by Steven Reese (@stevenreese33)9/14/2021 1:39:43 PM
posted in: Articles | 881 views
Since district play is just around the corner, we are going to look at my sleepers for each of the four districts in 6A.
These are teams that I think have a chance to surprise people, have a small but good chance to win the district, and could shake up the standings.
District play is one of the most exciting aspects of high school football because it gives you and idea of how talented these teams are heading into the playoffs.
6A-I District 1: Broken Arrow
Even though they’ve had a slow start this year, Broken Arrow is never a team to sleep on. It’s a program that appeared in the title game twice since 2015, including winning it all in 2018. The Tigers also had a really tough non-district schedule this year, traveling to both Owasso and Union. They had a really good performance against Union despite losing 38-28. Even though they went 7-4 in 2020, they still finished third in the District 1 standings. The Tigers have a veteran receiving corp as well as a veteran quarterback. Senior quarterback Griffin Stieber has a lot of promise. If the Tigers’ new staff under coach Josh Blankenship make some adjustments to their defense, I think they’ll raise some eyebrows this season.
6A-I District 2: Norman North
After an early playoff exit in 2017 and two straight losing seasons in 2018 and 2019, the Timberwolves of Norman North appear to be back on track after bouncing back to third in the 6A-I District 2 standings with a record of 6-4 (4-2 in District) in 2020. They’ve had a great offensive start this season, beating rival Norman 41-24 and had a strong start in the first half against Edmond Memorial, routing the Bulldogs 49-25. Their first road test will be at Yukon this Friday and then will open up district play against Mustang. If the Timberwolves can get past those two matchups, they will be in great shape heading into Owasso on Oct. 1. The best news for Justin Jones’ team is the Timberwolves have Union at home. Even if they lose to Owasso, the Timberwolves can still win out and claim second in the district, which would be a huge boost for this program heading into the playoffs. Watch out for this squad. They could sneak their way up into the championship picture.
6A-II District 1: Midwest City
Midwest City struggled in the great state of Texas in its opening game against the Boyd Bronchos out of McKinney, but the Bombers squad made a statement in their next two games. Their defense had dominant performances against defending 5A state champions Carl Albert and another 5A opponent in Noble. Midwest City last season made an incredible run to the 6A-II semifinals, falling to now three-time defending state champion Bixby, 49-20. If they can get past Stillwater this season and make a few changes in their offense, Midwest City could get a really good draw in the playoffs and reach the state championship.
6A-II District 2: Choctaw
The Yellowjackets had the best Cinderella run in Oklahoma last season. Choctaw head coach Jake Corbin is entering his fifth season and has already turned this program from mediocre to elite really fast. In 2018, they were 4-6 (2-5 in district). And what did they do in 2020? They went 9-4 (6-1 in district) and played their way into the 6A-II state championship. Despite a heartbreaking loss to Bixby, 17-14, these Yellowjackets are back and better than ever. They’re 2-1 so far in 2021 and one of those victories was against Springdale out of Arkansas. The 63-6 win against Springdale avenged 2020’s 46-18 defeat. So turning around this year and scoring 63 points against Springdale? Now that’s impressive. This Yellowjacket squad features junior quarterback Steele Wasel and the Smith brothers. Junior wide receiver Jax Smith and sophomore offensive lineman Asher Smith are the brother duo to watch out for again this season. If Choctaw can get past Bixby, it has an enormous chance to win the district and be in a comfortable side of the bracket in the 6A-II playoffs this year.