Class 6A-2 Championship Preview
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The Class 6A-2 state championship game is set! #1 Stillwater will look to defend their 2022 state championship when they square off with #2 Muskogee in Edmond on Friday at 1PM. The Roughers were the top-ranked team in Class 6A-2 for the majority of the 2023 season. That was until they tripped up in the final week of the regular season to Stillwater. The Pioneers now look to go back to back as 6A-2 champion and Muskogee is looking for their first title in nearly four decades. In this post, we have everything you need to know about the 6A-1 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! Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma every day for more championship preview content!
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HOW THEY GOT HERE
#1 STILLWATER PIONEERS (10-2)
Aug. 25 – Lost To Greenwood, AR. 49-21
Sept. 8 – Lost To Yukon 37-34
Sept. 15 – Beat Norman 28-6
Sept. 21 – Beat U.S. Grant 76-6
Sept. 29 – Beat Booker T Washington 48-13
Oct. 5 – Beat Sand Springs 35-18
Oct. 12 – Beat Bartlesville 14-10
Oct. 19 – Beat Putnam City West 59-0
Oct. 26 – Beat Tahlequah 55-14
Nov. 3 – Beat Muskogee 30-20
Quarterfinals – Beat Putnam City 56-7
Semifinals – Beat Choctaw 33-29
The Stillwater Pioneers were perfect in 2022 and captured that elusive state championship. But after losing quite a bit of production to graduation and their longtime head coach leaving for Arkansas in July, there was plenty of unknowns heading into the 2023 season. And after back to back losses to Greenwood, Arkansas and Yukon to start the season, there might have been some concerns. But things turned around immediately and the Pioneers haven’t lost since week two. They have been dominant, they have won close games and have proven to once again be one of the top teams in the class.
After beating up on most of the district, Stillwater came into the final week of the regular season looking to lock up another district championship. But standing in their way was top-ranked Muskogee yet again. The Pioneers played flawless in week ten and knocked off the Roughers 30-20 to win the district title and take that number one ranking into the playoffs. After rolling over Putnam City in the quarterfinals, Stillwater had a state championship rematch against Choctaw in the semifinals. The Pioneers had to rally in the second half and hold off the Yellowjackets in the end to punch their ticket back to Edmond. Now, they get Muskogee again as they look for their second straight state title.
#2 MUSKOGEE ROUGHERS (10-2)
Aug. 25 – Beat Enid 49-27
Sept. 1 – Beat Putnam City 57-0
Sept. 8 – Lost To Carl Albert 43-20
Sept. 22 – Beat Sand Springs 51-13
Sept. 29 – Beat Putnam City West 69-0
Oct. 6 – Beat U.S. Grant 72-0
Oct. 13 – Beat Tahlequah 67-0
Oct. 19 – Beat Booker T Washington 63-20
Oct. 27 – Beat Bartlesville 30-27
Nov. 3 – Lost To Stillwater 30-20
Quarterfinals – Beat Ponca City 34-10
Semifinals – Beat Deer Creek 36-35
Ever since the end of last season, Muskogee has been considered the favorite by us to win Class 6A-2 this year. The Roughers have been building up to becoming a monster and now they get their chance at the crown. After a 2-8 season in 2021, the Roughers went 10-2 last year and they brought almost everyone back for this fall. After a tough loss in a “1 Versus 1” match-up to Carl Albert, the Roughers flipped the switch and started dominating. They had a close win over Bartlesville in week nine but that set up a week ten clash with Stillwater on the road for the district title.
The Roughers just didn’t get the job done that night, falling to Stillwater in week ten for the second straight year. But there was plenty of feeling that night that these two teams were the best in the class and a rematch for the gold ball was imminent. The Roughers beat Ponca City in the quarterfinals for the second straight year before facing Deer Creek in the semifinals. Like Stillwater, the Roughers had to survive on the goal line to win. After back to back procedure penalties on Muskogee, Deer Creek decided to go for the win on a two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point with 15 seconds left. They came up short and Muskogee now plays in the state title game for the first time in nearly four decades.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
When we look back on the last time these two squared off, which was less than a month ago, a few things stand out. One, Stillwater was playing to win from the start. The Pioneers did not settle for field goals at any point and scored multiple touchdowns on fourth down. Muskogee also had turnover issues and got behind the chains and that caused problems for the offense. It’s doubtful we see Friday’s game play out in a similar fashion.
For Stillwater, the Pioneers will look to play that aggressive style of football and take advantage of the opportunities they have on the offensive side of the ball. They’ll look to rely on their running game that has been outstanding all season and has the potential to carry them to another state championship. But arguably the biggest key for the Pioneers coming into Friday will be the two-way players. They had a few players that play on both sides of the ball that were lights out in the week ten match-up. If they can get that kind of production again, we could see the Pioneers lifting the gold ball.
On the other side of the match-up, you have a Muskogee team that on paper, looks to be more talented. They have multiple seniors that are committed to D1 programs and they also have one of the best quarterbacks in the state. But in their two losses this season, the Roughers have turned the ball over and played uncharacteristic football. They have to play fundamental and smart football. They can’t look for the home run play on every single snap against a Stillwater defense that takes pride in turning teams over. If the Roughers take care of the football and avoid negative chunk plays, they’ll be in good shape.
MUSKOGEE-STILLWATER HISTORY
Muskogee and Stillwater have plenty of recent history as they’ve been district foes for the last two years. But the majority of the match-ups between Muskogee and Stillwater have taken place in the playoffs. Since 2000, these two teams have met eight times and half of them have taken place in the playoffs with Friday afternoon’s game being the fifth playoff meeting in the last nine. But it will be the first time since these two have squared off with the state championship on the line. However, they aren’t strangers to competing against one another with a championship on the line. Last season, the two teams met in week ten and the district championship would go to the winner. This season, it was the same circumstances. Stillwater won both and they are looking for their third win over Muskogee in the last 13 months.
CRYSTAL BALL
Muskogee Over Stillwater
Of the five state championship games this week, the 6A-2 clash with Muskogee and Stillwater might be the one game that we are least confident in coming in. This game is about as close to a toss up as it gets. And it’s hard not to pick Stillwater after seeing the Pioneers take care of business against Muskogee just a few weeks ago. But it might be even harder to beat the same team twice in that time span and the Roughers will certainly come into Friday’s game hungry. Muskogee has been our top-ranked team in Class 6A-2 all season before losing to Stillwater in week ten. There’s a reason for that. They are incredibly talented in just about every aspect of the game. If they can avoid those critical turnovers and penalties on Friday, they could be headed back to Muskogee with the state title.