Throwback Thursday – Bixby Dynasty Continues

<em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em> We miss football. We miss football a lot. So every Thursday in April, extending into May, we’ll take a look back at the 2021 football season with a Throwback Thursday post. By the end of this series, spring practices will be starting and we’ll have real football to talk about! And we’ll be a few weeks closer to the start of the 2022 football season. Until then, let’s take a look back at 2021 and continue today with Class 6A-2. Since the 6A split, Bixby has dominated the class for nearly a decade. And 2021 was their final year as they move up to 6A-1 in 2022. The Spartans once again finished the season on top and their dynasty reached new heights. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>GAME HIGHLIGHTS</strong></span> <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eeN4hu7L1mc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <hr /> For the fourth consecutive season and seventh out of the last eight years, the Bixby Spartans won it all in Class 6A-2. The Spartans came into this season with all eyes on them after winning the last three state championships and also bringing a 36-game winning streak into the 2021 football season. The Spartans hadn’t lost since their season opener in 2018 when they fell at home to Jenks. Bixby would not only capture another title, they would set the state record for most consecutive wins by an 11-man program with 49, beating Wagoner’s record from the mid-2010’s. Bixby’s only true test this season came on the road in week one when they beat Jenks 23-15. This was a game that the Spartans actually led 23-0 before the Trojans would rally and had a chance to potentially send the game into overtime but turnovers would doom that rally. Overall, the Spartans would beat their 13 opponents by an average margin of 50 points per game. The Spartans were the favorites despite having to replace three-year starter Mason Williams at quarterback. [player_tooltip player_id="193013" first="Christian" last="Burke"] would step into that role and the offense would actually be more explosive this season. That’s because Burke had help at QB as the Spartans unleashed junior [player_tooltip player_id="197183" first="Connor" last="Kirby"], who would be used as a jumbo athlete who would give the Spartans another weapon in the running game. As if they needed another weapon with OSU commit and reigning Prep Redzone Oklahoma Player Of The Year [player_tooltip player_id="38679" first="Braylin" last="Presley"] returning at running back. The Spartans were a special kind of dominant this season and in August, we found out that this would be their last season in 6A-2 as they move up to 6A-1 next season. This move was inevitable for a Bixby community that continues to grow every year. And in their last year, competing in a class that they’ve dominated since it’s creation, Bixby went out on top in dominating fashion. Is this Bixby team one of the best in state history? Yes. Are they THE best in state history? No. But this could be one of the best dynasty runs we’ve seen in state history and they’ll certainly look to continue that next season in 6A-1. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>LOOKING AHEAD</strong></span> Class 6A-2 is about to look a lot different for several reasons. The first one is obvious as the big, bad, Bixby Spartans are now 6A-1’s problem. So a new champion will be crowned in December. Realignment will also have a big impact on 6A-2 as Del City and Midwest City are moving down to Class 5A. The districts are going to look very different but the big story will be around who climbs the mountain to claim the 6A-2 title. Most of the conversation will be surrounded around Booker T Washington, Choctaw and Stillwater. As of right now, those three teams are the top teams coming into this new season. Then you have teams like Deer Creek and Sand Springs that made surprising playoff runs in 2021 but will need to reload in order to do it again. And we’ll throw out the Muskogee Roughers as a dark horse to not only make the playoffs, but to surprise a few teams on the way throughout the season. But when it comes down to it, 6A-2 is going to have a new state champion and those top three teams are the heavy favorites for a reason.