We have reached the quarterfinal round of the playoffs and we have great matchups a plenty plus a lot of first time matchups in all classes and today I will highlight some of the matchups in this week of playoffs.
Matchup stats courtesy of iwasatthegame.
Tyrone at Maysville (Class C)
Last semifinal appearance: Tyrone (2021) Maysville (1956)
Head to Head: First matchup
The main thing for us is we stayed healthy this year. We’ve had 15 kids on our roster the last two seasons and last year our entire backfield and wr1 missed over half the season. I think the backups that had to step into starting roles last year has helped them a bunch this year be big time contributors. Tyrone is a very physical football team that with an electric player at qb. They are like us when it comes to offense, they want to run the ball and put in the air when there’s opportunities to do so. We will have to be gap sound on defense for 4 quarters if we hope to slow them down said Maysville coach Dace Lemieux.
I have been the basketball coach here for 14 years, and have been assisting with football for about the last 10. This is my first year to be head coach of football and it has been a blast. Maysville this Friday will be an interesting matchup. They are the district champions of their district and we were runner up in C1. We have a long road trip to play at their place and that will definitely be to their advantage. If we take care of the ball and can defend their running game, we will have our chances. Our improvement through the year and from last year I credit to our players buying in to the weight room and becoming better athletes. A player to watch for the Bobcats will be sophomore QB Miguel Baray. He is an electric ball carrier and is improving every time he steps on the field. Senior Wyatt Johnson will anchor our offensive and defensive line and is a disruptive force. Sr LB/RBs Anthony Favela and Angel Aguirre will also be players to watch for us said Tyrone coach Clay Witt.
Okeene at Wilson-Henryetta (Class B-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Okeene (2023) Wilson Henryetta (Would be first appearance in school history)
Head to Head: First matchup
It will be a good game it will be physical. They throw it around a lot kind of like we do. I was more of a running team last year but I lost six seniors last year most of them were lineman. So I knew I was going to be young and inexperienced on the line this year so we are more of a passing team so I can get the ball in my play makers hands quicker said Wilson-Henryetta coach Matt LeGrand.
Shattuck at Covington-Douglass (Class B-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Shattuck (2021) Covington-Douglas (2010)
Head to Head: Shattuck 3-0 (Last matchup Shattuck 20 Covington-Douglas 14 Class C Semifinals)
Shattuck is big and physical. Also have some nice athletes in schilling, Hernandez and Woods. We will need to play well and slow their run game down as the like to run the football 80% of the time. Difference in this year and last year is – so far we have stayed healthy. Have played inconsistent at times, but still think we haven’t played our best game said Covington-Douglas coach Brian Smith.
Turpin at Dewar (Class B-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Turpin (1999) Dewar (2021)
Head to Head: First matchup
We’re excited about playing Dewar. They have been a strong program in Class B for a while. They have an outstanding team with both really good size and speed. You can also tell on film that they are well coached. We have been fortunate that we have stayed relatively healthy thus far. We’re excited for how the season has gone so far. Our program has been very consistent in being successful. We’ve made the playoffs 10/11 past years at Turpin. This 9-1 team is very special though said Turpin coach Justin Hannah.
Garber at Yale (Class B-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Garber (2009) Yale (2004)
Head to Head: Garber 6-2 (Last matchup Yale 34 Garber 30, 2023 regular season)
I think it will be a very tough matchup, we return the core of our team from last year and have played an extremely tough schedule. We are battle tested and will be ready. They are a very good team, but haven’t played a very tough schedule. They have a very good OL/DL and have good skill guys, but I think we matchup well with them. We have just been physical and disciplined for the majority of games , took some lumps against some very good teams, but have been consistent for the most part. We have a big physical OL and even though we lost our starting RB for the season, we have had several guys step up by committee. Defense has tackled well and been physical all year. We feel like with our team being senior heavy and battle tested, we are prepared for Friday said Garber coach Koy Hughes.
