Frontier Valley Conference Womens' Basketball Standings

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The 2016-2017 womens' basketball season is under way and the Frontier Valley Conference is as competitive as ever with seven out of ten teams being ranked in their divisions. Three of the FVC girls teams are in the top-ten of 6A and the Lady Sandites are leading the way with an undefeated record. 

The FVC is currently ranked second out of the five 6A conferences in strength of schedule, but with several cross-conference match-ups approaching in the next few weeks, they could slip ahead to first place. 

No. 3 Sand Springs (6-0, 3-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in the conference and they're one of only four teams to receive a first-place vote in the 6A rankings. The Lady Sandites have the best offense, best defense, and highest margin of victory in the conference. In addition to winning the Bishop Kelley Tournament, they also defeated Bartlesville 51-34, Bishop Kelley 71-36, and Broken Arrow 66-45. Five different players have led in scoring this season and three are averaging in double digits, led by Sydney Pennington with 13.5 points per game. They return to action after the new year when they compete at the Muskogee Bedouin Shrine Tournament.

No. 9 Bartlesville (3-3, 2-1) holds the No. 6 offense, No. 3 defense, and No. 4 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 51-34 to Sand Springs, but beat Owasso 52-39 and Union 42-33. Owasso got payback, however, with a non-conference 39-33 win at the Bixby Tournament. Jena Williams has led in scoring for the last five games and is averaging 12.8 points. The Lady Bruins return to action after the new year when they play No. 18 Mustang (3-2) at the Skiatook Tournament.

No. 8 Owasso (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 7 offense, No. 4 defense, and No. 5 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 52-39 to Bartlesville, but defeated Muskogee 49-39 and Bishop Kelley 48-32. They also got payback on the Lady Bruins with a 39-33 non-conference win at the Bixby Tournament. The Lady Rams have two players averaging in the double digits, with Terryn Milton leading the team with 13.3 points per game. They will return to action on the 28th at the prestigious Tournament of Champions with a first round game against 3A No. 1 Adair (6-0). 

No. 14 Union (4-2, 2-1) holds the No. 4 offense, No. 2 defense, and No. 2 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 42-33 to Bartlesville, but have won their last four games, including a 61-34 victory at Jenks and a 41-36 win over Broken Arrow. The Lady Redskins are led by Taylor Malham with 13.7 points per game. They will return to action after the new year when they take on unranked Putnam City North (3-4) in the first round of the Putnam City Invitational.

No. 15 Sapulpa (2-1, 2-1) holds the No. 2 offense, No. 8 defense, and No. 3 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Jenks 56-45 and Muskogee 53-51, but fell 51-44 to Bishop Kelley. They are led by freshman Ray Osborn with 12.7 points per game and will return to action at the Sapulpa Holiday Classic when they take on No. 12 Midwest City (5-2) in the first round.

No. 16 Broken Arrow (2-2, 2-2) holds the No. 9 offense, No. 5 defense, and No. 8 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Bishop Kelley 43-37 and Bixby 36-31, but fell 66-45 to Sand Springs and 41-36 to Union. They are led by Jalise Smallwood with 17.8 points per game and will return to action in the first round of the Sapulpa Holiday Classic when they take on undefeated No. 6 Booker T. Washington (6-0).

Muskogee (2-4, 1-2) holds the No. 3 offense, No. 9 defense, and No. 6 margin of victory in the conference. They defeated Bixby 51-40, but fell 49-39 to Owasso and 53-51 to Sapulpa. They are led by Trena Mims with 21.4 points per game. They will return to action at the Bedouin Shrine Classic when they take on 3A unranked Okmulgee (2-2).

Jenks (2-4, 1-2) holds the No. 5 offense, No. 10 defense, and No. 10 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their season opener 56-45 to Sapulpa, then fell 61-34 to Union before registering a 57-49 win over Bixby. The Lady Trojans are led by Makenley Church with 9.7 points per game and will return to action at the Bedouin Shrine Classic against Ponca City (4-2). 

5A No. 15 Bishop Kelley (3-4, 1-3) holds the No. 10 offense, No. 7 defense, and No. 9 margin of victory in the conference. They lost their first two games 43-37 to Broken Arrow and 71-36 to Sand Springs, then won three-straight including a 51-44 victory over Sapulpa before falling 48-32 to Owasso. The Lady Comets are led by Macy Craig with 9.7 points per game and will return to action after the new year when they travel to Union. 

Bixby (2-4, 0-3) holds the No. 8 offense, No. 6 defense, and No. 7 margin of victory in the conference. They have yet to secure a conference win this season after falling 36-31 to Broken Arrow, 51-40 to Muskogee, and 57-49 to Jenks. The Lady Spartans are led by Maddie Bittle with 17 points per game.

