2020 Championship Predictions: Playoff Edition

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy! It's playoff time in Oklahoma and it's time to make some championship predictions! Our staff will make their pick on who makes it to the title game and who will be raising the gold ball. CLASS 6A-D1 MICHAEL: Owasso VS Union When these two met in late September, it didn't seem like it would be a preview of the eventual state title game. But full disclosure, I believe Owasso and Jenks are the two best teams in the class. But they're on the same side of the bracket so we like Owasso to come out of that side in what might be the de-facto championship. Don't say anything like that to teams like Edmond Santa Fe and Union on the other side, who are playing great football right now. But in the end, the champs are the champs and the favorites for a reason. I'm going with Owasso to capture back to back titles and their third in the last four years. And with several talented and young pieces on both sides of the ball, we could be looking at the start of a dynasty just north of Tulsa. 6A-D1 Champion: Owasso JACOB: Edmond Santa Fe vs Owasso Owasso is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions in 6A-I and rightfully so as they have looked dominant all year and have not won a game by less than 11 points. However, it is no secret that I like Edmond Santa Fe’s team a lot. I picked them to take the title in our pre-season predictions, and since mid-September, they have not done anything on the field to make me change that prediction so I’m going to ride it out with the Wolves in a close, hard-fought matchup with the Rams. 6A-D1 Champion: Edmond Santa Fe CLASS 6A-D2 MICHAEL: Bixby VS Stillwater Out of all the classes, the easiest prediction comes in 6A-D2. I think I speak for a lot of high school football fans when I say I would be absolutely stunned if we didn't see Bixby and Stillwater square off for the title for a third consecutive year. We were supposed to get this match-up already this season with the two teams agreeing to play each other in non-district play. But 2020 has thrown curveball after curveball and that game ended up getting cancelled. However, these two teams have remained dominant and are once again on a crash course for one another yet again. At the start of the year I believed that 6A-D2 would be deeper than it was a year ago and I believe that ended up being true. However, it hasn't stopped these two powerhouses from still being head and shoulders above everyone else. As for the eventual champion, I might be the only one in the state who has Stillwater here but I'm going with the Pioneers. I felt like they had the best team at the start of the year, regardless of what happened last season, and I'm sticking with it. Stillwater gets it done 6A-D2 Champion: Stillwater JACOB: Bixby VS Stillwater I said in our pre-season predictions that it was tough to leave Bixby out of the title game and maybe I shouldn’t have because Bixby has looked as dominant as ever this season and looks hungry to get another championship. There is a lot more competition top to bottom this year for these teams to go through before this rematch can happen, but I think it is Bixby’s and Stillwater’s title to lose once again in 2020. Bixby will go down as one of the greatest dynasties in state history and [player_tooltip player_id="38531" first="Mason" last="Williams"] will go down as one of the most accomplished QBs in state history, and I think that will include winning it all again in 2020. This game will once again be a dog fight that will come down to the wire, but I think [player_tooltip player_id="38531" first="Mason" last="Williams"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"] will make one more play than Qwontrell Walker and the Pioneers. [player_tooltip player_id="38531" first="Mason" last="Williams"] rides off into the sunset as a 3-time state champion and the Bixby dynasty lives to fight on in 2021. 6A-D2 Champion: Bixby CLASS 5A MICHAEL: Carl Albert VS Coweta This pick comes with a disclaimer. At the time that this is published, El Reno might not be playing their second round game against Piedmont due to Covid. El Reno administrators are working to make sure their season continues and if they are able to play, they are my pick. However, right now, they are out. So I'm going with Coweta to make it out of that side of the bracket. Even if they don't this year, Coweta is a team to watch over the next few seasons with plenty of young talent. On the other side of the bracket, I can't pick anyone other than Carl Albert. While I feel like this road to the title will be one of the toughest they have faced during this run, I still think the Titans make it back to Wantland. And when it comes to picking the champion, it's hard to pick anyone other than the four-time champion Titans. Carl Albert is going for history and we think they get it done once again. 5A Champion: Carl Albert JACOB: Carl Albert VS Coweta I originally liked El Reno to make this game but due to contact tracing protocols in the state, the Indians were unfortunately forced to forfeit the rest of their season. Nevertheless, led by one of the best QBs in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="38687" first="Gage" last="Hamm"], Coweta is a very talented team that has not lost a game in 5A this season and is more than capable of reaching this game. On the other side, the Titans have looked as good as ever outside of a hiccup against Bixby in October, but that game probably opened some eyes and has served as motivation for Carl Albert. This game will be closer than some think, but I still like [player_tooltip player_id="38534" first="Ben" last="Harris"] and the Titans to ride out once again as Champions in 2020. 5A Champion: Carl Albert CLASS 4A MICHAEL: Poteau VS Wagoner Similar to my 6A-D1 pick, this one comes with a disclaimer. I think Wagoner and Weatherford are the two best teams in Class 4A right now. They are on the same side of the bracket so only one can make it to the state title game. Right now, the edge goes to Wagoner because they've been simply dominant this fall. The Wagoner defense has been one of the best in the state and they'll lean on that to make it back to the title game. When they get there, they'll see a Poteau team that beat them in the semifinals a year ago, before capturing their first state title. Wagoner gets the revenge and brings home another gold ball after beating Weatherford and Poteau in back to back weeks. 4A Champion: Wagoner JACOB: Weatherford vs Broken Bow I had John Marshall in the title game against Weatherford pre-season and while that now looks unlikely for a few reasons, I still like this Weatherford team a lot. I don’t think they will have much trouble navigating their way to the semi-finals, and that game may be their biggest challenge, as they will likely play Wagoner if both teams make it that far. On the other side, Broken Bow is only 5-3 due to cancellations, that record does not tell it all as they have had some close games against some of 4A’s best, so I like their chances of making a run. As cool of a story as it will be for Broken Bow if they make this game though, I think their run will come to an end against Weatherford. 