Hominy at Thomas-Fay-Custer (Class A-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Hominy (2023) Thomas-Fay-Custer (2020)
Head to Head: First matchup
Thomas is mentioned as the name of that powerhouse in the state of Oklahoma. It’s been a powerhouse with Coach Ward out there. I’m a Hominy guy. I graduated from here. So been in football my whole life and Thomas is one of the first names you mentioned when you talk about great small school programs. It’s going to be a good matchup against a couple teams that take a lot of pride in their football, their towns and community. And so we’re fully aware of that. We’ve been preaching to the kids just about going to a place like Thomas they put a lot of fear into people just because of what they’ve been able to do through the years and so just practicing with that time, that time mindset just getting kids to understand through the same way when people come into Hominy. I think we’ve been able to and then throughout time, Hominy is one of the most winningest schools in small school with its own championships and all that so just getting them to understand the seriousness and the intensity level of the match up and really this year the biggest thing was we obviously graduated in our last three years, really four years had a really good group and last year with Jaxon Woods, running quarterback and some of those pieces and stuff, really just trying to figure out what our identity is. We had to move our number one receiver to quarterback, and it’s been since his junior high dayssince he’s played quarterback and early on he’s went three or four years without taking a snap at quarterback. So getting Blaine adjusted to that quarterback situation and the understanding of it and getting in and out of the huddle or understanding the picture of the defense and just being confident. That’s the biggest thing is but I think that as a team and a staff, we’ve done a good job because we knew it early on. When you lose a kid like Jaxon that had 165 career touchdowns which is unbelievable and some of the pieces up front and then some of the other kids we had really good kids replacing those guys that graduated except experience and so you only can get experience by obviously playing and so that was the biggest thing is everybody just chill out, relax let’s fight this thing every freaking day. Let’s not hang our head if something goes wrong. I mean let’s just try to be really, really, really, really good in November and December. And fortunately for us, our recipe and our plan has really kind of taken off here. So Blaine, I want to say it was last week, I think he has had 15 touchdowns and zero picks since week eight. So unbelievable. We just stuck it out and found our identity with our with our defense. We’re not crazy explosive compared to last year but we do have a few things hanging our hat on, running the football and play action and then obviously, you got a kid at 6″5 210 playing quarterback you want to keep the ball in his hand and run him, too. So it’s just filling this all out pretty much throughout the year. But I think we finally starting to hit our stride said Hominy coach Caleb Christian.
Texhoma at Talihina (Class A-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Texhoma (2012) Talihina (2014)
Head to Head: First matchup
The Talihina match up in my mind is totally opposite of what we faced in Velma last week. Talihina is a more explosive offense not as big as what Velma was. They have a quick receiver and an athletic accurate qb. I feel like we can be successful with what we do. This matchup has its challenges as we will have to travel all the way across the state but it’s not new territory for us as we’ve traveled close 3000 miles already. This being my first year as HC of TG football I can’t really speak on what changes or adjustments were the most beneficial. All I can say is since I’ve taken over the emphasis has been on winning every rep!! The boys are playing hard and have bought in. I can’t express how good my assistant coaches are. We work well together and love what we do! The boys are having fun and playing hard said Texhoma coach Garrett Harland.
Pocola at Hooker (Class A-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Pocola (Would be first in school history) Hooker (2023)
Head to Head: First matchup
Hooker is a great team & are very physical. We absolutely have to stop the run. We have improved tremendously on defense this year under 1st year DC Eric Massey. Running a very aggressive 4-4 defense. Our team has improved ALOT on our intermediate passing under 1st year OC Jarrett Cannon. This group has come together as a team throughout the year. Adversity is what has been what has driven us together. They have persevered through the adversity. We are ready for Friday night!!!! said Pocola coach Jason Parker.
Pocola is a very talented team. Their skills are some of the best we’ve seen over the last couple of seasons. We continue to play a very physical brand of football on both sides. We’ve allowed three touchdowns with our starters in the last eight games. With the amount of starters we have back from last year it is business as usual. Our kids have played a ton of games over the last several years said Hooker coach Trevor Powers.
Fairview at Rejoice Christian (Class A-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Fairview (2023) Rejoice Christian (2019)
Head to Head: First matchup
This will be a great round two matchup with Rejoice Christian. I would consider us almost mirror images of each other. They are very good offensively as well as defensively. They do a great job of keeping you on your toes with the run and the pass. They have great QB play as well as a lot of team speed at the skill positions. Defensively they play a lot of man coverage with an attacking front. They have high motors across the front and really do a good job of getting after you. We are very similar to what we were last year. Early in the year we had some kids that were not real experienced. Through the year they have really done a great job of understanding how we are wanting to attack people and what we are trying to do offensively. We have 4 guys with over 500 yards receiving. We have spread the ball around really well this year. We are balanced in the run game with 3 guys over 500 yards and another one over 300. Upfront on both sides we lean on those guys a lot. They do a great job of being physical and setting the tone for each game said Fairview coach Robert Bernard.
