OSSAA approves postseason playoff scenario for all teams, regardless of record

Thus far on the season, the Charles Page High School football team hasn’t faced any COVID-19-related cancelations or postponements, but that is an anomaly for teams in Class 6A-II. Of the 16 teams in the division, only three have made it thus far without a cancelation. Nearly 20% of the games this season have been canceled.

In District 1, U.S. Grant canceled games against Midwest City and Stillwater. Northwest Classen canceled games against Del City, Lawton, Deer Creek, Stillwater, and Putnam North - the last two of which were actually non-COVID related and will be recorded as forfeits. District 1 teams also suffered a combined four non-district cancelations to start the season.

In District 2, Putnam West canceled on Bixby and Muskogee, then Muskogee canceled on Bixby, Booker T. Washington, and Ponca City, as well as a rescheduled makeup game against Putnam West. There were three non-district cancelations among District 1 teams.

All of these cancelations have made a mess of the typical post-season qualifications. In football, only the top four teams in each eight-team district advance to the playoffs. But you can’t discern the top four if not every team has played each other.

Because of this, the OSSAA has approved a playoff system similar to basketball and volleyball, where everyone is now eligible for the playoffs. Instead of typical district standings, playoff seeding will be decided by a coaches’ ranking system.

The first rankings debuted this week, but were promptly taken down by the OSSAA after a large number of coaches failed to participate. Only three of the eight coaches in District 2 submitted rankings, and the undefeated defending State Champions from Bixby ended up third.

The second round of rankings went up on Wednesday, and the Sandites are No. 4 in their district, and ranked ahead of both teams that remain on their schedule.

A play-in round has been added to the schedule for Week 11, with cross-district matchups where the higher-ranked team hosts. All teams are eligible, but also have the option to opt out of the postseason. Quarterfinal games will be hosted by the higher-ranked teams, semifinals will be played on neutral sites, and the Championship will be played at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Once the playoffs begin, there will be no postponements for COVID until the Championship round. If a team cannot play due to COVID, they will be eliminated from the playoffs. The opponent that team defeated in the previous round will have the option to fill in. If COVID poses an issue in the State Championship round, OSSAA staff will make a decision on how to proceed.

The OSSAA has also allowed for schools who have not played a full ten games to schedule additional non-playoff games through December 5th, though this will likely not affect Sand Springs.