Conference Strength:

  1. Central Oklahoma (50)
  2. Frontier Valley (45.5)
  3. Big Ten (38.7)
  4. Green Country (26.5)
  5. All-City (9.4)

FVC Leading Scorers (points-per-game)

  1. Trena Mims (Muskogee) 21.4
  2. Jalise Smallwood (Broken Arrow) 17.8
  3. Maddie Bittle (Bixby) 17.0
  4. Taylor Malham (Union) 13.7
  5. Sydney Pennington (Sand Springs) 13.5
  6. Terryn Milton (Owasso) 13.3
  7. Jena Williams (Bartlesville) 12.8
  8. Ray Osborn (Sapulpa) 12.7
  9. Hailey Morrison (Sapulpa) 12.0
  10. Sadie Moyer (Union) 11.0

Editor's Note: We are currently missing individual scoring results for several games. Please forward results to SanditePrideNews@gmail.com

Missing:

  • 12/6 Muskogee vs Owasso
  • 12/8 Muskogee vs NOAH
  • 12/8 Jenks vs Edmond Santa Fe
  • 12/8 Union vs Anadarko
  • 12/9 Union vs Putnam North
  • 12/9 Muskogee vs Tahlequah
  • 12/9 Jenks vs Edmond North
  • 12/10 Union vs Edmond North
  • 12/10 Jenks vs Putnam North
  • 12/10 Muskogee vs Yukon
  • 12/13 Bixby vs Muskogee

No. 4 Sandites upset No. 1 Muskogee on wild last second 2-pt conversion

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Stellar Sandite defense paves way for Sandite victory over No. 1 Muskogee. (Photo: Emigh)

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

There’s a new number-one team in Class 6A-II football and they hail from Sand Springs. The No. 4 ranked Charles Page High School varsity football team (5-2, 3-0) upset the No. 1 undefeated Muskogee Roughers (6-1, 3-1) Thursday night at the Indian Bowl in a down to the wire 26-25 thriller with one of the most unbelievable two-point conversions in Sandite history.

Muskogee got on the board early in the first quarter, driving 70 yards with four first downs before scoring on a 10 yard screen pass from quarterback Jacob Medrano to University of Tennessee commit Kamren Curl. Trent Dennis sent in the extra point for the 7-0 advantage with 8:10 in the quarter.

The Sandites put together a solid drive, moving the ball 63 yards in 11 plays before giving up the turnover on downs after three incomplete passes.

Muskogee’s corresponding drive took them from their 20 to the Sandite 9 where Molijah Gilbert ran in the 6-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 after Dennis’s kick.

Sand Springs QB Hunter Greathouse threw an interception on the second play of their drive, but the stout Sandite Defense gave up only one first down on the corresponding Muskogee drive and pushed them back to fourth and seventeen on a ten-yard sack by Gage Fain and Tre Finch.

Sand Springs put up yet another impressive drive to nowhere, churning out three first downs with several great plays. Kasey Bales broke a pair of tackles on the opening play for seven yards, then Greathouse grabbed the first down on a designed run. He then sent a 13-yard pass to Caleb Wash. After an incomplete pass, the Sandites ran a double lateral to Bales who picked up 11 yards, capped by an impressive hurdle over a Rougher defender. The Sandite magic finally mustered out around midfield, however, and the boys were forced to punt.

The magic wasn’t out for the Defense, however, and the Roughers gave up a first down after a Rougher receiver hauled in a ten-yard pass, but then ran back behind the line-to-gain to try and dodge Brett Freeman. Freeman got the tackle a few yards short of the first down and Sand Springs got the turnover with 1:09 to play in the half.

Sophomore running back Payton Scott picked up 9 yard on the first play, then grabbed four more for the first down at the Sandite 24. Greathouse sent a 16-yard pass to Bales, but his next two passes fell incomplete. On third and ten with 0:15 left, Greathouse sent a pitch to Dalton Morgan who ran it 17 yards and broke a pair of tackles to make it out of bounds and stop the clock.

With 0:09 left Greathouse sailed a 43 yard pass to Wash who hauled it in under heavy coverage and dragged his defender into the endzone with him for the touchdown with 0:06 to play. The Sandites failed their first of four two-point conversion attempts, but drew blood before the half to retire 14-6.

The Sandites got the ball to start the second half but were unable to muster a first down, and Muskogee handily moved it 54 yards to penetrate the red zone before the infamous Sandite defense held them to fourth and four and a 28-yard field goal from Dennis.

Sand Springs found the endzone once again on the first play of the fourth quarter with a two yard touchdown run from Payton Scott to cut the gap to 17-12. For the second time that night, the Sandites failed to execute a two-point conversion.

The Sandite defense rallied on the corresponding Muskogee drive with a five-yard tackle-for-loss by sophomore Hayden Cramer, followed by a pass break-up from Treyce Tolbert. Medrano completed a nine yard pass to Curl, who was brought down on a tackle from Cody Motes to hold them at fourth and six and force a punt.

The Sandites drained two minutes off the clock while racking up a pair of first downs, then punted away with 8:27 to play. Muskogee returned it to the Sandite 48-yard line, but was pushed back on an unsportsmanlike penalty. This time Cramer got in with a pass breakup, Finch downed Gilbert for a gain of 1, and Delvin Jordan forced a fumble that was recovered by Nathan Simonton. Another unsportsmanlike call gave Sand Springs great field position at the Muskogee 32 with 7:42 to play.

This time the Offense found the endzone on a 7 yard pass from Greathouse to Wash for their first lead of the game, 18-17 after a third failed two-point conversion.

