Class 4A Playoff Preview
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The 2023 regular season is in the books! And it’s time to start talking playoff football across Oklahoma. It feels like yesterday that we were previewing the 2023 football season and the year was kicking off. Now, teams truly begin their journey on the road to Edmond. Before we know it, we’ll be at UCO crowning state champions to wrap up a fantastic 2023 season. Prep Redzone Oklahoma will have you completely covered for the 2023 playoffs. From all the teams and players you need to know about to the best state championship coverage in the state, we’ll have wall to wall coverage of the 2023 playoffs.
In this post, we’re taking a look at Class 4A. From the team to beat to the top contenders and storylines to follow and so much more! For a complete breakdown on all the top players on each team heading into the 4A playoffs, CLICK HERE. And check back each day for more playoff preview content ONLY on Prep Redzone Oklahoma!
PLAYOFF BRACKET
TEAM TO BEAT
Wagoner Bulldogs
The Wagoner Bulldogs have been the team to beat all season and nothing is changing as we head into the playoffs. Wagoner won the Class 4A state title last season after stunning Cushing with a field goal as time expired and with the majority of their starters back this season, the Bulldogs have held on to the #1 ranking all year. Now, the only question is can they go wire to wire as Class 4A’s top-ranked team or will they suffer the same fate that Cushing did last year, coincidentally when they lost to Wagoner. Cushing was the unquestioned team to beat heading into the 4A playoffs in 2022 and we know how that story ended. Wagoner is in that position now but they certainly have the experience and the talent to make another trip to Edmond and potentially raise another gold ball.
TOP CONTENDERS
Blanchard Lions
#3 Blanchard comes into the playoffs with a ton of momentum after going through arguably the toughest district in Class 4A with a perfect 7-0 record. Every week during the regular season, 4A-2 had four teams ranked in the top ten. Blanchard was perfect against the other ranked district teams with wins over Newcastle, Tuttle and Bethany. The only blemish came back in week two when they tripped up against 5A’s #10 Piedmont. The Lions are a team that we really like heading into the playoffs. They’ve been knocking on the door as a contender the last two years, with back to back quarterfinal appearances. This year, they want to kick the door down and start joining the conversation with some of the other top programs in Class 4A. They could be on the verge of making a run.
Poteau Pirates
#2 Poteau is right there in the conversation with other perennial powerhouses like Wagoner, Clinton and Tuttle as the best 4A program over the last five years. The Pirates come into the playoffs with a perfect 10-0 record and they were absolutely dominant this season. They opened the year with wins over strong teams from 5A, 3A and 2A and then dominated their way through the district schedule. The closest district contest was a 28-13 win on the road against Sallisaw. They haven’t had a game decided by single digits since the season opener in week zero against 5A’s #5 Bishop Kelley. Poteau’s dominant defense and strong running game makes them a dangerous team as we start the postseason. And the road to Edmond is favorable for the Pirates as well to contend for gold.
Tuttle Tigers
Rounding out the top contenders heading into the 4A playoffs is #4 Tuttle. The Tigers are 8-2 heading into the playoffs with their only losses coming to 5A’s #3 Guthrie and #3 Blanchard in district play. We happened to be at that game in Blanchard and it featured countless turnovers from both teams as they tried to navigate a brutal north wind. Because of the loss to Blanchard, Tuttle finished second in the district but this is still a team to watch as we head into the playoffs but the road is going to be tough. If they beat Weatherford on Friday, they will more than likely run into defending state champion Wagoner. These two played a great game in the quarterfinals a year ago. And it would feature two of the very best in 4A not only this year but over the last decade.
DARK HORSE
Newcastle Racers
Once you get outside the top four, there are several teams that could fit the description of a “dark horse” heading into the playoffs. But we’re circling #6 Newcastle as a team to watch out for. They have a tough first round match-up on the road against Elk City but if they win, they could certainly make some noise. The Racers have a really balanced offense, featuring quite a few players that we like on that side of the ball. We’ll put a spotlight on those players later today in our “Players To Watch” feature. Newcastle comes in at 8-2 but those two losses were to #3 Blanchard and #4 Tuttle and they were competitive in both games. It feels like Newcastle has been building towards this season and they are incredibly experienced on both sides of the ball. Look out for the Racers.
MUST WATCH 1ST ROUND MATCH-UP
Sallisaw AT Cushing
There are quite a few games that could fit right here but the game we’re going with features two teams that are two of the biggest surprise teams of the 2023 football season. Sallisaw will go on the road to face Cushing to open up the playoffs. For Cushing, they might not be as big of a surprise considering they are only one year removed from competing for a state championship. But they came into 2023 with a ton of new starters after graduating a special senior class. They didn’t have much expectations from the outside and they pushed defending champ Wagoner to the brink in the regular season. For Sallisaw, it’s all about new head coach Brandon Tyler. Once again, he has taken over a struggling program and immediately turned it into a winner. He did it at Gore and he’s done it again at Sallisaw. This program went 1-19 in the last two years and are back in the playoffs.
MORE 1ST ROUND GAMES TO CIRCLE
Bethany AT Clinton
The first of two rematches from last year’s first round slate of games is here. #8 Clinton will host Bethany on Friday night and this was one of the better first round games from last year. Perennial powerhouse Clinton would survive an overtime encounter with Bethany and move on to the quarterfinals. Clinton is coming off a district championship in the regular season while Bethany comes in after losing back to back games to close out the regular season. We can only hope for another close one here.
Newcastle AT Elk City
The other first round rematch from a year ago will feature #9 Elk City hosting #6 Newcastle on Friday night. Last year, Elk City got the best of the Racers in their first round match-up, winning 28-21 and they would go all the way to the semifinals before falling to Cushing. The winner of this match-up will more than likely get #2 Poteau in the next round, which will be no easy task. Elk City has back to back years of semifinal appearances while Newcastle is looking to make a run this month.
Weatherford AT Tuttle
The only match-up in this section that doesn’t feature a rematch from last year is right here as #4 Tuttle hosts #10 Weatherford. The winner of this game moves on to the quarterfinal round and will more than likely see defending state champion Wagoner when they get there. Both teams are playing with confidence as they enter the postseason. Tuttle got a big 14-13 win over Newcastle in week nine. Weatherford has put together some impressive performances this year as well.