Davis at Adair (Class 2A-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Davis (2017) Adair (2018)
Head to Head: Davis 3-1 (Last matchup 2015 Class 2A Quarterfinals Adair 36 Davis 35)
Our Matchup against Davis is going to be a good ones both teams try to control the clock and outnumber you to get an advantage on offense. Both defenses are extremely sound and try to not give the big play up. Both teams are extremely physical and it’s going to be a battle just like the previous four games against them. The only thing different from last year to this year is that we are older and stronger. Our kids are now two years in with me as Head Coach, so they are becoming engrained with our culture. It’s has been extremely fun to see them thrive and have success said Adair coach Brady Bradbury.
Colcord at Holdenville (Class 2A-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Colcord (2022) Holdenville (1999)
Head to head: First matchup
We are really excited to be in the Quarterfinals with the opportunity to play against a really good undefeated Holdenville team. They are a well coached, tough, athletic team that has a run heavy offense and are extremely athletic on defense. They play really hard and have a lot of good football players. I think every team changes so much from year to year. Even if you return a lot of players, you hope they have improved, and I feel like ours have grown a ton since last season. We have been fortunate to get healthy at the right time after having numerous starters miss multiple games due to injuries throughout the season. Due to those injuries we sustained over the year, i feel like we have had some guys get some experience they might not have gotten otherwise, and we are probably deeper now than we would have been otherwise. We have a large senior class who have been very successful over their careers, and we will lean heavily on them to try to keep our season alive said Colcord coach Ryan Keenom.
Colcord is a great team. Their size and athleticism immediately jumps out when watching film. They have a ton of Seniors on both sides of the ball, and that leadership is experienced in playoff games. Their defense is extremely impressive with their physicality. Their offense is a combination of smash mouth and athleticism. They are well coached and are a fantastic challenge said Holdenville coach David Barker,
Jones at Metro Christian (Class 2A-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Jones (2023) Metro Christian (2022)
Head to Head: Metro Christian 1-0 (Last matchup Metro Christian 49 Jones 45, Second round 2A playoffs)
The matchup should be great. They look just like every successful Jones team I’ve ever watched. They’re big, physical, athletic, and extremely well coached. We are big on the offensive and defensive lines this year and have had to put more emphasis on our running game and how to be successful there than we have in years past. We’re smaller than most teams at the skill positions but our defense is tough and we get a lot of bodies to the ball fast. We’re still working to create space for our offensive athletes but our advantage is more in quickness this year than it is in overall team speed said Metro Christian Jared McCoy.
Metro is a really good team who doesn’t seem to have a weakness. Coach McCoy has always done a great job. Just like everyone we have made small adjustments along the way but our approach has always been the same. Our kids effort is what got us here said Jones coach Kevin Witt.
Marlow at Kingston (Class 2A-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Marlow (2023) Kingston (2019)
Head to Head: First matchup
Thought on the Marlow Outlaws are: They are the most physical team we have played this year. Marlow is very well coached and plays fast. Marlow gets 11 hats to the ball on defense each snap. The Outlaws are very diverse schematically. Really good up front w/ a dynamic QB and #15 is a great football player. Thought on the Game: We (Kingston) will have to match their physicality in order to have a chance to win. We must protect the football. We must win special teams. Adjustments from this time last year: Believe we belong on this stage. Not just happy to be here. We have had guys step up all year, not sure we have played one single game with our entire starting group available said Kingston coach Brad Hill.
At this point, other than weekly wrinkles, we will continue to do what has gotten us to this point. Kingston is outstanding and have won 10 games in a row. It also makes it really tough playing at their place. They have both really good players and really good schemes. They are no doubt one of the top teams in the class said Marlow coach Matt Weber.
Checotah at Bristow (Class 3A)
Last semifinal appearance: Bristow (2000) Checotah (1994)
Head to Head: Checotah 6-3 (Last matchup Bristow 50 Checotah 17, 2017 regular season)
Checotah is a team that is very athletic and they play with physicality that will be tough to match. WR #0 is the real deal and their coaching staff does a fantastic job of getting him the ball and using him to get their other playmakers in space. I’m also, very aware of how much support they will have from their community going into a game of this magnitude. It’s going to be a great atmosphere Friday night in Bristow! This is my first season back at Bristow since 2018 and my first season as a head coach. Our entire program has bought in to our culture and our kids have played their tails off this season. We haven’t made many adjustments to our scheme, but we have consistently worked toward maximizing our potential and our growth mindset has put us in position to host one of the biggest games in our programs recent history said Bristow coach Chris Cole.
