Class 4A Playoff Preview
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The 2022 regular season has come to an end and it’s time to start taking a look at the playoffs! Prep Redzone Oklahoma will be your home for the playoffs from now until the last state champion is crowned in Edmond. In this post, we’re taking a complete look at the Class 4A playoffs. From the favorite to all of the contenders and match-ups to keep an eye on, we have you completely covered. Keep it locked in for a Players To Watch feature later on today and throughout the next week for more class breakdowns!
PLAYOFF BRACKET
TEAM TO BEAT
Cushing Tigers (10-0)
Coming into this season, the Cushing Tigers were our preseason number one team and after two months, nothing has changed. The Tigers are still on top of Class 4A and they head into the playoffs as the number one team and the team to beat in Class 4A. Cushing has been one of the more dominant teams in all of Oklahoma this season and not just in Class 4A. In addition to being the only unbeaten team in Class 4A heading into the playoffs, the closest game the Tigers played this season was a 16-point win over 3A contender Perkins-Tryon back in September. They absolutely ran through their district with an impressive 42-0 win over 4A powerhouse Wagoner in a game that would give them the district crown. And their offense has been clicking on all cylinders throughout the year but they’ve reached another gear in the last few weeks. They’ve scored at least 70 points in three consecutive games so needless to say, they have plenty of momentum going into the playoffs. After being upset in the first round a year ago, this dynamic team is ready to go all the way this season and end it with the gold ball.
TOP CONTENDERS
Elk City Elks (9-1)
Hand up, we got this one wrong again. Last year, we didn’t see Elk City making a run in Class 4A, which ended in the semifinal round. This year, we thought they would take a step back and all they did was go 9-1, win the district championship and their only loss was to 5A powerhouse Carl Albert. So that’s on us Elk City! Apologies! The Elks have been a really interesting team to watch so far this season with a unique offense that doesn’t put up a lot of numbers but they produce when they need to. They also lean on a defense that has been lights out, especially in some of their bigger district games. Elk City is a team that you definitely need to keep an eye on in Class 4A. The biggest hurdle that they will have to overcome is being on the same side of the bracket as top-ranked Cushing. They made a surprise run to the semifinals a year ago and there’s no reason to think they can’t do it again. Although, it’s time to say that it wouldn’t be much of a surprise at this point.
Poteau Pirates (8-2)
Once again the Poteau Pirates have to be considered a top contender as they head into the playoffs. Year after year, they are one of the top teams in Class 4A and this year is no different. They hit a couple bumps in the road throughout the year but they still walked away with the district championship. Despite a last second loss to Metro Christian and a midseason trip up at Broken Bow, the Pirates still come into the playoffs with plenty of momentum and a favorable path because of that district championship. Like many teams, the Pirates ran into some injuries during the season to some of their best players. But they weren’t season-ending injuries and it just provided some of the younger players to get experience and in turn, the Pirates got a little deeper because of it. But Poteau appears to be playing good football with back to back shutouts to finish off the regular season and they’ve given up just six points in the last three games following that upset loss to Broken Bow.
Tuttle Tigers (8-2)
Another team similar to Poteau that always fits as a “contender” in Class 4A is Tuttle. The Tigers are once again going to be in the hunt for the state championship and they definitely want to hit the next gear as they come into the postseason. This time last year, the Tigers were unbeaten and we were writing about them as the favorite to capture the state championship. It didn’t play out that way as Tuttle would fall to Clinton in the title game and now they come into the playoffs this season feeling like they have a little unfinished business. That’s bad news for the rest of Class 4A. Tuttle once again comes in as a district champion but it was not nearly as easy for them as last year. They suffered two losses with one coming to 5A power Guthrie and the other loss to district foe Blanchard in the final seconds of the game. Like Poteau, the Tigers find themselves on the tougher side of the bracket but they’ll be ready for the challenge and expect to make a run.