With 3:35 to play, the Sandite defense had their work cut out for them and ultimately gave up a 4-yard run to Gilbert to sacrifice the lead. Medrano converted a two-point pass to Devin Hillmon to make it 25-18 and the Sandites had only 0:47 to work with.

Most teams would have counted themselves out by that point, but not the Sandites. Bales picked up 11 yards on the kickoff return to the 35. Greathouse found Scott from 25 yards out for a first down at the Muskogee 40, then hit Mack Thompson for 21. On second and 10 at the 18, Greathouse connected with Bales with 0:06 to play. The Sandites needed to kick their first PAT of the night to tie it, or pull off their first two-point conversion of the evening after failing three. The Sandites elected to go with the latter and it was beautiful.

Greathouse lined up for a pass to the endzone but had the pass broken up. The ball traveled up in the air and back at him and he hauled it in swung out right, still looking for a receiver. As four defenders closed in on him, he pitched the ball to Josh Taber who headed left and broke a major tackle from Curl and dove for the endzone, bringing the ball down on the goal line half a second before a pair of Roughers came crushing down on top of him.

With 0:06 to play, the Sandites had taken the 26-25 lead on the number one team in the State.

After a ten-minute delay for an injured Muskogee player, Bales sent an onside kick to the Muskogee 41. The Roughers had time for one play, and Tolbert broke up the pass to secure the victory.

Greathouse finished 16-32-1-221 for the evening with three passing touchdowns, while Scott led the ground game with 25 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Bales hauled in 10 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown while Wash completed four receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Cramer and Motes led the defense with six tackles each.

Medrano finished 16-25-0-136 with one touchdown while Gilbert led the offense with 22 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns. 

Sand Springs is now the only undefeated team remaining in the district and will take on another top dog next Thursday when they host No. 3 Booker T. Washington (4-3, 2-1) in their final home game of the season. 

No. 4 Sandites travel to No. 1 Muskogee: Pre-game preview

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Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Year, Coach, QB, result

1953 Cecil Hankins 0-20 L
1954 Cecil Hankins Jerry Adair 12-40 L
1955 Harold Wickersham 6-24 L
1956 Harold Wickersham 0-7 L
1957 Charles Prigmore 6-34 L
1958 Charles Prigmore 0-12 L
1959 Charles Prigmore 14-40 L
1960 Charles Prigmore 5-14 L
1961 Travis Rhodes 6-38 L

1994 LD Baines Delvin Jordan 14-20 OT L
1995 LD Baines Dustin Morrow 6-28 L

2002 Tim Beacham Tony Moore 12-38 L
2003 Tim Beacham Tony Moore 14-37 L
2004 Brad Odom Tommy Rogers 6-27 L Homecoming
2005 Brad Odom Tommy Rogers 25-47 L
2006 Brad Odom Zack Frost 21-57 L
2007 Dustin Kinard Johnny Deaton 21-49 L
2008 Dustin Kinard Johnny Deaton 37-39 L
2009 Dustin Kinard Johnny Deaton 29-37 L
2010 Dustin Kinard Darrack Harger 14-44 L
2011 Dustin Kinard Darrack Harger 7-3 W
2012 Dustin Kinard Cody Hale 40-28 W
2013 Dustin Kinard Cody Hale 39-14 W
2014 Dustin Kinard Connor Sitton 13-0 W
2015 Dustin Kinard Hunter Greathouse 34-10 W

Overall record: 5-20-0

Longest streak: Muskogee 20
Longest streak: CPHS 5

Shutouts: Muskogee 3
Shutouts: CPHS 1

Biggest win: Muskogee 57-21 (2006)
Biggest win: Sand Springs 39-14 (2013)

It's the biggest game of the year for the No. 4 ranked Sand Springs Sandites (4-2, 2-0) as they travel to No. 1 Muskogee (6-0, 3-0) for a Thursday night Fall Break district game. The Sandites are at their highest ranking since dropping from No. 2 after a week two loss to Choctaw, while the Roughers just decisively dropped the only other team that had any claim to the No. 1 spot, dominating previous No. 2 Booker T Washington 23-7.

Sand Springs is the only real obstacle left in the way of a perfect district record for the Roughers, who only have No. 14 Ponca City and No. 15 Sapulpa left to play. Sand Springs has already played those two games and will now embark on the toughest leg of their season. 

Sand Springs doesn't need to beat Muskogee to stay alive in playoff contention. In fact, they can likely drop games to No. 3 Booker T. and No. 2 Bixby and still make the playoffs with a win over No. 13 Bartlesville in week nine. 

While neither team needs this win, it's crucial if either team wants to maintain the momentum they've built. While Muskogee is undefeated for the season, the Sandites are on a four game winning streak with a quality win over Putnam City West, the top dogs in district one, where they are undefeated. Muskogee has three quality wins, over Bixby, Booker T, and Midwest City. 

The Sandites have employed a heavy run game behind junior Payton Scott and senior Dalton Morgan. The average Sandite O-line player is 6'0" 242 pounds and has been a handful for every team they've encountered thus far this season. The Sandites average more than 380 yards per game with 217 coming on the ground. Their defense has been stout and scored two touchdowns last week against Ponca City.

