Best Since 2000: #9 Millwood Falcons

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   Since the turn of the century in 2000, we've had 25 football seasons from 2000-2024. So we wanted to take a look back at the first 25 years of this century and countdown the top ten football programs across Oklahoma. Some were dominating long before the turn of the century. Others have really come on strong in the last 15 years. But for the rest of the month, we'll be putting the spotlight on one of the absolute best programs in the state since 2000. Today, we continue the countdown with our #9 program since 2000, the Millwood Falcons!   MILLWOOD FALCONS   6 State Championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2016, 2017)   4 Runner Ups (2013, 2022, 2023, 2024)   The Millwood Falcons come in at #9 in our top ten program series and this shouldn't come as a surprise as the Falcons have one of the better football programs and frankly athletic departments in state history. Millwood has been incredibly consistent during the first 25 years of this century. They've made it to or won championships (plural) in each of the first three decades. And this is a program that shows no signs of slowing down as we head into the next 25-year stretch.   The Falcons kicked off this century at the top of their game. They won three consecutive state championships from 2000-2002. And this was a program that was hungry for championship success. The Falcons won a state title in 1990 but they couldn't get out of the quarterfinal round for the rest of the decade. That was until 2000, when they beat Davis by a point in the 2A title game. They would then dominate Cascia Hall in 2001 and Pawnee in 2022 to finish off the three-peat. The Falcons were one of the more dominant teams during that stretch of high school football. They won 29 consecutive games from 2001-2003. They also captured gold in 2006.   The Falcons would have to wait a decade before they were back on the mountain top but when they got there, they stayed there for a while. They won back to back state championships in 2016 and 2017 and there was also a 39-game winning streak sprinkled in during that stretch. The Falcons are one of the rare programs that have multiple winning streaks of at least 29 games during the last 25 years.   As Millwood standards go, the Falcons would take a step back when that 39-game winning streak came to an end. They won it all in 2017 and wouldn't get out of the second round until they made it back to the state title game in 2022. And that included a 2021 season where their 13-year streak of playoff appearances came to an end. Millwood bounced back in a major way. After missing the playoffs in 2021, the Falcons responded by making it to the last three consecutive state championship games. Unfortunately, they've had to settle for silver each time. The Millwood-Washington championship rivalry has become one of the best rivalries in the state over the last five years.   You'll find a trend here with this series. All of these programs have one thing in common. Coaching greatness. Head coach Darwin Franklin is a Millwood alum and he's continued to take the Falcons to new heights during his tenure. He was hired in 2013 and immediately took the Falcons to the state championship game. He's won well over 100 games at Millwood in his 11 seasons at the helm. And the thing that is the most impressive is the fact that the Falcons have played for the state title in 6 of his 11 years. In more seasons than not under Franklin, Millwood is playing for the gold ball.   All in all, the Falcons have played for the state championship 10 times in the last 25 years and have walked away with the gold ball on 6 occasions. We mentioned at the start that Millwood is one of the more storied football programs and overall athletic departments in the state. We'd make the argument that Millwood has been the best 2A program since the turn of the century. Other programs like Cascia Hall, Davis and Heritage Hall have had success. And of course, Washington is currently on top of Class 2A as the three-time champs, at the expense of Millwood. But the Falcons have been a constant contender for almost all of the 25 years. And as we get closer to the 2025 season kicking off, don't expect them to go anywhere.   SERIES SCHEDULE   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/04/best-since-2000-10-tipton-tigers/">April 21st – Tipton Tigers </a>April 22nd – Millwood Falcons April 23rd – #8 Program Since 2000 April 24th – #7 Program Since 2000 April 25th – #6 Program Since 2000 April 26th – #5 Program Since 2000 April 27th – #4 Program Since 2000 April 28th – #3 Program Since 2000 April 29th – #2 Program Since 2000 April 30th – #1 Program Since 2000

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