Throwback Thursday: Class 6A-1

Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!   We're getting closer to spring football all across the Oklahoma but it's still too far away! So we're taking a look back at the 2022 season every Thursday with a "Throwback Thursday" post. We kick off the series today with a look back at Class 6A-1. We look at the state champion Bixby Spartans and their run to another gold ball. We also look at all of the individuals that played a big part in the story of the 2022 season with a breakdown on the 6A-1 Player Of The Year as well as acknowledging all of the All State selections from 6A-1.   And then we finish it off with a look at some of the top storylines that happened throughout the 2022 season. Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma for more Throwback Thursday posts. And starting next week, we'll debut a new series called the "Champion Check In" where we take an in-depth look at the defending state champions in each class, and we kick off the series, much like we kick off this article, with the Bixby Spartans.   2022 STATE CHAMPION   Bixby Spartans (12-1)   The 2022 football season ended for Bixby the way most have in the last decade and that was with the Spartans lifting up the state championship. But while the 2022 season may have ended the same way, it was full of firsts and the start of a new journey. The Spartans finally moved up to the largest class in the state after dominating 6A-2 since it's creation in 2014. The Spartans won seven state championships in eight seasons and they set the state record for most consecutive wins by an 11-man program with 49 at the end of the 2021 season. But with the Spartans moving up to 6A-1, the question quickly became how they would compete in the state's largest class week to week.   It didn't take long to find out the answer to that question. The Spartans opened up the year at TU for the “Battle Of The Burbs” against Owasso. After a close first half, the Spartans opened things up in the second half to run away with a 49-14 victory. The win gave Bixby 50 in a row and they were off to the races in 6A-1. They would then go on the road to Arkansas and handled business there before wrapping up non-district play against their former 6A-2 foe in Sand Springs. Through three games, the Spartans hadn't missed a step.   Then came district play and a week to week grind of playing the largest schools in the state. It didn't matter. Nothing slowed down the Spartans as they mowed down the competition and made it look easy every single week. They absolutely lit up the scoreboard and won games with a high-scoring offense and a special defense along with special teams. But all good things must come to an end and the Spartans had their record winning streak come to an end in the final game of the regular season. Rival Jenks came into Bixby and stunned the Spartans in a nationally televised game. But that loss turned into a blessing in disguise as it forced the Spartans to regroup, refocus and start their pursuit on their ultimate goal of a state championship.   Despite the loss to Jenks, Bixby still captured the district title and earned a first round bye. They dominated Enid in the quarterfinals before a semifinal rematch with the Trojans, just three weeks after losing in week ten. Bixby got some sweet revenge with a 28-14 win over Jenks and punched their ticket to their ninth consecutive state championship game, tying the state record for most consecutive appearances in the title game. In that title game, they saw another familiar foe in Owasso and made quick work of the Rams to win it all once again. They beat Owasso 69-6 in an absolutely dominating effort in all three phases of the game.   Now, the Spartans shift their focus on the 2023 season and while their record-breaking winning streak might be done, they do have another record they can put their names next to. In 2023, they will begin their pursuit of something that has never been done before in state history. No team has ever made it to ten consecutive state championship games and the Spartans can be the first. They have to replace a lot of big names on both sides of the ball but as we've learned, this Bixby program just reloads, they don't rebuild. We'd be foolish to doubt the Spartans in 2023.   6A-1 Player Of The Year    6A-1 All State 1st Team Selections   [player_tooltip player_id='582602' first='Andrew' last='Pursell'] - 2023 Kicker - Jenks [player_tooltip player_id='194066' first='Brody' last='Duffel'] - 2024 Offensive Lineman - Bixby [player_tooltip player_id='197183' first='Connor' last='Kirby'] - 2023 Quarterback - Bixby [player_tooltip player_id='287383' first='Devin' last='Robinson'] - 2023 Defensive Back - Union [player_tooltip player_id='216585' first='Harrison' last='Utley'] - 2024 Offensive Lineman - Norman North [player_tooltip player_id='370216' first='Jamison' last='Mejia'] - 2023 Offensive Lineman - Broken Arrow [player_tooltip player_id='55156' first='Luke' last='Hasz'] - 2023 Tight End - Bixby   6A-1 All State 2nd Team Selections   [player_tooltip player_id='98181' first='Bennett' last='Ringleb'] - 2023 Offensive Lineman - Union [player_tooltip player_id='57208' first='De'Marion' last='Thomas'] - 2023 Defensive Lineman - Union [player_tooltip player_id='38777' first='Jacobe' last='Johnson'] - 2023 Athlete - Mustang [player_tooltip player_id='38779' first='Jonathan' last='Ashford'] - 2023 Offensive Lineman - Edmond Santa Fe [player_tooltip player_id='427389' first='Kunta' last='Jordan'] - 2023 Linebacker - Owasso [player_tooltip player_id='133793' first='Tykie' last='Andrews'] - 2023 Wide Receiver - Enid [player_tooltip