With the high school football season starting this week in Oklahoma, there are many storylines going into the 2025 season.
Listed are the most prominent story lines in each class.
Class 6A-I
Bixby has won seven state championships in a row, but Owasso and Jenks have made strides to challenge the Spartans in recent years. Last season, Owasso beat Bixby in the regular season, and was one play away from a perfect 13-0 season, but fell to Bixby, 43-42, in the 6A-I title game which went into overtime.
Broken Arrow, Tulsa Union, Jenks and Owasso all welcome new coaches and all four teams expect to be at the top of the class. Travis Hill comes to Broken Arrow from Muskogee, Antonio Graham left Owasso for Tulsa Union when Kirk Fridrich retired and Bill Blankenship came back to the Rams. Adam Gaylor, former defensive coordinator at Jenks, is now the head coach as Keith Riggs announced his retirement.
With all the coaching changes from the Tulsa teams, squads from the state's Westside like Mustang and Norman North have made great strides and changes this offseason in hopes to be at the top of 6A-I. Mustang has four-star quarterback Jaden O Neal, while the Timberwolves have the best receiver in the state in Mason James.
Class 6A-II
Choctaw looks to repeat as state champions and returns running back Mayor Morgan, who scored 21 touchdowns last season. The Yellowjackets also return Titus Hawk, a four-star tight end, and the player who caught the game winning touchdown pass in the state championship game. Choctaw won the title last season over Muskogee, 26-25, when the Roughers missed a chip-shot field goal.
With Hill leaving Muskogee to coach at Broken Arrow, the Roughers hired Dale Condict from Wagoner. The Roughers do lose their best player from last season in Jamarian Ficklin, who is at Utah, but still has receiver Jamie Beasley. Muskogee is still one of the favorites to win Class 6A-II.
Sand Springs and Stillwater also will be in the mix, as the Sandites return quarterback Easton Webb, who has started since his freshman year. The Pioneers also return linebacker Nehemiah Kolone, a three-star BYU commit, who made 99 tackles.
A dark horse in Class 6A-II is Putnam City Original, who has studs such as linebacker Dejon Ackerson Jr.,who is a Kansas State commit. Could they make some noise in a loaded Class 6A-II?
Class 5A
With last season's 5A title-game win, Midwest City Carl Albert has won eight of the last nine state championships, and the Titans now have 19 titles. This ties them with Ada for the most championships in the history of the state, but the Titans are now looking to have that record all to themselves. However, many other teams want to dethrone the Titans such as crosstown rival Del City.
The Titans have ended the Eagles' season the past two years in the playoffs. But should the playoff bracket be set with Del City and Carl Albert on the same side, that opens the door for other teams to make a run and face either the Titans or Eagles.
Other teams who are loaded to make a run include Tulsa Booker T. Washington, Bishop McGuinness, Guthrie, Newcastle and McAlester. McAlester welcomes in Jeff Craig from Blanchard and Craig knows what it takes to win state titles, as he won two with the Lions. Newcastle has one of the top running backs in the state in TJ Bradford.
Class 4A
Elgin won the Class 4A championship last season, beating Tuttle 29-22. A big question is will Wagoner remain at the top of Class 4A with Condict going to Muskogee? The Bulldogs hired Kimes Gilbert from Chisholm.
Tuttle returns senior quarterback Cruz Campbell, who threw 40 touchdowns for 2,931 yards and recorded a passing percentage of 63 percent.
Two of the powerhouses in Class 4A have new coaches. Poteau has found its new head coach since Greg Werner resigned. Jake Haynes comes to the Pirates from Edmond Deer Creek. With Craig going to McAlester, Lance Manning takes over for Blanchard after not coaching since 2014.
The favorites in Class 4A do not always win, and this class has the most parity year in and year out. Wagoner won three consecutive titles from 2014-2016 all against Oologah-Talala. But since that massive run, Class 4A has not seen a back-to-back champion, but that could change with Elgin being one of the favorites.
Elgin is in a district with Clinton, who has won 18 gold balls, and last won the 4A title in 2021, so one can never count out the Red Tornadoes. Clinton’s quarterback is sophomore Eestyn Powell and played QB and linebacker as a freshman. He is the younger brother of Caden Powell, who played quarterback in 2021 and plays Major League Baseball in the Houston Astros' system.
Class 3A
Lincoln Christian has won back-to-back state championships, and is the favorite to win it again as senior quarterback Carter Ricke enters his senior year.
The Bulldogs also return other star players such as wide receiver Braden Baker, who caught 21 touchdowns.
A team has not won three straight titles in Class 3A since 1995, when Frederick won it in 1993, 1994 and 1995. With Lincoln Christian loading up again, other teams look to make a run, such as Heritage Hall and Sulphur. Last season, Lincoln Christian beat Heritage Hall in the semifinals, and beat Sulphur in the championship game in a nail-biter.