Muskogee is very similar both offensively and defensively. Both teams' quarterbacks sit about 50% with just over 1000 passing yards this season. Both employ several multi-purpose players who adapt well to trick plays and can be used running, receiving, or passing. Muskogee racks up an average of 360 yards per game, but has played a tougher schedule than the Sandites thus far. Their defense is also solid, picking off nine interceptions this season, and making the difference in their win over Booker T. 

Historically the Roughers are the better team, winning the first twenty meetings before their program fell apart at the same time that the Sandites came together. Sand Springs has won the past five consecutive meetings, but this is without doubt the toughest Muskogee team any of the current Sandites have ever faced. 

Week Six 6A-II Rankings and Predictions; a look at this weekend's games

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Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

No. 1 Muskogee Roughers (Last week No. 3) vs No. 2 Booker T Washington Hornets (2)

Rafe Watkins's Muskogee Roughers (5-0, 2-0) came into the season highly ranked, but it wasn't high enough for them. Friday night on their home turf, the Roughers upset the top-ranked two-time defending State Champions from Bixby (2-3, 0-1) 45-42 in a wild aerial shootout. Muskogee quarterback Jacob Medrano finished 20-33-377-1 for four touchdowns, and running back Molijah Gilbert carried 20 times for 99 yards.

The Hornets (4-2, 2-0) completed their second-straight shutout of the season with a powerful 45-0 victory over Sapulpa (0-5, 0-2). QB Phillip Wheatley has accounts for the bulk of the Hornet offense and surpassed 1000 yards for the season Friday night. The run game is stacked with Rylan McQuarters, Tyler Holmes, and Garrick Jackson all in triple digits for the year.

The Pick: Muskogee 43, Booker T 35

No. 3 Bixby Spartans (1) vs No. 15 Sapulpa Chieftains (15) 

The Spartans (2-3, 0-1) may have lost their battle with the Roughers, but it wasn't due to poor performance. QB Tanner Griffin was 33-49-318-1 for four touchdowns and Tucker Pawley ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns. The Spartans have had a tough schedule thus far in the season, but should have an easy time getting their first district win Friday night in Sapulpa (0-5, 0-2).

Sapulpa posted a mere 54 yards passing and 67 yards rushing in their sixth-straight loss Friday against Booker T.

The Pick: Bixby 60, Sapulpa 3

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (4) vs No. 11 Choctaw Yellowjackets (10)

The Midwest City Bombers' (3-2, 2-0) first four games this season were decided by a touchdown or less, but they broke that streak Friday night at Deer Creek, scoring their first shutout since mid-2014. Astin Anderson finished with 130 yards on 23 carries, but it was the defense that starred, giving up an incredible 3 first downs and 78 yards of total offense in the 35-0 rout.

Choctaw (2-3, 0-2) led the Enid Plainsmen with a minute and a half left last week before giving up an interception deep in Enid territory and allowed their opponents to score a touchdown with 17 seconds left for the 43-39 win.

The Pick: Midwest City 31, Choctaw 14

No. 5 Sand Springs Sandites (5) vs No. 14 Ponca City Wildcats (14)

The Sandites (3-2, 1-0) secured their third-straight win Friday night at home in a non-conference matchup with Yukon (0-5) and dominated the entirety. The visiting Millers scored before either offense ever stepped foot on the field, returning the opening kickoff 95 yard for a touchdown. That would be their last score till the fourth quarter as the Sand Springs defense drilled the Millers with seven tackles for loss totaling 35 yards, as well as two sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. While the run-game has dominated the Sand Springs offense this year, QB Hunter Greathouse had his time to shine, throwing 13-24-192-0 for two touchdowns, and secured his career-best run game with eight carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. Payton Scott netted his fifth-straight triple digit run game with 22 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Ponca City (1-4, 0-2) lost their second-straight game to Bartlesville (2-3, 1-1) Friday night, despite a solid passing performance from Brice McDougal. The Wildcat QB finished 19-37-176-1 with two touchdowns, but the run game amounted to a mere 29 yards as a team with no touchdowns. Kicker Mitchell Wilson sank a pair of field goals. The return game was strong, averaging about 14 yards per punt return and 16 yards per kickoff return. The Sand Springs special teams have had a hard time stopping returns this season, so the Wildcats will likely look to capitalize on that.

The Pick: CPHS 40, Ponca 17

No. 6 Lawton Wolverines (7) vs No. 12 Stillwater Pioneers (11)

Lawton (2-3, 1-1) got back in the win column with a big district battle against Putnam City (3-2, 1-1) last week, racking up a 20-0 lead in the first half. Sophomore backup QB Kyler Jenderseck replaced Zack Hanna who tore his MCL in practice this week. He completed 5 of 12 passes for 48 yards and scored on touchdown on the ground. The defense was the MVP of the game, making several big plays including a tipped pass in the endzone by Kejuan Neal to prevent a touchdown. Miles Davis recovered a muffed punt at the Putnam 22, leading to a touchdown run on the next play by Tre Curry. Curry carried the offense with 29 runs for 168 yards and two touchdowns. 

