by Steven Reese (@stevenreese33)10/14/2021 8:13:57 AM
posted in: Articles | 1,873 views
We are just about halfway through the season. This is the point of the season where teams are really starting to figure out their identity.
Coaches are figuring out if they need to make any other adjustments and how they should approach the final stretch before the playoffs.
This is the most critical part of the season as teams fight out for home-field advantage…or even just a spot in the playoffs.
Keep an eye out for these games on the Skordle app:
1. #2 McAlester 6-0 (3-0 in 5A-3) @ #3 Coweta 6-0 (3-0 in 5A-3)
From what we’ve seen the past two weeks, defending 5A champion Carl Albert has slowly crept its way back in the top-five in the class. Regardless, Class 5A is still wide open this year and this game will largely affect the home field advantage and seeding race. Can senior quarterback Trent Boatright end his high school career in style with a state championship and end Carl Albert’s streak of five straight 5A titles? He and the rest of the Buffalo firepower are hungry for a road win this week. On the other side, it’s a pretty identical story. The Coweta Tigers are led by senior quarterback Gage Hamm who hasn’t thrown an interception all season. Hamm has 15 touchdowns in the air and four on the ground for the Tigers. This might be the biggest games for both seniors. It will be a blast to see which senior comes out on top.
2. #2 Lincoln Christian 7-0 (3-0 in 3A-3) @ #4 Seminole 6-0 (2-0 in 3A-3)
Did you know that Lincoln Christian has been so dominant this season that its second-string quarterback has appeared in six of their seven games? Even the third string quarterback was awarded the opportunity to appear just a few weeks ago in a district game at Sequoyah where he went 10-15 for 80 yards and a touchdown. The only tough game the Bulldogs have had was a non-district road trip at Jones when they hung on 31-29. Other than that, it has been blowout after blowout for the Bulldogs. But the Chieftains are going to be fired up as well, especially after their past two clutch wins each by one possession. They’ve had their struggles on defense, but a home win for the Seminole faithful this week would be a huge boost for the Chieftains.
3. #1 Jenks 5-1 (3-0 in 6AI-1) @ #4 Edmond Santa Fe 4-2 (3-0 in 6AI-1)
The only Edmond school that has a chance at a state championship hosts its biggest game all season when Jenks comes to town. Santa Fe is on a four-game winning streak since losing its first two at home. Jenks is almost in the same scenario, but the Trojans’ stellar defense is one of the main reasons they have gotten the job done. The two specific games were the 22-0 shutout against Union and the 31-14 win at Broken Arrow. Another reason that this Trojan team is dangerous is only losing to Bixby 23-15 especially since Bixby is pretty much blowing out everyone else on their schedule. Two teams on a winning streak in a tough Edmond atmosphere will be very dramatic.
4. #4 Lawton MacArthur 6-0 (3-0 in 5A-1) @ #8 Noble 5-1 (3-0 in 5A-1)
The Highlanders of Lawton Mac have a long road trip ahead of them this week when they travel to the Noble Bears. And I mean it…… these could be the Bad News Bears of Oklahoma. Noble went 4-7 last season and the Bears are just three spots shy of reaching the top-five in 5A. Despite losing to Midwest City earlier in the season, 14-12, the Bears have scored at least 40 points or more in all five of their wins this season. There is a lot of promise for this program and this offense will be a huge challenge for the Highlanders defense.
5. #5 Sand Springs 5-1 (2-1 in 6AII-2) @ #1 Bixby 6-0 (3-0 in 6AII-2)
I will have to say that 70-7 win at Choctaw last week might have been the most impressive win I have ever seen out of the Bixby Spartan powerhouse. This program has literally been a dynasty. I still can’t get over the fact that the Spartans have won six out of the seven 6A-II state championships since the new class formation in 2014. But you have to admit that the Sand Springs Sandites have been the most surprising team in the class for 2021 considering last season was the first season they earned a winning record since 2016. They may have lost a heartbreaker last week to Booker T. Washington, but they could still finish out the year strong and be the 6A-II most improved team. It’ll be interesting to see what they have to show to Bixby this week.