Class 3A Championship Preview
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The Class 3A state championship game is set! #1 Heritage Hall will square off with #2 Lincoln Christian in Edmond on Saturday at 7PM. These two teams have been the top two teams in the class all season and they will renew their playoff rivalry with the state championship on the line on Saturday night. The Chargers are looking for their second straight gold ball while Lincoln Christian is looking to return to the mountain top before both programs head up to Class 4A next year. In this post, we have everything you need to know about the 3A title game. From links to the “Players To Watch” articles for both teams, to a complete breakdown on the match-up, Prep Redzone Oklahoma has you covered! Check out Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day for more championship preview content!
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HOW THEY GOT HERE
#1 HERITAGE HALL CHARGERS (13-0)
Aug. 31 – Beat Millwood 47-24
Sept. 8 – Beat Clinton 50-43
Sept. 15 – Beat John Marshall 55-6
Sept. 22 – Beat Lone Grove 54-21
Sept. 28 – Beat Pauls Valley 42-7
Oct. 5 – Beat Douglass 63-0
Oct. 12 – Beat Dickson 57-7
Oct. 20 – Beat Plainview 57-28
Oct. 27 – Beat Sulphur 35-14
Nov. 3 – Beat Marlow 35-28
1st Round – Beat North Rock Creek 55-13
Quarterfinals – Beat Berryhill 49-0
Semifinals – Beat Marlow 31-29
The Heritage Hall Chargers come into Saturday night’s game looking for a second consecutive state championship and to wrap up a perfect season. Ever since they walked off the field at UCO last year with the gold ball, the Chargers have been the favorite to win it again in 2023. They came into this season with the number one ranking and haven’t given it up. However, it hasn’t been a cake walk for the Chargers in their pursuit for a second straight title. The Chargers were tested by a tough non-district schedule and then went unbeaten in the toughest district in Class 3A to prepare for another playoff run.
After surviving Clinton in week two, the Chargers rolled for weeks until the final two weeks of the regular season when they played top five teams in Sulphur and Marlow. The Sulphur game was much closer than the final score indicates and the Marlow game ended with the Chargers winning 35-28 to capture the district championship. After dominating North Rock Creek and Berryhill in the first two rounds, Heritage Hall had a semifinal showdown with Marlow. And it appeared that the champs were going to go down. They trailed 29-28 after Marlow scored and went for two to take the lead. But Heritage Hall marched down the field and kicked a field goal as time expired to send the Chargers to the state title game.
They’ve been battle-tested, they are defending champs and they might just have the best player in the state. This is going to be a team that is hungry to finish the job.
#2 LINCOLN CHRISTIAN BULLDOGS (13-0)
Aug. 25 – Beat Holland Hall 33-0
Sept. 1 – Beat Jones 56-34
Sept. 8 – Beat Vian 55-11
Sept. 15 – Beat Shiloh Christian, AR. 20-14
Sept. 22 – Beat Berryhill 49-13
Oct. 6 – Beat Checotah 54-20
Oct. 12 – Beat Seminole 49-6
Oct. 20 – Beat Stigler 49-0
Oct. 27 – Beat Muldrow 63-13
Nov. 3 – Beat Locust Grove 55-16
1st Round – Beat Bristow 56-6
Quarterfinals – Beat Sulphur 45-7
Semifinals – Beat Perkins-Tryon 17-10
For Lincoln Christian, they’ve been looking up at Heritage Hall in the rankings all season. They came into this year at #2 right behind the Chargers and like Heritage Hall, they’ve been perfect all season. Despite replacing the majority of their starters on defense, the Bulldogs still look like one of the best teams in the state and it played out that way early on. Like they do each year, Lincoln tested themselves against a tough non-district schedule and passed each test with flying colors. They would once again dominate the district and run away with another district title.
The closest game in the regular season came in week three when they beat Arkansas powerhouse Shiloh Christian 20-14, avenging a loss from last year. Lincoln Christian kept that focus and dominating play in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They took care of Bristow in the first round and then had a top five showdown with Sulphur in the quarterfinals. Again, they passed with flying colors, winning 45-7. In the semifinals, like Heritage Hall, Lincoln Christian got all they wanted and then some from Perkins-Tryon. The Bulldogs held on to win 17-10 in a very competitive game.
Now, they shift their focus to the state title game after falling short of the championship last year. The Bulldogs are hungry to bring home their second state title in the last five years and this has all the makings of a classic “1 versus 2” match-up with the gold ball on the line.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
This is a very intriguing match-up and it’s not just because they’ve been the top two teams in the class all season. It’s also not because they are both undefeated and have been two of the best teams in the state, regardless of class. These two teams have made it to Edmond in two very different ways. Heritage Hall has made it back to Edmond because they might just have the very best player in the state of Oklahoma this season. While Lincoln Christian has made it back to Edmond behind a very balanced team that might not have that one superstar but they have guys everywhere that have produced.
For Heritage Hall, it’s all about the quarterback. Like we mentioned, he might be the best player in the state this season. Where he goes, this team goes. But don’t overlook some key elements on the defensive side of the ball. The Chargers have an excellent secondary so the Lincoln passing game will not have as easy of a time as they’ve had all season. If the Chargers can keep everything in front of them and limit the big plays, they won’t be able to shut down the Lincoln offense but they will be in much better shape. And offensively, if they can continue to do what they’ve done all season, they showed in last year’s title game that if it becomes a shootout, they can win that way as well.
And we very well could see another 3A championship game that becomes a high-scoring affair. On the other side of this match-up, you have a Lincoln Christian offense that has been lights out all season. They might have the most balanced and high-scoring offense in the state, regardless of class. They have a quarterback who has nearly 3,000 yards and not one, but two running backs with over 1,000 yards. But the biggest key for Lincoln Christian will be turnovers. That’s the thing that slowed down Lincoln Christian in last year’s semifinal loss to Metro Christian. They have to take care of the football, put points on the board and do whatever they can to limit the impact of Heritage Hall’s star quarterback.
HERITAGE HALL-LINCOLN CHRISTIAN HISTORY
Saturday night’s game will be the seventh time these two programs have squared off against one another. And all seven of the match-ups have occurred either in the semifinals or the championship game. This is one of the better small school rivalries over the last decade as both teams have been serious contenders and they’ve gone head to head many times. The Chargers won the first three meetings, including winning 38-14 in the 2015 state championship game. But Lincoln Christian has gotten the best of Heritage Hall the last three times. Because of the way the brackets lined out, these two teams met in the semifinals four straight years from 2018-2021. Heritage Hall won the first meeting and then Lincoln Christian ended Heritage Hall’s season in three straight years. They didn’t meet last year because Lincoln tripped up in the semifinals. The last meeting between these two ended in controversy and these two are very familiar with one another. It should make for a great game.
CRYSTAL BALL
Heritage Hall Over Lincoln Christian
Football is a team sport. And by that logic, maybe the pick is Lincoln Christian. The Bulldogs look like they might have the better team on paper. They are deep on the offensive side of the ball. They have replaced a terrific defense with another stingy one this season. They have guys that have produced at a very high level this year. But there’s a but. Heritage Hall has the best player on the field. They might have the best player in the state this year. And in a championship game, it’s hard to bet against them. The Chargers showed last week in the semifinals that they are never really out of a game until there are all zeroes on the clock. So while we think this game is going to be incredibly close. And there’s a reason we’ve had these teams at 1 and 2 all season, we’re going with the Chargers to win another gold ball.