Stillwater (2-3, 0-2) made a big case for themselves early in the season, going 2-1 against ranked 6A-I opponents. Since then, they've given up two-straight district losses, 21-14 to Deer Creek (1-4, 1-1) and 10-7 to Putnam City West (4-1, 2-0). The Pioneers traveled to Putnam Friday and trailed 10-7 with 3:34 left and a fourth and goal conundrum. They went for the touchdown instead of the field goal and were stuffed. The Stillwater defense was stout through the game, giving up only ten rushing yards till the final minutes when the PC QB scrambled 81 yards and nearly scored. The Pioneers rallied for turnover on downs deep in their red, but QB Garrett Leming threw an interception three plays later. Leming only completed 2 of 12 passes for 10 yards with 3 interceptions. The run game was strong with the Pioneers, however, with a little over 200 yards between three carriers. 

The Pick: Lawton 23, Stillwater 10

No. 7 Putnam City West Patriots (8) vs No. 8 Putnam City Pirates (6) 

A rivalry game with major district implications; Putnam City (3-2, 1-1) and Putnam West (4-1, 2-0) are both top dogs in their district and both have a lot to play for. The Patriots look to continue their undefeated district winning streak and hold themselves to a one-loss season. The Pirates need to reassert themselves after going down 26-14 against Lawton.

The Patriots won a close one over Stillwater (2-3, 0-2), only coming up with a 10-7 victory, but it was a victory nonetheless. They're one of only two teams left without a district loss and are shaping up to possibly make their first playoff appearance of the twenty-first century. They have already matched their record from last season, their best since 2000, and can only go up from here. QB Trey Gooch and Memphis commit WR Nick Robinson have brought heavy offense all season until they encountered Stillwater, and hope to build momentum before their crucial match up against Midwest City next week.

The Pirates have only two losses this season, both to solid opponents in Bixby (2-3, 0-1) and Lawton (2-3, 1-1). QB A.J. Newsome was 12-28-168-0 passing against Lawton and led on the ground with 20 carries for 84 yards and two touchdowns. The special teams were impressive, averaging fifteen yards per kick return and 29 yards per punt return. 

The Pick: Putnam West 23, Putnam City 21.

No. 9 Deer Creek Antlers (9) vs No. 10 Enid Plainsmen (12)

Deer Creek (1-4, 1-1) has had a hell of a schedule this year, starting the season with three straight losses to top-ten 6A-I opponents before finally finding a win against Stillwater. In week two of districts they went up against Midwest City and were shutout 35-0, their first shutout loss since 2011. The Antlers were held to a mere 78 yards of total offense and three first downs. QB Hunter Freese completed only 6 of 18 passes for 45 yards and was sacked three times. With the exception of the last game, the Antlers have actually played fairly well this season, averaging 24 points per game in their first four encounters, before being smothered by the powerful Bomber defense.

Enid (2-3, 1-1) secured a big upset over Choctaw (2-3, 0-2) last week, coming from behind for a 43-39 win. The Plainsmen averaged 5 yards per carry for 236 total, and first-time starting QB Mason Skrimager was 31 of 41 for 233 passing with no interceptions.

The Pick: No consensus. Scott Emigh says 28-14 Deer Creek, Virgil Noah says 28-14 Enid.

No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (13) 

The Bartlesville Bruins (2-3, 1-1) will take a bye week after winning a district match against Ponca City (1-4, 0-2) Friday night. QB Garrett Meidl was 16-26-294-1 with three touchdowns; two by air and one on the ground. 

District Two Standings

2-0 Booker T Washington
2-0 Muskogee
1-0 Sand Springs
1-1 Bartlesville

0-1 Bixby
0-2 Ponca City
0-2 Sapulpa

District One Standings

2-0 Putnam West
2-0 Midwest City
1-1 Lawton
1-1 Putnam City

1-1 Deer Creek
1-1 Enid
0-2 Choctaw
0-2 Stillwater

Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Record: 18-8, 69.2%

 

Virgil Noah, Staff Writer
Record: 14-12, 54%

Week Five 6A-II rankings and predictions; a look at this weekend's games

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Photo: Morgan Miller

By: Sandite Pride Editorial Board

No. 1 Bixby Spartans (Last week No. 1) vs No. 3 Muskogee Roughers (3)

It's the marquee match-up for week six of High School football as two of the top teams in the State ride dominating performances into a district game of playoff-level intensity. 

The Spartans (2-2, 0-0) have yet to begin district play and just wrapped up the toughest pre-conference schedule of Class 6A-II. In week two they gave 6A-I No. 1 Jenks (5-0) their closest game of the year, losing 38-34. The next week they lost 44-34 to Arkansas 7A State Runners-Up Bentonville (3-1) and finally got in the win column with a dominating 56-20 performance over Putnam City (3-1, 1-0). This week they really proved just how powerful they are as they steamrolled 6A-I No. 4 Westmoore (3-1) 70-28 in an incredible performance that featured two 90+ yard kickoff returns for touchdown. Tanner Griffin's passing was off for the evening, completing only 9 of 22 for 96 yards and 1 touchdown against 2 interceptions. But the run game was dominant as Tucker Pawley carried 19 times for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns. Griffin had two touchdown runs and 46 yards on 5 carries, while Braden Roller added another touchdown and 66 yards on 5 carries.

