Class 6A-1 Preview
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We are now less than two weeks away from the opening games kicking off as the 2023 football season in Oklahoma is right around the corner. And Prep Redzone Oklahoma will have you covered from start to finish. Since July 1st, we’ve been in preview mode and we’ve been pumping out a ton of preview content with over 100 team previews. If you missed any of them, you can check them out RIGHT HERE. Last week, it was all about the individuals with Preseason All State teams as well as comeback players and freshmen to watch. Now, it’s time to take a big picture approach with class by class previews.
In this post, we’re taking a look at Class 6A-1. From our preseason rankings (including links to each team’s preview) to our All Class teams and much more, we’re getting you ready for the 2023 football season in the state’s largest class. Bixby is the defending champion. They start out this season on top of the mountain but will they still be there when we crown a champion in Edmond? We’re less than four months away from finding out.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
1) BIXBY
2) UNION
3) JENKS
4) OWASSO
5) WESTMOORE
6) EDMOND MEMORIAL
7) NORMAN NORTH
8) BROKEN ARROW
9) MUSTANG
10) MOORE
OTHER TEAM PREVIEWS
ALL 6A-1 TEAM
OFFENSE
QB – Shaker Reisig Shaker Reisig 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB Union | 2025 State OK – Junior – Union
RB – Demarius Robinson Demarius Robinson 5'9" | 165 lbs | RB Edmond Santa Fe | 2025 State OK – Junior – Edmond Santa Fe
RB – KD Jones KD Jones 6'0" | 170 lbs | ATH Jenks | 2026 State OK – Sophomore – Jenks
WR – Kordell Gouldsby Kordell Gouldsby 5'11" | WR Bixby | 2024 State OK – Senior – Bixby
WR – CJ Simon CJ Simon 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Moore | 2025 State OK – Junior – Moore
WR – Jino Boyd Jino Boyd 6'0" | WR Union | 2024 State OK – Senior – Union
OL – Blake Cherry Blake Cherry 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Owasso | 2025 State OK – Junior – Owasso
OL – Brody Duffel Brody Duffel 6'6" | 270 lbs | OL Bixby | 2024 State OK – Senior – Bixby
OL – Harrison Utley Harrison Utley 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Norman North | 2024 State OK – Senior – Norman North
OL – Josh Aisosa Josh Aisosa 6'5" | 300 lbs | OL Edmond Santa Fe | 2024 State OK – Senior – Edmond Santa Fe
OL – Ryker Haff Ryker Haff 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL Owasso | 2025 State OK – Junior – Owasso
DEFENSE
DL – Bergin Kysar Bergin Kysar 6'4" | 245 lbs | DL Edmond Santa Fe | 2024 State OK – Senior – Edmond Santa Fe
DL – Courtney Graham Courtney Graham 6'4" | DL Westmoore | 2024 OK – Senior – Westmoore
DL – Derrick Osmond Derrick Osmond 6'6" | 245 lbs | ATH Broken Arrow | 2024 State OK – Senior – Broken Arrow
LB – Behrett Boyd Behrett Boyd 5'10" | 195 lbs | LB Norman | 2025 State OK – Junior – Norman
LB – Cord Nolan Cord Nolan 6'1" | 185 lbs | TE Bixby | 2026 State OK – Sophomore – Bixby
LB – Hank Puckett Hank Puckett 5'11" | LB Bixby | 2024 State OK – Senior – Bixby
LB – Jett Calmus Jett Calmus 6'1" | 200 lbs | LB Jenks | 2024 State OK – Senior – Jenks
DB – Corey Dean Corey Dean 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Moore | 2024 State OK – Senior – Moore
DB – Devon Jordan Devon Jordan 6'1" | DB Union | 2024 State OK – Senior – Union
DB – Issac Covington Issac Covington 5'11" | 190 lbs | ATH Union | 2024 State OK – Senior – Union
DB – Mykel Patterson-McDonald Mykel Patterson-McDonald 6'0" | DB Westmoore | 2024 State OK – Senior – Westmoore
KICKER/ATHLETES
K – Liam Evans Liam Evans 5'8" | 155 lbs | K Moore | 2024 State OK – Senior – Moore
ATH – Dax Noles Dax Noles 6'0" | 195 lbs | DB Norman | 2024 State OK – Senior – Norman
ATH – – Senior – Owasso
ATH – Micheal Graham Micheal Graham 6'0" | ATH Del City | 2024 State OK – Senior – Westmoore
ATH – Sam McCormick Sam McCormick 6'4" | 190 lbs | ATH Bixby | 2024 State OK – Senior – Bixby
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
August 24th – Bixby VS Owasso (@ TU’s Chapman Stadium)
The 2023 football season kicks off in week zero and a lot of eyes are going to be on this Thursday night clash as Bixby squares off with Owasso in the “Battle Of The Burbs” contest sponsored by QuikTrip. Last season, these two kicked off the season against one another and while the final score was 49-14 in favor of the Spartans, this game was close in the first two quarters and was impacted by the Rams losing their best player for the season. The two would meet again for the state championship and that game was another Bixby rout as the Spartans won another state championship. Only time will tell if this is the first of two meetings between these two teams but it is a match-up of top programs in 6A-1 football.
