Class 6A-2 Playoff Preview
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The 2021 regular season has come to an end and it’s time to get cranked up for the playoffs! Prep Redzone Oklahoma will be your home for the 2021 postseason as we’ll have wall to wall coverage. From playoff previews, to the most in-depth state championship coverage you’ll find anywhere, we’ll have you covered. Stay tuned to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day for more preview content throughout the week. In this post, we take a look at the Class 6A-2 playoffs!
BRACKET BREAKDOWN
TEAM TO BEAT
Bixby Spartans
This one was obvious right? The Bixby Spartans are three-time defending state champions and not only the heavy favorites to capture another state title, but with three more wins, they’ll set the state record for most consecutive wins with 49. The question now surrounding Bixby is not whether or not they’re the best team in Oklahoma, but are they the best team in the country? And we don’t think that question is crazy. Out of state competition might be the only thing that slows Bixby down anytime soon. With the exception of an eight-point win on the road against 6A-1’s #1 Jenks in week one, the Spartans have been flat out dominant. They’ve played four of the top six teams in 6A-2 and beaten all of them by an average margin of 46 points per game. The Spartans have a dynasty going right now that is going to go down as one of the greatest in state history. So yes, the Spartans are very clearly the team to beat and if anyone knocks off the Spartans and they don’t capture another gold ball, it’ll be one of the biggest upsets of this century. Look at the numbers, that’s not hyperbole.
TOP CONTENDERS
Booker T Washington Hornets
Everyone is fighting an uphill battle in 6A-2 with Bixby sitting at the top but there are some contenders that we need to pay attention to. The team that last saw Bixby’s wrath was Booker T Washington as they faced off with the Spartans in week ten. Despite losing, this is still one of the more talented teams in 6A-2 and will still give other teams within the class a run for their money. The Hornets are also the only other team to win a state championship in 6A-2 and interrupt the Spartans run back in 2017. Just throwing it out there. The Spartans were going for four in a row, Booker T Washington kept that from happening. Could history repeat itself this year?
Choctaw Yellowjackets
Among the top contenders, you would have to consider Choctaw at the top of the list considering they’ve been #2 behind Bixby all year. In fact, ever since the conclusion of last year’s 6A-2 championship game between Bixby and Choctaw, it’s been assumed that these two would square off again in Edmond in 2021. They already met once and it wasn’t pretty for the Yellowjackets. But over the last few weeks, Choctaw has looked flawless, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Now the heat gets cranked up and the Yellowjackets have to make their way back to Edmond in order to get that championship rematch but they certainly believe they will be there.
Del City Eagles
The only top six team in 6A-2 that has not played Bixby already is Del City. The Eagles have been one of the more dominant teams in 6A-2 but with Bixby in the same class, they’ve been somewhat overshadowed. We like this Eagle team and they have plenty of momentum coming into the playoffs. They’ve won their last nine after losing to Booker T Washington in their season opener. And they’ve won games in a variety of ways. They blew out Stillwater in dominating fashion and they’ve also won three games that went into overtime. The Eagles have experienced it all and with two more wins, they’ll potentially get their shot at raising a gold ball.
DARK HORSE
Sand Springs Sandites
We had a couple teams you could have put here but we’ll go with Sand Springs as they seem like the perfect fit for the term “dark horse” going into the playoffs. The Sandites are 7-3 on the season and have been competitive with some of the best in 6A-2. However, they come into the playoffs as the four seed and have to travel to face district champion Del City. The Eagles come into this match-up as the favorite but the Sandites aren’t as big of an underdog as you might think. They certainly aren’t a typical four seed entering the playoffs and I don’t believe it’s impossible that we see all four teams from the eastside district of 6A-1 advancing to the semifinals. And if Sand Springs is able to pull of the upset on the road in Del City, who’s to say where this playoff run ends up. While it’s a tall mountain to climb, we like what the Sandites bring to the table.
MARQUEE MATCH-UPS
Booker T Washington AT Stillwater
With 6A-2 only having eight playoff teams from the start, the first round match-up’s always feature some pretty good games. Especially the 2nd seed facing off with the three seed and that’s what we have here as Stillwater hosts Booker T Washington. The Hornets are coming off a blowout loss to Bixby, meanwhile Stillwater is playing some of their best football right now, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, it’s been a while since the Pioneers have faced a team with the firepower that the Hornets have. In terms of the playoffs overall in the first week, this is one of the top overall games and the winner moves on to the semifinals.
Deer Creek AT Choctaw
We mentioned those 2 VS 3 match-up’s and that’s what we have here as well. Choctaw comes into this match-up as the favorite as not only are they a 2 seed but they’re ranked #2 overall in 6A-2. So the Yellowjackets on paper should roll in this first round match-up. However, Deer Creek has been the clear surprise team of 6A-2 and they’ve featured plenty of surprises this year and because of that, we can’t just write off the Antlers as they travel to face off with the Yellowjackets. Deer Creek is a senior-heavy team that has been waiting for an opportunity like the one they have in front of them. Choctaw comes in as the favorite, but don’t overlook Deer Creek here.
HISTORY LESSON
This history lesson is pretty simple as 6A-2 is only in it’s eighth year of existence since Class 6A split into two divisions in 2014. And Bixby’s dominance over 6A-2 has been well documented over the last seven years. They’ve made it to all seven state championship games that have been played. They captured six of those seven state titles. Booker T Washington the only other team to win a 6A-2 title. And they’re the heavy favorites to win it all again this year. We know about the 46-game winning streak and Bixby’s dominance over 6A-2 and that will come to an end in December as they’ll move up to 6A-1 next year. But Bixby’s dominance over 6A-2 puts them in an elite class in Oklahoma football history in terms of dynasty runs. Only two other programs made seven straight appearances in the state title game and that was Clinton from 1992-1998 making seven straight appearances and Morrison from 1986 to 1994 making nine straight appearances. And during that Morrison run, they rattled off 90 consecutive wins. Bixby can make it eight straight championship game appearances in December and if they win, that’s seven titles in eight years and a 49-game winning streak. Next year, a new era of 6A-2 football will begin in a “post Bixby” world. So the history moving forward will look a little different. But for now, 6A-2 has been all about the Spartans.
CRYSTAL BALL
Bixby Over Choctaw
It’s hard not to go with the 1 VS 2 match-up here and a rematch of last year’s championship game. It’s impossible to see anyone other than Bixby making it to the title game. Although whoever wins that Booker T Washington-Stillwater match-up could provide for an entertaining semifinal. But the Spartans dominated both of those teams already this season. But on the other side of the bracket, we see the Yellowjackets finding a way to make it back to Edmond. We don’t believe it will be as dramatic as it was last year when the Yellowjackets had to boot a game-winning field goal as time expired to stun Stillwater in the semifinals. But Choctaw will be challenged on their way to the title game. But when it comes down to it, these two teams have been 1 and 2 all year and nothing has changed now. We see these familiar foes meeting again in Edmond but when it’s time for the rematch to happen, it’ll be more of the same. The question at this point is not whether or not Bixby will win it all, it’s what will the final score be as they roll to another championship and set the state record with 49 consecutive wins.
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