Class 6A-1 State Title First Look
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The Class 6A-D1 state championship is set for 1PM on December 4th at UCO. Defending champion and top-ranked Jenks is once again in the championship game and they’ll see a familiar face on the other sideline. Rival and second-ranked Union will attempt to dethrone the Trojans and capture the gold ball. We have two weeks before these teams hit the field and that’s plenty of time for preview content! Prep Redzone Oklahoma will have the most in-depth championship preview and state title game content that you will find anywhere!. Let’s get started with our 6A-D1 championship first look, taking a look at both teams in the match-up!
#1 JENKS TROJANS (11-1)
Aug. 27 – Beat Mansfield Summit, TX. 20-14 (OT)
Sept. 3 – Lost To Bixby 23-15
Sept. 10 – Beat Union 22-0
Sept. 24 – Beat Enid 49-6
Oct. 1 – Beat Broken Arrow 31-14
Oct. 8 – Beat Norman 49-21
Oct. 14 – Beat Edmond Santa Fe 35-14
Oct. 22 – Beat Yukon 48-14
Oct. 29 – Beat Edmond Memorial 44-0
Nov. 5 – Beat Westmoore 49-14
Quarterfinals – Beat Norman North 41-14
Semifinals – Beat Mustang 17-10
Championship History: 17-10 (28th Title Appearance)
For the 28th time in school history, the Trojans are playing for a state championship. That extends their state record for most appearances in the championship game. The next closest school is Clinton with 26. Clinton is also playing in the 4A semifinals this week, so they have an opportunity to add another notch on their belt. But for Jenks, this is their fourth straight appearance in the title game. Head coach Keith Riggs has led the Trojans to the title game in each of his first four seasons. Last year, they beat Edmond Santa Fe to capture their first state championship since winning four in a row from 2012-2015. The Trojans are looking for their 18th title in school history and that’s the second most in state history. Ada is currently in 1st with 19 state championships.
Offensive Production: 35 Points Per Game
The Jenks offense ended up being one of the better scoring units in 6A-1 but it certainly didn’t start that way out of the gates. The Trojans spent the non-district portion of their schedule trying to find their identity on offense and it would start to show in their week two win against Union. The Trojans would carry that momentum into district play and their scoring average went from the 20’s to the 40’s during district play. The Trojans have been a run-first team for the majority of the season and it hasn’t been slowed down yet.
Defensive Production: 12 Points Per Game
While the offense took a little while to get going, the defense had no such problems this season. The Trojans were rolling on that side of the ball from the start of the year and were the top defensive team in 6A-1 in points allowed. The Trojans gave up 20+ points just two times and one of those came against the offensive juggernaut from Bixby. And in that game, Jenks gave up only 23 points to a Bixby team that is averaging 60 points per game. They also shut out a Union offense that ended up being one of the best in 6A-1.
Notable
This will be the eleventh time that Jenks and Union have squared off in the state championship game. All of those championship meetings have come since 1998. These two teams have obviously been two of the top football programs in Oklahoma and it’s my opinion that had we not seen the Jenks-Union dominance, the football landscape would look different today. The Trojans hold a 6-4 record edge against Union in state championship match-ups. They last met in the title game back in 2014 and Jenks won 21-14. The Trojans have won the last two meetings between the two teams when the state championship is on the line.
#2 UNION REDHAWKS (11-1)
Aug. 27 – Beat Mansfield Lake Ridge, TX. 48-20
Sept. 3 – Beat Broken Arrow 38-28
Sept. 10 – Lost To Jenks 22-0
Sept. 24 – Beat Owasso 10-7
Oct. 1 – Beat Putnam City 35-7
Oct. 8 – Beat Mustang 48-10
Oct. 15 – Beat Moore 56-14
Oct. 22 – Beat Norman North 30-14
Oct. 29 – Beat Southmoore 42-0
Nov. 5 – Beat Edmond North 42-7
Quarterfinals – Beat Yukon 59-24
Semifinals – Beat Broken Arrow 17-14
Championship History: 9-8 (18th Title Appearance)
Union returns to the championship game for the 18th time in school history and the first since making back to back trips in 2016 and 2017. The Redhawks went the last three years without an appearance in the state title game and for Kirk Fridrich-coached teams, that is a drought. In his first eleven seasons as head coach, Union made it to the title game nine times. However, from 2018-2020, they were bounced out in the semifinals twice and the quarterfinals in 2019. But Union came into this season with championship goals and they have found their way to Edmond. The Redhawks are searching for their tenth state championship in school history and the first since beating Norman North in the 2016 championship. Union would become the eighth program in state history with ten state championships.
Offensive Production: 35.4 Points Per Game
With plenty of starters back on the offensive side of the ball, we had plenty of excitement about the potential of the offensive unit coming into this season. For the most part, they backed it up, averaging just over 35 points per game and being one of the best scoring units in 6A-1 ball this year. For the second straight year, Union made a midseason change at quarterback and they never looked back. Just like the Trojans, Union is certainly a run-first team with two outstanding athletes and a strong offensive line blocking the way.
Defensive Production: 13.9 Points Per Game
A lot of the attention for Union gets put on the offense but the truth is the defense has been right there with Jenks as one of the best units in Class 6A-1. Especially during district play where Union gave up around 8 points per game during the seven district games. That included holding a strong Mustang and Owasso offense to a combined 17 points. Since district play began, Union gave up more than 20 points just one time and that came in a playoff blowout of Yukon. Union’s defense should certainly get more credit coming into this match-up.
Notable
Union was shut out by Jenks back in week two so the Trojans might come into this game as the favorite but history tells us not to just assume that. In the last ten seasons where Jenks and Union have met in the championship game, the loser of the regular season meeting went on to have a 7-3 record in the state championship game. Union lost to the Trojans in 2010, 2009 and 2004 and would go on to avenge those losses in the Backyard Bowl by winning the state championship. This has long been a theory between these two football titans. The loser of that regular season meeting actually has a better record in the championship rematches. This certainly favors Union.