DARK HORSE
Hilldale Hornets (8-2)
There’s a few teams that could fit under the “dark horse” umbrella in Class 4A but we’re going with the Hilldale Hornets. Following their 8-2 season, the Hornets seem to be playing some of their best football right now and have some really impressive wins over the last month of the season. Following a weird non-district loss to Claremore and another setback against perennial power Poteau, the Hornets rattled off four straight wins and their offense has looked really good during that winning streak. In fact, the Hornets put themselves in a position to capture the district championship if Broken Bow would have beaten Ada on Saturday, the Hornets would have claimed the district title after a three-way tie. Nevertheless, the Hornets could be a team to make a run in Class 4A this season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hornets make it all the way to Thanksgiving week and find themselves playing in the semifinals.
MARQUEE MATCH-UP
Bethany (9-1) AT Clinton (6-3)
You don’t see a team go 9-1 during the regular season and finish as the three seed. And along those same lines, you don’t see a team go 9-1, finish as the three seed from their district and have to face off with the defending state champs in the first round. But that’s what we have in Class 4A this season as defending champion Clinton will begin to defend their crown on Friday night against a Bethany team that had one slip up during the regular season. Bethany is playing with confidence after slipping up against Tuttle earlier in the regular season. They had back to back wins over Blanchard and Newcastle to finish off the regular season but they are going against a Clinton team that knows how to win in November. Even though the Red Tornadoes might not be as dangerous as they were last year when they raised the gold ball, this is still Clinton we’re talking about and this should be a good first round clash.
HISTORY LESSONS
Miami Ends Playoff Drought
So technically, this wasn’t much of a drought as Miami participated in the 2020 playoffs. But that has somewhat of an asterisk next to it as because of Covid, the OSSAA allowed all schools to participate in the playoffs, adding an extra round that season. This is the first year since 2008 that Miami has actually qualified for the playoffs, following their 6-4 season this year. Miami will hit the road from northeastern Oklahoma to southeastern Oklahoma when they travel and face district champion Poteau in the first round. It’s not the easiest first round match-up but the Wardogs are happy to be a qualifier in this year’s postseason and not just a participant.
Powerhouses Strong Again
The last four state champions in Class 4A have been four of the best programs in the class during that stretch. Clinton (2021) Wagoner (2020) Poteau (2019) and Tuttle (2018) are routinely at the top of Class 4A and that’s the case again this season. All four are in the top ten as they head into the playoffs with two of them capturing district titles. In the last five seasons, these four teams have dominated Class 4A. Tuttle leads the pack with a 57-7 record over the last five seasons. They have made it to at least the semifinals in all four seasons. Poteau is 53-9 during that stretch. Wagoner is 50-11 and Clinton is fourth with a 44-15 record during that timespan. While Cushing might be the favorite, you have to expect a few of these teams make a run in November.
Top Heavy District
Back before the season began, we knew that district 4A-2 was going to be one of the tougher ones in the state and it’s played out that way. Bethany, Blanchard, Newcastle and Tuttle were all in our top ten back before the season and all four made the playoffs with records of 7-3 or better. Every now and then, we see certain districts that just end up playing out like this where the majority of the teams at the top or not only the best teams in the district, they are some of the best teams in the class. What doesn’t happen as often is all four teams from the same district sweeping the first round games and moving on to the quarterfinals. While we’re not predicting that to happen in Class 4A, it also wouldn’t be a complete surprise.
CRYSTAL BALL
Cushing Over Poteau
Cushing has been number one in Class 4A all season so no reason to go away from the Tigers now. As mentioned above, this has been the most dominant team in Class 4A this season and appear to be a heavy favorite coming in. Granted, at this time last year, we also thought the same thing about Tuttle and they fell to Clinton in the state championship game. But Cushing has one of the best offenses in the state and we don’t see them slowing down anytime soon. And on the other side of the bracket, it’s a minefield and whoever makes it to Edmond is going to be battle tested. All four of the last four champions are all on that side of the bracket with powers Clinton, Poteau, Tuttle and Wagoner. We’re giving the slightest of edges to Poteau to find their way to Edmond, but come up short to Cushing and that high-powered offense.
Keep it locked in for a Players To Watch feature later on today and throughout the next week for more class breakdowns!