Road To Edmond: Bixby

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The Class 6A-D2 state championship is set for 7PM on December 2nd at UCO. On one side, you have three-time defending champion Bixby and on the other side, you have a cinderella story brewing as Deer Creek is in their first title game since 2000. Prep Redzone Oklahoma has complete coverage of the championship games and more preview content than anyone else to get you ready for the title games! In this latest post, we take a look at the “Road To Edmond” for the Bixby Spartans, looking back at their 2021 season.

Preseason – Ranked #1

There was never any doubt who would be the top ranked team in Class 6A-2 coming into the 2021 season. The Bixby Spartans had captured the last three state championships and six in the last seven seasons. They were bringing in a 36-game winning streak with the chance to make history in 2021. Back in July and August, it wasn’t a question of whether or not the Spartans would make it back to Edmond, the question was who would join them. With reigning Prep Redzone Oklahoma Player Of The Year Braylin Presley Braylin Presley 5'9" | RB Bixby | 2022 State OK returning and a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball, the Spartans were once again the favorites to capture the state championship. The only question would be who would replace quarterback Mason Williams, who went 36-1 as the starter for three seasons and three state championships. Christian Burke Christian Burke 5'11" | QB Bixby | 2022 State OK would win the job and never let it go. In August, it was announced that Bixby would be moving up to 6A-1 during the next redistricting cycle in 2022. This would be the final year in 6A-2 for the Spartans and one more chance to win it all in the class that they’ve dominated since it’s creation in 2014.

August 27 – Beat Mansfield Timberview, TX. 69-14

Win 37. The Spartans would open up the season against Mansfield Timberview as part of the “Border Brawl” between the Mansfield schools and Tulsa-area schools Bixby, Broken Arrow, Jenks and Union. The Spartans made quick work of them in a 69-14 win. It was 7-7 in the first quarter and then the flood gates opened, as they would do often during the 2021 season. The Spartans would score 55 unanswered points to run away with the season-opening win. Senior quarterback Christian Burke Christian Burke 5'11" | QB Bixby | 2022 State OK had a nice debut running the Bixby offense. He threw for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns on 18-25 passing.

September 3 – Beat Jenks 23-15

Win 38. The 38th consecutive win would end up being the closest game during Bixby’s march to Edmond as they went on the road in week one and took down the Trojans 23-15. It seemed like the Spartans were going to roll to another blowout victory but Jenks made it very interesting in the second half. Bixby led 23-0 halfway thru the third quarter but the defending 6A-1 champs would rally. The Trojans would make it 23-15 and then have the ball near midfield late in the game with a chance to potentially tie it up. However, Bixby would force their third turnover of the night and escape with a win, keeping the streak alive.

September 17 – Beat Stillwater 42-14

Win 39. After taking a week off following the victory over Jenks, Bixby would renew a rivalry with a Stillwater team that they beat in the 2018 and 2019 state championship game. Their 2020 regular season meeting was cancelled due to Covid and these two teams got off to slow starts in this week three clash. It was scoreless after one quarter but as we mentioned, eventually the flood gates opened in nearly every game and this one is no different. Bixby would lead 28-7 at halftime and put it in cruise control from there. The Spartans would run for nearly 400 yards as a team as Braylin Presley Braylin Presley 5'9" | RB Bixby | 2022 State OK finished with over 220 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

September 24 – Beat Bartlesville 71-0

Win 40. The 40th consecutive win would come at the expense of Bartlesville with a 71-0 victory for the Spartans. Christian Burke Christian Burke 5'11" | QB Bixby | 2022 State OK would have another stellar game throwing the ball with over 300 yards and just five incompletions. Presley would also torch the Bruins in a few ways as he finished with over 100 yards rushing and over 100 yards receiving in the win. Bixby jumped out to a 57-0 lead at halftime and got some young players some reps in the second half. This would start off the district schedule with a dominating win and it would be the first of many over the next six weeks.

October 1 – Beat Putnam City West 81-6

Win 41. There wasn’t much doubt about what the outcome would be in week five as the Bixby powerhouse would take on a struggling Putnam City West program. The Spartans would score nearly 40 points in the first quarter and held the Patriots to under 100 yards of total offense and negative yards in the rushing category. This was another opportunity to get some young players into the game and they did just that. The Patriots avoided a shutout on the very last play of the game. Following the win, all eyes were on a week six road test against #2 Choctaw in a state title game rematch.

October 8 – Beat Choctaw 70-7

Win 42. It would be #1 VS #2 in Choctaw as the Yellowjackets were hosting the champion Spartans for a massive 6A-2 showdown. And then the showdown turned into another Bixby blowout. On the first play, Braylin Presley Braylin Presley 5'9" | RB Bixby | 2022 State OK would run for a touchdown but it was called back for a penalty. That didn’t matter. On the next play, Presley would catch a pass and go the distance for the game’s opening score. Choctaw would score to make it 21-7 and have some life but it was very brief. The Spartans would score within 90 seconds and keep on scoring from there, getting a statement win on the road.