I think us and Bristow are pretty similar in a lot of ways. They have a great run game and it will be a challenge to stop it. I believe both teams are tough and physical. Some of the things we did this year was focusing on our run game this year, that was a big emphasis on the offseason to go along with Elijah Thomas’s ability to stretch the game vertically. We are looking forward to the challenge tomorrow night. It should be a tough, physical game said Checotah coach Zac Ross.
Clinton at Wagoner (Class 4A)
Last semifinal appearance: Clinton (2021) Wagoner (2023)
Head to Head: Wagoner 3-1 (Last matchup Wagoner 42 Clinton 13, 2020 Class 4A State Championship)
These two teams are no stranger to deep playoff runs, A battle of powerhouses and two hard nosed teams that are known for their brand of smash mouth football, This matchup could go two ways, A low scoring chess match or a high scoring affair, Either way it could come down to who has the ball last or even a walk off field goal or touchdown.
Bethany at Ada (Class 4A)
Last appearance: Bethany (2018) Ada (2023)
Head to Head: Ada 2-1 (Last matchup Ada 26 Bethany 22, 2017 Class 4A Semifinals)
As far as a matchup for us this will be two very well coached teams and really good football game. Things that we have different this season is a lot having an almost completely new staff. We have really focused on a week to week mentality all season and not trying to look past opponents or to far down the road. We set several goals as team and trying to check them off as they come up and a win this week would allow us to check one more box of practicing on Thanksgiving Day. The adjustments we made offensively that changed our season was finding the right fit/mixture of guys to do what was needed to be balanced in the run game and explosive in the passing game said Ada coach Wade Boyles.
Guthrie at Booker T. Washington (Class 5A)
Last semifinal appearance: Guthrie (2013) Booker T. Washington (2018)
Well the matchup of Booker T, I think it’s extremely competitive. I think we’re pretty evenly matched. They’re a big physical football team. They play great defense. Of course they got the two outstanding interior defensive linemen and then they run to the ball with purpose. Offensively they have lots of formations, A really good tight end that’s a blocker and a receiver and a cat quick tailback and they’ve got four or five receivers that are all 5″11 to 6″3 and run well so they present a lot of problems matchup wise. We’re expecting a great ball game with them and looking forward to being over there and looking forward to the challenge. As far as what we’ve done this season. We were 10-2 and 9-3 two of the last three years, We’ve been in the quarters, we’ve drawn some state runner ups and state champions during that time in the quarterfinals. So our biggest challenge this year is we replaced ten defensive starters and we replaced our offensive skill players. So we were very young at the beginning of the season and this team is continuing to improve every week said Guthrie coach Kelly Beeby.
Guthrie is a well coached team. Players play with great effort. I am the New Head Coach at Booker T. Washington. Started in April. Building a program with 1. Discipline 2. Respect 3. Relationships said Booker T. Washington coach Dan Bitson.
I’m excited about the game tomorrow night. It should be a good game.
Piedmont at Sand Springs (Class 6A-II)
Last semifinal appearance: Piedmont (2019) Sand Springs (2015)
Head to Head: First matchup
This matchup could ultimately come down to who has the ball last especially with Piedmont’s ground and pound attack in the flexbone offense who could use clock control to their advantage while Sand Springs can put up numbers in many different ways.
Norman at Edmond Memorial (Class 6A-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Norman (1992) Edmond Memorial (Would be first in school history as Memorial, Last made semis in 1993 before schools were split up)
They are indeed a good team—physical, disciplined, and well-coached. This season, we haven’t made significant changes from last year; rather, we have more experience on both sides of the ball, and have been playing with confidence. We plan to continue doing the same things we have done the past 11 weeks, that have gotten us to this matchup said Norman coach Rocky Martin.
Union at Jenks (Class 6A-I)
Last semifinal appearance: Union (2023) Jenks (2023)
Head to Head: Jenks 45-25 (Last matchup, Jenks 9 Union 3, Week two this season)
A lot is on the on line in this matchup, Jenks has a streak of 18 consecutive semifinal appearances dating back to 2006 and this is the second consecutive year we get the Backyard Bowl in the playoffs, The last time we got the Backyard Bowl in the playoffs was the 2021 championship, This matchup like the Piedmont and Sand Springs game mentioned in 6A-II could come down to who has the ball last, The regular season matchup between these two rivals was the lowest scoring matchup since the 1988 matchup that Union won 6-3. This game will be must see action as anytime you get a big rivalry game like this in a playoff game anything can happen.
The OKPreps Rundown 
Leave a comment