The Roughers (4-0, 1-0) have had a fairly weak schedule thus far, with the exception of a close 16-12 win over Midwest City (2-2, 1-0), but when they go up against lesser competition, it's a blow-out. They've won their last three games by an average score of 59-11, and they notched their first district win Friday with a 63-6 shutdown of Bartlesville (1-3, 0-1). Running back Molijah Gilbert finished with 16 carries for 184 yards and two touchdowns. QB Jacob Medrano completed 11 of 20 passes for 197 yards and no interceptions.

The pick: Bixby 38 Muskogee 28

No. 2 Booker T Washington Hornets (2) vs No. 15 Sapulpa Chieftains (14)

The Hornets (3-2, 1-0) had an easy start to district play with the Ponca City Wildcats (1-3, 0-1) and rolled to a dominating 47-0 shutout victory. In the past two seasons, the Hornet offense regularly routed their opponents by massive margins, but this year it still remains to be seen just how powerful they'll be against quality opponents. They barely got the 21-14 edge on Midwest City (2-2, 1-0) and lost 26-23 to Edmond Santa Fe (4-1, 1-0). After going down 49-7 to the Nationally ranked No. 2 IMG Academy (5-0) they've since been unstoppable with a 43-6 win over Shawnee and the victory against Ponca. They won't get their first real test till they take on Muskogee next week, but first they have to get past Sapulpa. Rylan McQuarters led the run game against Ponca with 8 carries for 82 yards, followed by Tyler Holmes with 15 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Two other running backs scored touchdowns in the rout, and double-threat QB Phillip Wheatley was 15 of 22 in the air for 214 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.

Sapulpa (0-4, 0-1) still looks to get in the win column this season after dropping their rivalry game to Sand Springs 35-7. The Chieftains failed to make headway through the air as QB Cameron Elder was only 8 of 13 for 53 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, but the ground game was alive and well. Elder carried 12 times for 59 yards and a touchdown. Dayton Vann also had 59 yards from 11 carries, and Marcus Henderson carried 8 times for 67 yards. 

The pick: Booker T 56 Sapulpa 3

No. 4 Midwest City Bombers (4) vs No. 9 Deer Creek Antlers (12)

The Midwest City Bombers (2-2, 1-0) have won or lost every game this season by a touchdown or less and notched their first district win of the season 20-17 over Lawton (1-3, 0-1) Friday night at home. QB Preston Colbert was 8 of 12 for 139 yards and a touchdown. Astin Anderson was the workhorse for the Bombers and carried 38 times for 133 yards. Earlier this season they fell 16-12 to Muskogee (4-0) and 21-14 to Booker T Washington (3-2), two of the top three teams in the division. They got in the win column two weeks ago with a 28-21 victory over 5A Del City (2-2).

The Antlers (1-3, 1-0) got their first win of the season with a 21-14 upset over Stillwater (2-2, 0-1) Friday night at a game in which they were the 18-point underdogs. QB Hunter Freese passed for 190 yards and the bulk of the Antler offense. The run game only accounted for 87 yards. Deer Creek may only have one win, but their losses were to quality 6A-I programs. 52-13 to Southmoore (3-1), 47-31 to Edmond Santa Fe (4-1), and 48-31 to Edmond Memorial (3-2).

The pick: Midwest City 23 Deer Creek 14

No. 6 Putnam City Pirates (7) vs No. 7 Lawton Wolverines (5)

While Bixby at Muskogee is the biggest game of District 2, Lawton vs. Putnam City is equally huge for District 1. The Wolverines (1-3, 0-1) and Pirates (3-1, 1-0) both have a lot to prove going into week two of districts. While Lawton was edged out 20-17 by Midwest City (2-2, 1-0), the Pirates got the 36-32 edge on Choctaw (2-2, 0-1). Putnam's only loss this season was 56-20 to Bixby (2-2), while Lawton's only win this season was 62-37 over in-town rival Lawton Eisenhower (1-3).

Lawton demonstrated a powerful aerial assault against Midwest City as QB Zach Hannah completed 11 of 18 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The running game was almost nonexistent, however, as Tre Curry carried 19 times for a mere 60 yards and one touchdown. Curry has proven his abilities in the past with a 201 yard performance against Eisenhower and a 311 yard performance in a 56-41 loss to 5A Carl Albert (4-0). The Wolverines are clearly a double threat team, meaning the Putnam defense will need to be sharp on their toes to keep the scoring in check. Lawton's offense averages 415 yards and 5 touchdowns per game this season. Putnam's defense is stout, however, and averages 3 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions per game this season. 

The Putnam offense has ran up the yards this season, led by QB AJ Newsome in the air and RB Damon Jemison on the ground. Newsome is only 32 of 82 this season with 6 interceptions, exacerbated by a 6 of 24 performance against the killer Bixby defense which picked off four passes. But he holds 871 yards and 9 touchdowns to pad his resume. Jemison has rushed 78 times this year for only 259 yards. The Lawton defense isn't as tight on the run game as Putnam, but if the Pirates rely on the pass as they have for most of the season, they might find trouble in a team that averages 2 interceptions per game. 