player_id='115219' first='Tyson' last='Williams'] - 2023 Defensive Back - Bixby   6A-1 All State 3rd Team Selections   [player_tooltip player_id='403811' first='Cooper' last='Crissup'] - 2023 Linebacker - Jenks [player_tooltip player_id='91881' first='Dylan' last='Hasz'] - 2023 Defensive Back - Bixby [player_tooltip player_id='370217' first='Hudson' last='Conrad'] - 2023 Linebacker - Mustang [player_tooltip player_id='157457' first='Jalyn' last='Stanford'] - 2023 Athlete - Jenks [player_tooltip player_id='110747' first='Jino' last='Boyd'] - 2024 Wide Receiver - Union [player_tooltip player_id='360240' first='Liam' last='Evans'] - 2024 Kicker - Moore   TOP STORYLINES   Bixby's Dominance Continues In New Class   Bixby's 2022 season was well documented above in our champions breakdown but there's no doubt that the Spartans moving up to 6A-1 in 2022 was one of the massive storylines coming into and throughout the season. Bixby brought in a state-record winning streak into the 2022 season and all eyes were on this Spartan football program as they moved up to 6A-1. Their championship win over Owasso convinced many around the state that this is the greatest dynasty in state history. Eight state championships in nine years and no sign of slowing down any time soon. Despite losing some very experienced pieces, the Spartans still have to be considered the favorites heading into 2023. And we can't stress enough how special this Bixby run is. As mentioned before, no team has ever made it to ten consecutive state title games and Bixby can become the first this fall.   Familiar Name Runs Away With Freshman Of The Year   Broken Arrow running back [player_tooltip player_id='402378' first='KD' last='Jones'] was our pick for <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/01/freshman-of-the-year-kaydin-jones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Freshman Of The Year</a>. Why is that a familiar name? KD is the son of former Jenks and OU running back Kejuan Jones, who was one of the best players in the state a little over two decades ago. KD has gotten his career off to a fantastic start and he certainly has the chance to be one of the state's best, just like his dad, when his high school career comes to a close three long years from now. Jones finished with well over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground while splitting carries with senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='380233' first='Nate' last='Jones'] and really hit his stride down the stretch of the season. The freshman sensation was also a big threat in the return game for the Tigers. And you can't help but wonder what that production will look like when he's no longer splitting carries and he has 20-25 touches a game.   Jenks Snaps Bixby's Streak On National TV   It was one of the biggest regular season games during the 2022 season and it lived up to all the hype and then some. Jenks knocking off Bixby in week ten, in front of an ESPN audience, was one of the best moments from the 2022 season. First, that win saw the Bixby winning streak come to an end. It also awoke the beast as Bixby would reset, and then go into the playoffs ready to get back to their winning ways. And Jenks had such a rocky regular season with injuries all over, it was good to see the Trojans pick up a big win like that heading into the playoffs. And then there's the Oklahoma high school football aspect. It was a great night to showcase some of the best programs and players that Oklahoma has to offer on a national scale. It was a great game, the storylines wrote themselves and hopefully we see more Oklahoma match-ups on the national stage more often.   Owasso's Massive Turnaround   At the halfway mark of the regular season, the Rams were hurting with a 1-4 record. But anyone who watched Owasso and saw the schedule they were playing knew that a turnaround was inevitable. The Rams played arguably the toughest first five games in the state, regardless of class. They also lost some of their best players on the offensive side of the ball. So the Rams were going to have to work if they were going to make a run when November rolled around. And that's exactly what they did. They also got some breaks along the way. They upset Norman North in the quarterfinals when Norman North was without their star quarterback. Then the next week they shocked Union in a semifinal game that lasted six overtimes and will go down in the history books. While the storybook ending wasn't on the table for the Rams in the title game, seeing a team go from 1-4 to state runner up was one of the best storylines   [player_tooltip player_id='188014' first='Shaker' last='Reisig'] Moves To Union   Before the 2022 season even began, this was arguably the biggest headline in all of high school football in Oklahoma throughout the offseason. During spring practice, 2025 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='188014' first='Shaker' last='Reisig'] moved from Jenks, where he helped lead the Trojans to a state championship as a freshman, to rival Union in late May. When it happened, it grabbed attention and headlines for several weeks and it continued to cast a cloud over the 6A-1 season as the 2022 season began. It was a shocking move but there is always some movement in every offseason that grabs headlines, but not quite like this. The 2025 product didn't let any of the attention and talk distract him from having a good year. Reisig had a really strong sophomore season and is a big reason why Union is one of the early favorites in 6A-1 as we look ahead to the 2023 season.

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