by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)9/3/2018 11:58:59 PM
posted in: Articles | 1,974 views
Week 1 offered up a tremendous slate of games. This week doesn't provide near as many spectacular games, but still solid nonetheless.
Here are this week's top 10 games:
1. 6AI No. 1 Broken Arrow (2-0) at 6AI No. 4 Owasso (1-1): One thing is becoming increasingly clear early on this season: Broken Arrow's defense is really good. The Tigers will get their stiffest test from an opponent's offense this week in the form of North Texas quarterbcak commit Will Kuehne, who fuels the Rams' high-powered offense. The problem currently for Owasso is defense, where the Rams have given up an average of 42.5 points through two games. In the all-time series, Broken Arrow leads 23-11.
2. 5A No. 1 Carl Albert (1-0) at 6AII No. 5 Del City (1-0): The Titans have the inside track to claiming supremacy in the Mid-Del school district this season. Fresh off a 28-21 win over Midwest City -- the Titans' first ever against the Bombers -- Carl Albert will square off with a Del City team that it's beaten four times in a row (2013, 2012, 1979, 1978). The last two showdowns were in the playoffs, but with Del City now in 6AII that's no longer an option.
3. 6AI No. 3 Union (1-1) vs. 6AI No. 2 Jenks (2-0) at the University of Tulsa: If it's non-district time, it must mean another edition of the Backyard Bowl in Tulsa. Despite Owasso's 6AI championship last season, Union and Jenks still reign supreme in Oklahoma. This one never disappoints and same goes for this year with both teams coming off impressive wins over teams from Mansfield, Texas. Since Jenks' state title in 2013, the Trojans have six of the last night matchups.
4. 3A No. 4 Lincoln Christian (2-0) at 2A No. 2 Vian (1-0): Lincoln Christian certainly hasn't shied away from a tough non-district slate this season after knocking off Jones last week in Tulsa. Now the Bulldogs' high-octane offense takes an excursion toward Arkansas, where River Simon and the Wolverine defense will be waiting. These two clubs haven't met since 2011, when Vian won 41-24. They've only met four times overall and split all of those decisions.
5. 4A No. 4 Tuttle (2-0) at 3A No. 6 Plainview (2-0): This would make for a quality wrestling dual, but the football matchup should be even better this week. The Tigers endured a stiff test from Kingfisher last week and won 26-14, and Plainview flexed its muscles with a 42-7 victory over Sanger (Texas). The Tigers and Indians have met 10 times since 1999, and it's been a mostly even series with Tuttle owning a 6-4 edge.
6. 6AII No. 1 Booker T. Washington (1-1) vs. Horn Lake (Miss.) at Battle on the Border in Shreveport, La.: The top-ranked Hornets return to Shreveport for the third straight season. Last year, Booker T. Washington came up short against West Monroe (La.). Horn Lake enters ranked No. 3 in Mississippi.
7. 5A No. 8 Bishop McGuinness (0-1) at 5A No. 9 Bishop Kelley (0-1): Nothing resembles bragging rights more than an old Irish stick used as weaponry. The shillelagh will be on the line when the two Catholic schools square off this week. Since 2010, Bishop McGuinness has won seven of the last night meetings, including a victory in the 2012 playoffs. (Side note: There should be more rivalries in this state playing for inanimate objects. Let's make that happen.)
8. 3A No. 1 Heritage Hall (0-1) at 4A No. 10 Clinton (1-0): The Chargers are no strangers to loading up their non-district slate with tough games, so a trip west a week after playing Millwood sounds about right. The Red Tornadoes are coming off an easy win over Woodward, and now they turn their focus to Heritage Hall, who has beaten Clinton in each of the past four seasons.
9. 4A No. 8 Anadarko (2-0) at 4A No. 1 Blanchard (1-0): Former district foes in Class 3A rekindle their matchup this week for the first time since 2011. Anadarko beat Blanchard in both 2010 and 2011, but the Lions had beaten the Warriors in 2008 and 2009 before that.
10. Davis (1-0) at 3A No. 7 Sulphur (1-1): Separated by close to nine miles on Highway 7, these two have squared off every year since 1968. Sulphur owns a 38-31 edge in the rivalry. Also, if anyone witnesses a pass during the game, record a video or snap a photo for documentation, as it could be quite rare. But hey, good luck to any other games in the state finishing before this one.
Honorable mention
Coweta at Tahlequah: It was Tahlequah that bounced Coweta from last year's playoffs.
Southwest Covenant at Empire: These two met for the first time last year, and Southwest Covenant won, 41-14.
So who wins all the matchups? Check back for our weekly picks on Thursday.