4A Champion: Weatherford CLASS 3A MICHAEL: Holland Hall VS Lincoln Christian Just like in my 4A breakdown, the defense of Holland Hall will carry them to the state championship game. The Dutch have had an absolutely stout defense but their offense is very talented as well. We think they make it all the way to the title game in their first season in Class 3A. They'll see defending champion Lincoln Christian once they get there. I'll say this. Hats off to Lincoln Christian because I thought the Bulldogs would have to rebuild this season after winning it all a year ago. I was wrong. They still haven't lost since the 2018 playoffs and come into this postseason as a big contender. However, when it comes down to picking the champion, we can't get over how complete this Holland Hall team is. We like the Dutch to win this battle of Tulsa private schools. 3A Champion: Holland Hall JACOB: Lincoln Christian VS Holland Hall If this matchup happens in December for the title, which is highly likely, it will be must see football as it will be strength on strength to the max. Lincoln Christian has one of the most potent offenses in the state, scoring over 49 points per game, and Holland Hall has a historically good defense as they have only allowed 27 points all season with an average of just a little over 3 points per game. Something will have to give in this matchup, I personally like Lincoln Christian a little more, but would not be surprised by either team winning the title in 3A. 3A Champion: Lincoln Christian CLASS 2A MICHAEL: Jones VS Vian I've liked Vian all season and I'm not going against that pick now. I've basically like Vian since they had to walk off the field at Wantland Stadium with a silver ball last year. The players they bring back made me think they would be a big favorite coming into this season. We think that 2A is just as deep as ever but Vian has what it takes to finally get the job done. On the other side of the bracket, we like Jones to navigate the brutal side of the 2A bracket. The Longhorns have been outstanding all season and have an offense that can light up any scoreboard in the state. However, when it comes down to it, Vian's journey to the title game will not be as tough and we think they'll have more in the tank once they get there. They know what it takes after coming up short last year and they get the job done this fall. 2A Champion: Vian JACOB: Jones VS Metro Christian This matchup would also be a very fun one to watch as it would feature two young QBs in [player_tooltip player_id="38671" first="Carson" last="May"] and [player_tooltip player_id="38790" first="Kirk" last="Francis"] that have really shined this year. It will not be easy for either team though, they have some tough teams to go through to get there. For Metro, if they can beat Vian in the 3rd round then I like their chances at going all the way to the title game. For Jones, they will have to go through Millwood to get here, but I’m confident that they have what it takes to win in the rematch against them. This will be a nice heavyweight matchup that I like Jones to come away victorious in. 2A Champion: Jones CLASS A MICHAEL: Cashion VS Thomas For my Class A pick, it's a lot like Class 2A. I really liked Cashion coming into this season after the disappointment of falling short last year. I think the side of the bracket that Cashion is in is brutal and that potential semifinal match-up with Pawhuska will be one for the ages. However, Cashion is hungrier than ever to finally get the job done and raise a gold ball. They've been so close before and that part has been well documented. We like the Wildcats to get the job done here and win it all. As for who else makes it there, we see a rematch coming between Cashion and Thomas. It's hard to pick against defending champion Ringling but they haven't been as tested as Thomas has this season. We wouldn't be surprised at all to see another Cashion-Ringling title game but for now, we're going with Cashion to get the job done over Thomas for the second time this season. Class A Champion: Cashion JACOB: Pawhuska VS Wewoka Wewoka will be an underdog to come out of their side of the bracket with Thomas and Ringling standing in their way but I really like the dual-threat element that Wewoka QB [player_tooltip player_id="38586" first="Kobey" last="Stephens"] brings to the table, something that Thomas and Ringling have not seen much of this year at the QB position. On the other side, Pawhuska is about as dominant a team as you will ever see. Their record-breaking offense is led by perhaps the best QB in the state in North Texas commit [player_tooltip player_id="38509" first="Bryce" last="Drummond"], and they have not had a game in class A that has been remotely close. [player_tooltip player_id="38586" first="Kobey" last="Stephens"] is capable of pulling off some magic here to win the title, but I don’t think anyone has a shot at slowing down Pawhuska’s offense in 2020. Class A Champion: Pawhuska CLASS B MICHAEL: Dewar VS Laverne I've had Dewar at the top of Class B all season so why go against the Dragons here? I'm going with Dewar to make it to the title game and face a Laverne team that has been one of the best over the last decade. I like the Dragons to get the job done once they get there but man this would be a spectacular match-up. Class B Champion: Dewar JACOB: Laverne VS Empire Laverne is coming off a spectacular 2020 season with some big wins including their upset over Shattuck which ended their historic winning streak. On the other side, Empire does have Shattuck in their region, but as we saw in their game against Laverne, they are beatable by a great team. I really like what freshman RB [player_tooltip player_id="65161" first="Gabe" last="Diaz"] has been able to do for Empire this year with over 1400 yards and nearly 30 TDs on the ground and think that might be enough to push them to a gold ball in 2020 Class B Champion: Empire CLASS C MICHAEL: Buffalo VS Mountain View-Gotebo Similar to my Class B pick, I'm going with the same team I've had all year and that's Buffalo. I like them to not only make it to the title game but get the job done against a Mountain View-Gotebo team that will come in undefeated. I'm sticking with Buffalo to capture it all. Class C Champion: Buffalo JACOB: Buffalo VS Midway Buffalo was my pre-season pick and they enter the playoffs as a 1 seed with an 8-1 record so I’m going to keep on riding the Buffalo bandwagon all the way to the state championship where they will edge out a talented and undefeated Midway team. Class C Champion: Buffalo