September 8th – Union AT Jenks
It’s on the calendar every single season and will be until further notice. The annual Backyard Bowl between Jenks and Union is one of the best high school football rivalries in the country and we’ll make the argument that there isn’t another rivalry in Oklahoma that has had more of an impact on this state over the last 25 years. The game has gone away from being a neutral-site game at Tulsa and the Trojans will be hosting this year’s rivalry game at Allan Trimble Stadium. This rivalry has certainly heated up over the last two years with one of 6A-1’s top storylines being player movement and we’ve seen these two directly impacted and benefitting from it. When these two teams are on the field, it’s always a must-see game.
September 22nd – Owasso AT Union
The district schedule kicks off in week four and we have a match-up that historically has decided the district championship taking place with Owasso and Union. The Redhawks will host the Rams and look for a little revenge after their season came to an end in a very memorable semifinal game against Owasso. The Rams outlasted Union in six overtimes to punch their ticket to the state championship game. This match-up in week four doesn’t decide who is heading to Edmond but it could very well decide who the district champion is. Owasso’s first half of the schedule is incredibly tough once again so they’ll be looking for some momentum and a win here could provide that.
October 5th – Broken Arrow AT Westmoore
A lot of attention this season is on the those top four teams in 6A-1 but this class has plenty of talent and good teams throughout the top ten. Westmoore rounds out the top five and the Jaguars look like a team on paper that could have a pretty strong turnaround season this fall. They went 3-8 last season but based on some of the talent they have on both sides of the ball, we think Westmoore could be a dark horse to watch in 6A-1 and we’ll find out right here. One week after traveling to Jenks in week five, they’ll kick off the second half of the regular season at home against Broken Arrow. Both teams are going to be scratching and clawing for playoff position so this game will tell us a lot about each squad.
November 3rd – Bixby AT Jenks
We said it last year and we’ll say it again this year. We know that the district schedule is essentially just a random draw with when these teams play each other but they got this one right as Bixby and Jenks will meet in the final week of the regular season. Last year, the district championship wasn’t on the line but Jenks went into Bixby and ended the Spartans’ winning streak and you know that Bixby remembers that. They were able to get some immediate payback a few weeks later in the semifinals when they knocked off the Trojans before capturing another state championship. There won’t be any state-record winning streaks on the line but the district title could very well be.
NOTABLE STORYLINES
East-West Gap
This has been easily the biggest storyline going into every football season for about two decades now when you’re talking about the state’s largest class. Class 6A and starting in 2014 with 6A-1, has been dominated by the Tulsa-area schools since the mid-nineties. Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso and Union won every championship from 1996-2021. And the majority of those titles were won by Jenks and Union. And now that Bixby made the move up to 6A-1 and immediately won the state championship, it feels like that gap between the Tulsa-area schools and everyone else just got a little bigger. The “Big Four” in the Tulsa area has officially become a “Big Five” and it’s another hurdle for the West side teams to jump over to contend for a title. Now, there are teams outside of those five that can beat some of those Tulsa-area schools. We’ve seen it on a number of occasions in the last five years. But now to win a state championship, you are going to more than likely have to beat two or even three of these teams to raise the gold ball. We’ve been a believer that the gap between the East and West is getting smaller. But this might be a case of one step forward and two steps back.
Player Movement (Transfer Portal But It’s Not A Portal)
The transfer portal has been a massive storyline in college football over the last several seasons with schools being able to completely revamp their rosters and player movement has been more widespread than ever before. And it definitely feels like it has trickled down to the high school level as player movement has been a big storyline with the state’s largest class for the last few seasons. Now, first things first, there is no transfer portal in high school football. It is not a thing. But it’s a thing, just not official. That’s incredibly confusing for those not familiar with the Oklahoma high school football landscape but it’s the reality that we’re living in right now. Parents will move their kids to other programs in hopes for more opportunities. That is nothing new. It’s been happening for a long time and will continue to happen in the future. But when you look at the top ten teams in the preseason rankings and specifically the top five teams, they all have one thing in common and that’s player movement. All five of the top five teams have had some significant additions to their roster this offseason. Some added strong out of state talent while others added standouts from area rivals. So as the season plays out in 6A-1, we’re curious how much those newcomers will impact this season.
Who Stops The Bixby Dynasty?
The Bixby Spartans moved up to 6A-1 last season and as the smallest school by enrollment in the class, they had no problems capturing another state championship. The Spartan football program continues to be the crown jewel in Oklahoma and they’ve proved that with a state-record winning streak, five consecutive state championships and eight titles in the last nine years. Now, they look to make even more history in 2023. No other program in state history has played in ten consecutive state championship games and the Spartans can become the first. Morrison also played in nine straight from 1986-1994 but that streak came to an end before it reached double digits. Bixby is the top-ranked team coming into this season and all eyes will continue to be on the Spartans. We’ll get a chance to see Bixby early on as the kick off the season against Owasso in a state championship rematch. And the odds are that Bixby is going to be one of the teams that make it to Edmond in early December. I think it’s safe to say that if Bixby fell short of this record, it would be one of the bigger upsets in recent memory with 6A football. They’ve reloaded and are ready for another run to Edmond.