The Class A state championship playoffs begin this Friday, Nov. 13, at Tonkawa.
The Bucs (7-2) will be hosting Stratford’s Bulldogs (2-6) Kick off is at 7 p.m.
Kick off is at 7 p.m.
Tonkawa finished second in District A-3, losing only to district champion and top-ranked Cashion.
Under the expanded OSSAA playoff scenario, every team qualifies for the first of six rounds. Because of that, Tonkawa will host the first two rounds of the playoff as long as they are winning. The Tonkawa-Stratford winner will meet the Watonga-Dibble winner Friday, Nov. 20.
The Tonkawa-Stratford winner will meet the Watonga-Dibble winner Friday, Nov. 20.
The Bulldogs finished seventh in District A-4 with a 1-4 record. Their district includes defending Class A state champion Ringling.
Tonkawa has played the Bulldogs three times recently, winning 21-13 in 2004 (Bucs were runner-up for Class A title), 21-0 in 2005 (Bucs won Class A title) and 27-0 in 2009 (Bucs won Class A title).
“That District A-4 is silly good,” Buc Head Coach Mike Kirtley said this week while preparing for the Bulldogs. “Stratford is well coached and has tough kids. It’ll be a good game. We’ll have to be on our best behavior. I’m just glad it’s home.”
The Bulldogs run a multiple I offensive formation, much like the Bucs, but run more spread, Kirtley said. Defensively, they’ll be in a four front.
Fireshaker Davis and Nathan Anderson will likely miss this week’s ball game. Both are under COVID-19 quarantine and missed the OBA game as well. “That’s what we’ve had to overcome all season,” Kirtley said, “We’ve had line-up changes each and every week, but our younger kids like Tyler Looper have been stepping up good.”
Carnegie, Ketchum, Chouteau, Liberty, Talihina and Hulbert in Class A have opted not to be part of the playoffs this season, hence the byes in week one on the bracket. (See full bracket page 10 of today’s edition.)
In Class 2A, Newkirk, Tishomingo, Hartshorne, Wilburton, Haskell and Nowata opted to forego the playoffs.
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