October 14 – Beat Sand Springs 58-14

Win 43. The Spartans would have no problem beating Sand Springs on a Fall Break Thursday night, winning 58-14. Special teams got the scoring started as Sand Springs had a safety on a punt attempt. From there, Christian Burke Christian Burke 5'11" | QB Bixby | 2022 State OK and Braylin Presley Braylin Presley 5'9" | RB Bixby | 2022 State OK torched the Sandite defense. Burke finished with over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Presley was his primary target in the passing game with 11 catches for over 150 yards and two touchdowns to go along with his two touchdowns on the ground. Bixby would improve to 7-0 on the season and win their 43rd game in a row.

October 22 – Beat Muskogee 56-14

Win 44. The Spartans and their dominance over the district would continue into week eight as they made quick work of a young Muskogee team. Bixby would win 56-14 and once again jump out to an early lead to where they could put younger players in the game, even in the first half of the win. Bixby would lead 49-0 by halftime and absolutely rolled to the easy district victory. The Spartans were rolling at this point and were becoming incredibly balanced on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the run game. They had the most electric player in the state in Presley but he had plenty of help as well.

October 29 – Beat Ponca City 66-13

Win 45. Here’s a trivia question. Who was the only team during the 2021 season to hold a lead on Bixby? And the answer came in week nine as Ponca City scooped a fumble and scored to lead 6-0 early in the game. Obviously, the Spartans rolled from there and would go on to beat the Wildcats 66-13. But for roughly 90 seconds, Ponca City was the only team that had a lead on the Spartans during this season. But that might have just made the Spartans angry as they would rack up over 600 yards of total offense while holding Ponca City well under 100 yards of total offense in the dominating win.

November 5 – Beat Booker T Washington 69-20

Win 46. The final game of the regular season for Bixby would come on the road against Booker T Washington and the Spartans would once again dominate from start to finish. The Hornets turned the ball over early and Bixby wasted no time by scoring after recovering a fumble on defense. That began the rout in north Tulsa as the Spartans would roll on offense and shut down Booker T Washington and their talented skill players. The 20 points would be the most points given up by the Spartans this year but only one of the Hornet touchdowns was scored on the stingy Bixby defense.

Quarterfinals – Beat Putnam City North 78-7

Win 47. The Spartans began their playoff journey with a home game against Putnam City North in the quarterfinals. This game was basically over in the first few seconds as Braylin Presley Braylin Presley 5'9" | RB Bixby | 2022 State OK would take the game’s opening kickoff back for a touchdown. That would spark a 44-point first quarter as the Spartans scored three times in the final 70 seconds of the opening period. From there, it was another game in cruise control as Bixby would punch their ticket to the semifinals for the eighth consecutive season. After Stillwater took care of Booker T Washington, the two familiar playoff rivals would square off again.

Semifinals – Beat Stillwater 48-6

Win 48. Bixby’s 48th consecutive win would come in a semifinal win over a Stillwater team that has been one of Bixby’s biggest rivals during the winning streak. With the win, Bixby ties Wagoner for the state’s longest winning streak by an 11-man program and punched their ticket to an eighth consecutive state title game, something that’s only been done one other time. In another game where Bixby’s offense would rack up at least 600 yards of total offense, the Spartans led 48-6 at halftime and the second half would end up being scoreless. Nevertheless, Bixby improved to 12-0 and has a date with history and Deer Creek coming up on Thursday night.

Bixby Head Coach Loren Montgomery Quote Book

Montgomery On Taking His Team To The State Title Game For An Eighth Consecutive Year.

“Well I think it’s a credit to our community and what a good job our administration and community has done with putting an emphasis on supporting football. You look at what we’ve done as a program in terms of continuity of our staff and that’s a big part to it. We have some excellent coaches that have been together for a really long time and take a lot of pride in what they do.”

Montgomery On If This Team Is The Best Team He’s Coached At Bixby.

“Oh I don’t know, we’ve had some awfully good teams and players. I think that’s something you sit back and take a look at when you’re season is over or years down the road when you reflect on a particular team and the guys that you had and the guys on the teams that you played had. I’d say looking back, that 2019 team we had, that was a pretty darn good team that did some pretty good stuff.”

Montgomery On His Star Running Back Braylin Presley Braylin Presley 5'9" | RB Bixby | 2022 State OK And What He’s Meant.

“Without a doubt, Braylin has been great. He’s been exceptional in our biggest football games. If you go back and look at the Jenks game, he was tremendous. Our first Stillwater game, he was tremendous. And that’s what you expect. You expect your best players to play like that in the biggest ball games. He sat out one game this year at Ponca City but other than that, he’s had an exceptional season. He’s our team’s leading receiver and rusher. He plays on special teams. He’s just an electric football player and has been super dynamic and has contributed a lot in four years in our program.”

Montgomery On The Match-Up With Deer Creek And What Stands Out About The Antlers.

“The fact that they’re extremely well coached. And that’s the message that I think is lost to a lot of people. With this Deer Creek team, although they have two losses, those are against really good football teams in overtime. They lost to Stillwater and Del City in overtime. And both of those teams have shown that they’re excellent football teams. Their offensive line is really physical and they have a quarterback that is really good at running their offense. It’s a really good football team. Coach Standley knows what he’s doing with a lot of veteran coaches on his staff. A lot of experience and a lot of good ball coaches with a lot of talented football players that believe in their scheme.