The pick: Putnam City 28 Lawton 26

No. 5 Sand Springs Sandites (6) vs Yukon Millers

The Sandites (2-2, 1-0) won their first district game with a 35-7 rout of Highway 97 rival Sapulpa (0-4, 0-1), and will play their final non-district game this weekend against 6A-I Yukon (0-4). Sand Springs started off with a big 56-21 loss to Arkansas powerhouse Pulaski Academy (3-1) and were upset in week two 45-41 by Choctaw (2-2, 0-1), but got in the win column with a close 29-24 victory against Putnam West (3-1, 1-0). RB Payton Scott accounts for the majority of the Sandite offense with 183 carries for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns, while QB Hunter Greathouse is 42 of 90 for 601 yards and 4 touchdowns by air and 4 touchdowns on the ground. 

Yukon has yet to even come close to a win this season, falling 42-20 to Mustang (3-1), 55-7 to Norman North (4-0), 38-7 to Southmoore (38-7), and 33-9 to Broken Arrow (2-2). The Millers held a tough schedule with nothing but ranked 6A-I powerhouses and that experience could give them an edge on the Sandites who have played only one powerhouse team this year. 

The pick: Sand Springs 38 Yukon 13.

No. 8 Putnam City West Patriots (8) vs No. 11 Stillwater Pioneers (10)

The Patriots (3-1, 1-0) haven't had a winning season since 2000 and they're looking to change that in 2016. After beating Duncan (2-2) 43-14 and Putnam North (1-3) 16-5, the Patriots experienced their first loss of the season 29-24 at the Sandites' (2-2) home-opener. They didn't let that hiccup slow them down, and rebounded with a dominating 35-10 district victory over Enid (1-3, 0-1). 

Stillwater (2-2, 0-1) started with one seriously tough pre-district schedule and secured a pair of high quality wins against ranked 6A-I opponents, before giving up a big upset this week. They won their season opener against Edmond Memorial (3-2) 24-7, then lost 16-7 to Moore (2-2) before netting another big win over Mustang (3-1) at 36-24. The Pioneers clearly have what it takes to win big games against big opponents, but after falling 21-14 to Deer Creek at home, they're going to need to buckle down and secure some district wins if they want a shot at their first State Championship since 1967. The Pioneers are led on the ground by Josiah Castleberry who has already ran over 600 yards thus far this season. 

The pick: Putnam West 33 Stillwater 29

No. 10 Choctaw Yellowjackets (9) vs No. 12 Enid Plainsmen (13)

Choctaw (2-2, 0-1) is still struggling to find its place in the rankings, starting strong with 52-42 and 45-41 wins over Sapulpa (0-4) and Sand Springs (2-2), respectively, but falling 17-14 to Putnam City North (1-3) and 36-32 to Putnam City (3-1, 1-0). The Yellowjackets are true to their name when it comes to offense, hammering their opponents from the air, but just can't seem to get their defense rolling. QB Dylan Weaver is 64 of 107 for 864 yards this season.

Enid (1-3, 0-1) was edged out 22-19 in the season opener by Guthrie (2-2) and got in the win column in week two with a 42-31 victory over Ponca City (1-3, 0-1), but hasn't come close since. They were dominated in week three 44-14 by Bishop McGuinness (3-1) and shut down 25-10 last week by Putnam West (3-1, 1-0). 

The pick: Choctaw 40 Enid 10

No. 13 Bartlesville Bruins (11) vs No. 14 Ponca City Wildcats (15)

Bartlesville (1-3, 0-1) and Ponca (1-3, 0-1) are both in precarious spots this season with a single win apiece and one of the two destined to be 0-2 in district play after this Friday's meet. The Bruins' lone win was a close 27-24 over McAlester (2-2) while Ponca blanked Guthrie (2-2) 9-0. 

The Bruins were utterly dominated 63-6 at the hands of Muskogee (4-0) last week, while the Wildcats were shut out 47-0 by Booker T Washington (3-2). Bartlesville has shuffled through three quarterbacks this year after starter Garrett Meidl was out with a knee injury and Will Walton and AJ Archambo both tried out the position. Meidl returned to action against Muskogee but was held to a mere 10 completions on 24 attempts for 59 yards. Ponca QB Brice McDougal has a solid record this season with 58 completions on 104 passes for 729 yards and only 3 interceptions. 

The pick: Bartlesville 21 Ponca 14

6A-II District One Standings

Putnam City West (1-0)
Deer Creek (1-0)
Putnam City (1-0)
Midwest City (1-0)

Lawton (0-1)
Choctaw (0-1)
Stillwater (0-1)
Enid (0-1)

6A-II District Two Standings

Muskogee (1-0)
Booker T (1-0)
Sand Springs (1-0)
Bixby (0-0)

Bartlesville (0-1)
Ponca City (0-1)
Sapulpa (0-1)

Editorial: How the 6A split saved 6A football

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Oklahoma high school football experienced a dramatic and controversial change in the fall of 2013 when the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) announced a split in Class 6A. The 16 highest-enrollment schools would be separated from the lower 16 and each division would play for their own State Title.

The reason for the decision was simple. Population. The current enrollment of Broken Arrow High School is 4,872. The enrollment of Booker T Washington? 1,317. The difference between the top of 6A and the bottom of 6A is greater than the top of 5A and the smallest schools in the State. Schools like BA, Union, Jenks, and Owasso have four times the talent pool to draw from. While the majority of the Hornet starters play both sides of the ball and never get a break, the Redskins have a roster larger than some colleges and have backups for their backups.

