindsman has been one of Mannford’s most dangerous weapons through the Pirates’ unbeaten start this season, but Poteau never allowed the Mannford offense to find the kind of rhythm that produced 46 points against Catoosa, 40 against Cleveland and 39 against Bristow.
On the other side, Poteau showed plenty of balance.
Quarterback Levi Taylor completed 21 of 25 passes for 202 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Logan Waymire hauled in nine passes for 122 yards, while Wrigley Downs carried 15 times for 119 yards.
At the team level, Poteau racked up 216 passing yards and 179 rushing yards — 395 yards of offense — while keeping Mannford off the scoreboard through the first three quarters.
The loss dropped Mannford to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in district play. Poteau improved to 3-1 and 1-0 in the district.
And there will not be much time for Mannford to sit around mourning the undefeated season.
The Pirates return home Friday, Oct. 2, to face Sallisaw, which enters the week 4-0 after edging Broken Bow 3635.
So, yes, the zero is gone. The district race is not.
Mannford spent September proving it could throw punches.
Now the Pirates get to show how they react when the seas get rough.