Heritage Hall returns wide receiver Rhett Davis and defensive back/wide receiver Jerrod Williams. Williams is a Tulsa commit and looks to help the Chargers make a run at the Class 3A gold ball. Sulphur also returns Colton Cole, who played both sides of the ball last season, and made many plays.
Cascia Hall looks to make a run this season, and returns senior quarterback Barrett Mullen, who holds many records for the Commandos. Joe Medina is a veteran coach and has been at the helm since 1999. Entering his 26th season of coaching, Medina has won four state championships, and has not once missed the playoffs, so they always will be in the mix.
Class 2A-I
Washington has won three state championships all over Oklahoma City Millwood, and looks to make it four in a row, as sophomore quarterback Creed Barrett returns after leading his team to a 14-0 season. As a sophomore, he already has an offer from Oklahoma State University. Another fantastic player who returns is senior tight end Case Alexander, who has several Division I offers. Safety Dawson Thomas also returns, and he constantly had receivers on lockdown, while collecting four interceptions.
The team most likely to challenge the Warriors are Millwood. The Falcons are used to winning state championships, and have seven, but have not won one since 2017. Other teams look to challenge the Warriors, such as Jones and Marlow.
Class 2A-II
With Class 2A being split into two divisions and Washington and Millwood being in Division I, that opened the door for several other teams. Davis won the gold ball last season, and likely could win it again, as senior quarterback Dax Owens returns.
Davis beat Vian 28-18, and the Wolverines have unfinished business. Running back Masyn Wright returns, and last season as a junior collected 36 touchdowns and 2,100 yards of rushing.
Holdenville returns many players, and was upset in the playoffs, but did beat Davis last season in District 2. Stroud will be an interesting team, as senior Trysten Baker returns as a fullback and linebacker. Baker has recorded nearly 350 career tackles.
Valiant could be a dark horse, as they have arguably the top running back in the state in Kenny Golston. Golston is a three-star University of Idaho commit and scored 23 rushing touchdowns.
Class A-I
Rejoice Christian won the state championship over Hooker, and defeated two-time state champion Fairview in the quarterfinals. The Eagles are primed to go back-to-back as they return many starters from last season.
Hooker is loaded as well, and is hoping the third year is a charm. The Bulldogs were state runners-up the past two seasons, and new head coach Tanner McBee is looking to lead his team to a gold ball. Hooker has junior running back Justin Palacios, who has started since his freshman season in 2023. He has rushed for 3,613 rushing yards and scored 43 touchdowns during his time as an underclassmen.
Fairview looks to stay at the top of Class A-1, but did graduate quarterback Jax Bernard. However, they return several playmakers in Alex Houk and Haddon Miller.
Class A-II
Woodland won the state championship last season in convincing fashion over Talihina, 58-23. But Woodland graduated seven seniors last year and looks to reload this season, with players such as running back and linebacker Lucky Heath, who scored seven touchdowns in the title game. Wide receiver Jaston Terry, who recorded more than 1,000 reception yards and scored 16 touchdowns, is also back. For Talihina, their quarterback is Landen Griffith, who started as a freshman last season, where he threw 47 touchdown passes.
An interesting team will be Allen, as they hired Reade Box as their head coach. Box has coaching experience in Oklahoma, with stints at Clinton, Healdton and Texhoma-Goodwell.
A dark horse in Class A-II is Thomas-Fay-Custer, who returns several starters after making the semifinals last season. Senior quarterback Tye Littlebird returns, and has started since his freshman year. He has thrown 58 total touchdowns and for 5,778 total yards.
Class B-I
For the largest eight-man class in Oklahoma, Dewar looks to win another state championship, as they defeated Laverne 44-12 last season. But other teams are coming for Dewar, such as Laverne and Hollis.
Dewar does return many starters such as quarterback Peyton Kilhoffer, who threw 40 touchdowns. Hollis returns junior quarterback Matt Parker, who threw 25 touchdowns and for 2,482 yards last season as a sophomore.
Class B-II
No team could stop the offensive firepower from Weleetka, and that likely will not change this season. The Outlaws won the Class B-II championship against Seiling, 54-12. Weleetka’s quarterback, Isaish Drake, returns for his senior season and threw 47 touchdowns and threw for 3,347 yards.
Seiling looks to be right back in the mix, with legendary coach Gary Manuel, who led the Wildcats to a state championship in 2023.
Class C
Tipton and Timberlake both are the favorites this season, but Tipton has won the last three Class C championships. Last season, Tipton beat Timberlake, 28-20, in a thriller which came down the final play.
Timberlake coach Brian Serevin has coached for 31 seasons, and is five wins away from his 250th career win. Tipton returns senior running back JJ Jillah, who rushed for 1,123 yards. Ryan looks to be in the mix, and has a great quarterback in junior Noah Torrez, who threw for 2,118 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore last season.
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