Class 6A was created in 1992 and the inaugural Championship was won by Norman. Jenks won it in ’93, Midwest City went back-to-back from ’94-95, and nobody but Jenks or Union has won it since. More often than not, the State Championship game has simply been a rematch between the Backyard Bowl rivals. Since the inception of 6A, Jenks leads the series with 14 titles to Union’s 7, and only 2 other teams have ever won.

Clearly population isn’t the only deciding factor, otherwise Broken Arrow would have won it every year. But there’s no denying the significance it plays. 6A teams were judged by their ability to turn a winning record, not by their ability to win State Titles. That was irrelevant. Nobody won State Titles but Jenks and Union.

In the 22 seasons that Sand Springs played the 6A division, they earned a total record of 98-131 and only managed 7 winning seasons with 7 playoff appearances. In five of those years they were eliminated by top-four-enrollment schools. The other years it was by top-ten schools. Since the 6A split, the Sandites have gone 15-11, made the playoffs both years, and actually won playoff games for the first time since 1997. In 2015, the Sandites made their first State Final appearance since 1966.

While the problems with the 6A split were clear—increased travel, “easier” brackets—the solution has proved to be a game-changer for the 16 schools who now feel like they actually have a legitimate chance. The culture around Sand Springs football has changed, and it’s not an isolated event.

The Class 6A-II conversation begins with two-time reigning State Champions, the Bixby Spartans. Bixby was an annual contender in Class 5A without fail. They weren’t part of the inaugural class of 6A. They didn’t move over until 2010. Prior to that, they had six-straight winning seasons with ten-straight playoff appearances. In their first year of 6A they finished the regular season 5-5, their worst record since 2003, and were eliminated in round one by Jenks. For the next two years they posted losing records and didn’t make the playoffs again till the 6A split. In a single year, the 6A powerhouses had killed the football culture at Bixby. They were lucky that they only had to live through it for four years before the split. In 2014, the Spartans were once again playing teams at their size, and they went 12-1 for their first ever State Title. Their only loss? A season-opening non-conference game against Jenks. Jenks won that one 66-20. The Spartans defended their title in 2015 and are currently ranked number one in 2016. After two straight winning seasons and State Titles, the Spartans challenged Jenks in their season opener and nearly won it, 38-34.

Booker T Washington has always had a culture of winning, with eight State Championships including two recently in 2008 and 2010 at the 5A level. The Hornets only had to play two seasons of 6A football, both ending in first round devastating playoff defeats at the hands of the Big Four. As soon as 6A split, they were back in it with a 7-game winning streak and a 10-2 season in 2014. Last year they went undefeated in the regular season and earned the number one rank before Sand Springs defeated them in the semi-finals. This year the Hornets are laying the foundation to take their program to the next level with College Hall of Fame member Brad Calip taking over as Head Coach and former University of Tulsa Head Coach Bill Blankenship volunteering with the quarterbacks and offensive coaching. The Hornets have stepped up their pre-conference scheduling with 6A No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe and Florida-based private school IMG Academy which is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation with an entire roster of division-I commits.

Bartlesville was part of the first class of 6A, and went 0-10 in the first two years. They didn’t post a winning record till 2002, when they were doubled down on by Union 54-27 in the first round of the playoffs. Their next winning record wouldn’t come till 2008, and that was only due to a forfeiture by Jenks due to OSSAA sanctions. In 2009 they gave it a real run and even defeated Owasso, but still couldn’t fend off Jenks, BA, and Southmoore. In 2010 they had another winning record at 7-4. Their losses were to the Big Four. Since the 6A split they’ve made the playoffs both years and finished last season with only two losses. They held the No. 1 rank briefly after defeating Bixby, before falling to BTW two weeks later.

The success stories continue from there. The evidence is undeniable, the 6A split has saved 6A football. While critics of the sixteen-team bracket call it a JV division, the reality is that the top teams in 6A-II never could compete with the Big Four when they were in 6A, but now they could. Bixby nearly defeated 6A No. 1 Jenks in a pre-conference battle. BTW almost defeated 6A No. 5 Edmond Santa Fe. Sand Springs has begun scheduling real opponents like Arkansas State Champion Pulaski Academy, instead of their past habit of lighting up Nathan Hale, who has lost 37-straight games. Muskogee has brought in 5A State Championship coach Rafe Watkins from Guthrie and is now a real contender for the first time in years. Putnam City West is confidently rebuilding their program after a decade of losing seasons. Sapulpa brought on former Sand Springs Defensive Coordinator Robert Borgstadt as head coach to rebuild their ailing program.

Success breeds success. Is the 16-team bracket the best way to go? Who knows? Maybe one day there will be a full 32 schools the size of BA and we can re-institute the 32-team standard. Maybe we should split all the other classes into 16-team divisions as well. Or maybe we should call Bixby and Jenks Division Champions instead of State Champions and have them play each other for the true 6A State Championship. There’s many things we could try; some could work, and some won’t. But the fact is, 6A football is more competitive than it has ever been, and almost every school in the Class is now vying to be the next big deal. The Big Four monopoly hasn’t been broken, but at least 16 teams now feel like they have a real shot.