A Look Back At 2024 In Class 3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong><em><strong><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></strong></em></strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 football season is in the books and was certainly a memorable one. This week, our postseason content really kicked into high gear and today, we continue our “Looking Back” series for each class. In this breakdown, we're taking a look back at the 2024 football season in Class 3A. Lincoln Christian came into the 2024 season as defending champion and the team to beat and they went wire to wire as 3A's top team, winning another state title. We look back at the season as a whole, crown the 3A Player Of The Year and take an incredibly too early look at 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>LINCOLN CHRISITAN IS PERFECT AGAIN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 2023, Lincoln Christian went 14-0 and captured the state championship. In 2024, the Bulldogs were originally slated to be up in Class 4A but after an emergency redistricting shuffle in April, the champs returned to Class 3A. But despite being back in Class 3A, we were unsure of how the Bulldogs would look considering all the players they lost to graduation, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Lincoln Christian erased any potential doubts immediately. In week one, the Bulldogs went on the road and took down Heritage Hall in a state championship rematch. They would ultimately finish the season with a 14-0 record once again, capturing a second consecutive state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming into the season, while there might have been doubts on offense, there was no doubt about their defense. The Bulldogs had one of the strongest front sevens in the state and they played like that throughout the season. And offensively, a new quarterback emerged in [player_tooltip player_id='1101281' first='Carter' last='Ricke'] and he had several running backs to help him in the backfield like sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='602991' first='Braeden' last='Baker'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1164507' first='CJ' last='Wright'] and both of those guys have very bright future. New playmakers also emerged at the wide receiver position but when it came down to it, the defense was definitely still the strength of this championship team. Lincoln Christian would take down Heritage Hall for the second time in 2024 in the semifinals. And they would follow that up with a memorable win over Sulphur in the 3A state championship game. Lincoln Christian is once again on top of Class 3A and show no signs of slowing down. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>SULPHUR RETURNS TO PROMINENCE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last year, Lincoln Christian was expected to be in Class 4A and on an article similar to this one, we mentioned Sulphur as the top team in the brand new Class 3A. And the Bulldogs backed up all the hype by absolutely dominating their way to an appearance in the state championship game. The season began with a heartbreaker in double overtime to eventual 2A-1 champion Washington. But the Bulldogs would bounce back, smashing their way to the state title game. Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1569774' first='Maddax' last='Mobly'] emerged as one of the state's more underrated players throughout Oklahoma. He was an outstanding playmaker on the offensive side of the ball and also brought that playmaking ability to defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But this Sulphur team had a wealth of senior experience coming back and this class was a big reason why the Bulldogs would dominate their opponents throughout the season. Sulphur would make it all the way to the state title game and they had a showdown with Lincoln Christian. Sulphur would score a touchdown in the final two minutes and that gave them an opportunity to kick an extra point and potentially go to overtime or go for two and potentially win a state championship. The Bulldogs went for two but came up short on the goal line. But there is no doubt that Sulphur had a memorable 2024 season as they returned to prominence and with Mobly coming back in 2025, they'll still be a team to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>CHECOTAH'S UNEXPECTED SEMIFINAL RUN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Checotah had to scratch and claw their way to make it into the playoffs. The Wildcats would finish as the four seed in district 3A-4 but they made the most of their opportunity. They stunned district champion Cascia Hall on the road in the first round. But they would follow that up with an even more dramatic quarterfinal win on the road in Bristow. They scored with less than a minute to play to punch their ticket to the semifinals. The journey ended there against a powerful Sulphur team but there's no doubt that Checotah had one of their best seasons in recent memory. And as we'll dive into further a bit later, the biggest reason was senior [player_tooltip player_id='353415' first='Elijah' last='Thomas'] as he became arguably the best overall player in the state, regardless of class. Thomas came into this season as one of the state's best players but he became an absolute superstar that no team could really contain. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>TRAVIS LEADS CHARGERS TO 10+ WINS AGAIN</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just like with Lincoln Christian, Heritage Hall returned to Class 3A after thinking they were moving up to Class 4A. The Chargers responded by going 11-2 and coming up one game short of playing for another state championship. And coincidentally, both of Heritage Hall's losses in 2024 came to champion Lincoln Christian. But senior running back [player_tooltip player_id='434307' first='Barrett' last='Travis'] was the biggest reason why the Chargers would once again win double digit games, capture another district championship and make a run to the semifinals. Travis ran for more than 2,000 yards and was a complete monster for the Chargers on the offensive side of the ball. As we mentioned throughout the 2024 season, you could see signs of Travis being a dude at the running back position. But this year, he put it all together and helped carry Heritage Hall throughout the 2024 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>3A PLAYER OF THE YEAR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='353415' first='Elijah' last='Thomas'] - Wide Receiver - Checotah</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Checotah senior [player_tooltip player_id='353415' first='Elijah' last='Thomas'] was an absolute monster all season and he was a big reason why the Wildcats had arguably their best season in recent memory. The numbers are one thing but he helped carry Checotah from the four seed, scratching and clawing to just make it into the playoffs to one game shy of playing in the Class 3A state championship game. Thomas finished the year with over 70 catches and over 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also had over 400 yards and ten touchdowns rushing throughout the season. Defensively, he had over 80 tackles and four interceptions with one kick return that he took back for another score, giving him 37 total touchdowns on the year. Thomas was absolutely unstoppable and when the Wildcats needed him the most, he showed up and delivered. In the quarterfinals against Bristow, Checotah trailed with under a minute to play but Thomas took a little screen pass 75 yards for a score to put Checotah into the 3A semifinal round. As mentioned earlier, Checotah and Thomas was one of the best stories from this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>WAY TOO EARLY LOOK AT 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's a solid chance that 2025 looks a lot like 2024 in Class 3A. The conversation is going to start with Lincoln Christian, and rightfully so. The Bulldogs will go into the season with a 28-game winning streak and show no signs of slowing down. Sulphur will have quite a few names to replace but they will bring back arguably their best and most productive player on the offensive side of the ball. Despite losing some key pieces, it's probably a safe bet that Heritage Hall is going to be right there in the mix. And Cascia Hall is coming off a district championship and the Commandos might have the best passing offense in the state in 2025. But 2024 saw several teams that ended up surprising us with lengthy playoff runs like Checotah. The Wildcats won't have their superstar in 2024 but there were several young players that emerged for the Wildcats. We could see another strong season from Checotah but more importantly, there are going to be teams that emerge as serious contenders between now and when the season kicks off in August. Class 3A has been a class that has been dominated by private schools for the majority of the last decade. 2025 might be a continuation of that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->